RCR Engine Maintenance & Boat Electrical Courses (RYA accredited)

Changes have been made to two of RCR’s well-known and ever popular maintenance courses for the 2013 season. This year the electrical courses will be run by Howard Williams, and the Maintenance course by Keith Duffy. These courses were previously presented by Tony Brookes who is now retired.

Keith Duffy has also joined as a course tutor specialising in mechanical engineering. Keith maybe a familiar face to those who’ve used River Canal Rescue’s services in the past as he used to work for RCR and was one of their first employees. A former RAF trained aircraft engineer with 43 years engineering experience and blue water sailor, Keith has now retired but enjoys teaching other people how to maintain and problem solve their own mechanical problems.  He can still be found on the waterways helping boaters and also supports RCR junior engineers in their roles.

 Howard Williams was apprenticed as an electrical technician and is now an Approved Electrician and British Marine Electrical Association Marine Electrical Technician. He has a personal interest in boats and hired on many occasions before buying his first boat in 2000. Howard carries out electrical work on and around boats on a day to day basis. This includes all types of work from emergency call out to rectify faults to full wiring of new boats from scratch. Howard like to keep up to date on new developments and as a result he’s confident that he will be able to offer those attending the course an informative, educational; but most importantly an enjoyable: time, and looks forward to meeting new learners." 

 Stephanie Horton, RCR’s MD said, “The new format of the courses has taken the excellent content of our previous courses, and the RYA requirements but added in more practical and hands on activities, we have looked at the key elements that boaters want to achieve from the course and condensed it to ensure that everyone comes away with real skills that they can put in to action on their own boat”.

Details of the courses can be foudn on the RCR webpages www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk

RCR Sponser the IWA Festival Awards

Waterways Festival Awards

River Canal Rescue is urging people to enter this year’s Waterways Festival Awards which are presented during the 19-21 July get-together at Cassiobury Park, near Watford.

Described as the biggest waterway event alongside Crick – the annual Festival attracts thousands of visitors and hundreds of canal boat owners with their craft. 

The waterways breakdown and rescue firm sponsors three Awards; the AP Herbert, Robert Aikman and newly re-named River Canal Rescue trophies, recognising the longest journey in a qualifying period, most enterprising continuous journey and most enterprising non-continuous journey. 

As well as the trophies, award-winners receive free RCR membership, and a Free Service for the longest Journey.  Deadline for entries by post or email is 8 July or for those handing in their forms at the Grand Union canal Festival site, 18 July.  

To find out more visit www.waterways.org.uk or email enquiries@rivercanalrescue.co.uk

Storm and flood losses higher than reported says River Canal Rescue

The £1.9billion* paid out by insurers to people who suffered flood and storm damage following last year’s wet weather is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, according to Stephanie Horton, Managing Director of River Canal Rescue.

Stephanie says the figure should be higher as the damage and loss to canal and river boats is not included in this figure; it comprises home, business and motor claims. 

River Canal Rescue reports it attended 75%** more call-outs to emergency situations in the period from October 12 to January 13 and specialist insurers also confirm the bad weather caused an increase in claims.

Stephanie comments: “Last year’s weather caused devastation for those on water as well as land and it’s important their losses are acknowledged.  We helped retrieve 45 sunken, partially submerged or grounded vessels, and in some cases these craft are the owners’ home, business and form of transport. Over half of these were insurance claims.”

Insurers who have not given River Canal Rescue delegated authority to make repairs as part of the claims process spend more on claims settlement due to customers’ having to source repairers themselves and agree quotes.

Stephanie explains: “Insurers who give us delegated authority save a minimum of 25% on their claims costs.  Last year, however, we reduced their bill by 65%***.  By allowing us to take ownership of the claim, we can quickly source and make repairs, reduce the total loss amount and speed up the process.  This results in less hassle for the craft owner.”

She concludes: “We’ll never know the true costs incurred as a result of the terrible weather last year, but it is important to prepare for more floods and storms and have support at hand to minimise losses if damage occurs.  Even as we approached British summer time this year, the country faced freezing conditions and more weather warnings, which is unheard of towards the end of March.”

River Canal Rescue issues warnings and reminders for people to check their craft on Facebook and via email alerts to customers. To find out more, visit www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk or phone 01785 785680.

Ends

Notes to Editors

*Association of British Insurers  2012 storm and flood statistics

http://www.abi.org.uk/Media/Releases/2013/02/Over_1300_customers_helped_everyday_by_insurers_to_recover_from_extreme_weather_in_2012_.aspx

** River Canal Rescue call-outs Oct 11 to Jan 12 v Oct 12 - Jan 13

*** Based upon potential claims cost v amount paid for cases in 2012

Media Enquiries

Stephanie Horton, Managing Director, River Canal Rescue, T: 01785 785680 or E: sho@rivercanalrescue.co.uk

Francesca Breeze, Freelance Journalist/PR Consultant, T: 01273 421115, M: 07710 963838 or E: Francesca.breeze1@ntlworld.com

Breakdown Guide from Towergate Insurance and River Canal Rescue

Canal boat insurance provider, Towergate Insurance, has joined forces with breakdown and recovery specialist, River Canal Rescue, to produce a Guide listing the five most common causes of emergency call-outs and how to avoid them.

During 2012, River Canal Rescue responded to 3,100 call-outs and in 2011, 3,400.  Although slightly fewer, it still equates to 60 call-outs a week.  

Last year, the top five call-outs were; batteries and electrical malfunctions 21%, fuel issues and contamination 18%, breaking cables 9%, over-heating/cooling system breakdown 8% and alternator issues 6%.    These were closely followed by; gearbox/drive plate failures 5%, fan belts 5%, starters 4%, propellers 3% and couplings/sheared bolts 3%*.

The Guide offers breakdown advice, general preventative maintenance and tool box contents tips, discusses how to solve problems before calling out a third-party and gives a word of warning about bio-diesel.

Towergate Insurance (marine) Managing Director, Nigel Mills, comments: “We hope canal boat owners find this Guide a useful reference tool which will reduce the need for a call-out.”

River Canal Rescue Managing Director, Stephanie Horton agrees: “Many call-outs can be avoided by regular servicing/maintenance and learning about your engine.  This Guide encourages owners to develop routines that will minimise unnecessary costs and avoid a holiday or break being spoilt by an ill-timed breakdown."

Available online at www.towergateinsurance.co.uk (click on info zone and boat) and www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk (click on tips and advice). 

Canal boat owners taking out a Fresh-Waters policy with Towergate Insurance can purchase River Canal Rescue support at a discounted rate or opt for a higher level of policy cover and receive it automatically.

For further breakdown information visit either of the websites and for insurance advice call 0800 515629 or 01743 284664.

RCR’s Engineer of the Year Awards.

During River Canal Rescue’s recent AGM, held at their offices in Stafford during January, two awards were made. The awards for Engineer of the Year and Most call outs were made to J William Forman and Dean Burroughs, both of whom work in the midlands region with Dean being a junior engineer and J being a senior engineer.

J William Forman won the Engineer of the Year award, this award is very difficult to win in that it is not simply a case of getting the most jobs done, but is measured on a range of skills which take in to account the number of call-outs, number of inspections and services completed, the quality and accuracy of his documentation, management of stock and professional appearance and attitude, most importantly, the number of compliments received for his work. His award was made by last years winner Steve Hill who presented not only the trophy but also the RCR 1P number plate for his van and a gift voucher for Halfords.

The award for most breakdowns was made to Dean Burroughs and was presented by last years winner Aaron Forman. Dean attended some 269 call-outs over the last year. He won both a trophy and a Halfords voucher but only just! He was closely followed by three other engineers but managed to win by just six call-outs.

Stephanie Horton, RCR’s MD said that, “this award is a true reflection of the dedication of our engineers and the company to providing an excellent service for all our customers and the emphasis we place on the full package not just simply engineering skills.” She added, “There is quite a lot of friendly competition between the engineers to win these titles, Dean has had a difficult year in 2011, and has really pulled though to show that he can perform and deserved the recognition that the award brings. Jay has worked his way though as an apprentice to Senior engineer and the Engineer of the Year is a true representation of the emphasis that we place on our engineers developing and maintaining their skills, in both customer service and engineering knowledge as is a testament to his work in the field.”

Steve Hill presenting (L) to J Forman (R) 

Aaron Forman (R) to Dean Burroughs (L)

10 mins and then she was on the bottom.

From the rooftops of the buildings opposite the river, builders spotted a narrow boat whose stern appeared to be sinking, but by the time they got down and raised the alarm the vessel had already sunk to the gunnels. L R Harris at Syston quickly notified the owner and obtained a pump, in order to try and rescue the boat. 

When the owner returned unfortunately it was already too late to rescue his beloved parrots, and although he waded waist deep in freezing water it was obvious that the cages were well below the water. As a live abound the owner had taken great care of the boat and only recently had a hull survey completed. Everyone was at a loss to explain the cause of the sinking, other than the heavy and persistent rain fall over the past few days.  

LR Harris battled all day to try to raise the boat but to no avail and as light faded they called RCR to see if their rescue team were available.  With the light gone the team were prepped to attend the following day and armed with 4 pumps hoped to get her refloated.

RCR’s team immediately set to with the pumps, but after several hours were still not making the headway they had expected. More water was appearing than disappearing! Searching the vessel they found a number of vents, and the owner notified them of a couple more on the outside of his boat. By blocking these they started to gain momentum but still water was pouring and the source could not be located.

Working in freezing temperatures and waist deep in water for hours, and with work not progressing as it should the team called a halt. When they did it took only 28secs for her to sink back to her previous position. The following day, having discussed possibilities and options, they returned to site to try again. This time they removed sodden items from the boat to reduce weight, blocked holes and vents, and used a winch to assist in lifting the stern. With the help of local boaters and all pumps working at full capacity within a few hours the boat finally came up.

Unfortunately she was still taking on a large amount of water and at risk of sinking again, so the team took the option of grounding her in LR Harris pound. This where the rest of the heavy items could be removed so that she can be hoisted out of the water and a full investigation as to the cause undertaken.

LR Harris staff and the local boaters supplied ample warm drinks and helped keep everyone’s spirits high despite the circumstances, and with a strong community spirit are committed to helping the owner get back on his feet.

Stranded Dutch Barge

River Canals Rescue’s specialist rescue team were called out to see if they could help the owner of a Dutch Barge which, due to severe flooding, had become stranded on land as the flood waters receded.

Mrs Brooksmith, the owner of the barge, was informed by EA that, due to flood waters raising the river levels by over 4ft, her boat had floated free of its moorings and come to rest across the back gardens of two waterside properties in Wansford, Cambridgeshire.

The intense rainfall had caused an unexpected and unusual rise in river levels and as a result many vessels were stranded. However the 70ft wide beam Dutch barge looked to present the biggest challenge. As waters receded and the river began to return to normal specialists were brought in and the cost of the rescue started to escalate quickly.

EA suggested the Mrs Brooksmith called Canal Contracting and RCR to see if their specialist team could come up with any alternative ideas. Having carried out an initial investigation it was clear that due to the boats location, and the access to the front of the house, there was impossible for a crane to gain access to the vessel on the village side. The pasture land opposite was saturated and would not hold a crane even with track laid across the two fields unless they waited until the land had drained and dried out considerably.

With the water receding  the possibility of getting the vessel refloated were not improving, the best option was to attempt to pull the boat back in to the river. However, with no water under her and a sodden field opposite it was going to take a miracle. Trevor the CEO was in attendance at the rescue and his experience and expertise quickly thought of a possible solution, and with the help of local contractor Jim Boulton they set to work. 

First they removed the scaffolding and old mooring material out of the way to stop any damage to the vessel when it re-entered the water, and then located and organised for a Unimog plant vehicle to attend site. As one of the only vehicles that could deal with the saturated terrain, and one which also had the pulling power needed, the Unimog made quick work of hauling the bow in to the water, it was then simply a case of repositioning to allow the boat to enter the water safely.

Once reafloated the boat was checked over for damage and moved to a temporary mooring for safety until the river was once more navigable. The kind assistance of local residences and the caretaker of the land was instrumental in the successful rescue.