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max's son

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56 minutes ago, reg said:

Looks like boat was rescued, says no one was on board so I assume they may of been helicoptered off. Hope so as that's a fierce weir. 

https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/17704147.sinking-boat-rescued-by-fire-crews-at-diglis-weir/

Sorry different rescue (13th June) that was local ferry at Diglis and  was by the lock, this is Bevere weir upstream

not the 1st to try and shoot the weir

image.png.cd5dddf4251d25de72834d40637626e0.pngimage.png.dcae50225b4349caafb48e1db44019ee.png

Diglis  in 60's                                                                     Bevere 70's

 

 

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24 minutes ago, max's son said:

Sorry different rescue (13th June) that was local ferry at Diglis and  was by the lock, this is Bevere weir upstream

Sorry missed the date. Certainly looks  like the rescue services are busy this month. 

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3 hours ago, max's son said:

Sorry different rescue (13th June) that was local ferry at Diglis and  was by the lock, this is Bevere weir upstream

not the 1st to try and shoot the weir

image.png.cd5dddf4251d25de72834d40637626e0.pngimage.png.dcae50225b4349caafb48e1db44019ee.png

Diglis  in 60's                                                                     Bevere 70's

 

 

Unladen barges used to go straight over cromwell weir on occasion years ago on their way back up to Goole/Hull with the right amount of fresh.

Ive been in that very position on the soar in abbey park at belgrave  lock in a 72 footer I was skippering with 48 passengers when the drive sheered in flood. Two fire engines pulled me off. Very scarey.

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12 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Unladen barges used to go straight over cromwell weir on occasion years ago on their way back up to Goole/Hull with the right amount of fresh.

Ive been in that very position on the soar in abbey park at belgrave  lock in a 72 footer I was skippering with 48 passengers when the drive sheered in flood. Two fire engines pulled me off. Very scarey.

And your experience adds reality to the never ending debate about the use of anchors to save a boat from going over a weir! If all the circumstances are right and there is enough warning/time to let the anchor go is one thing, but often the reality is there is neither, no matter how experienced the skipper or what type of anchor is carried.

 

Howard

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4 minutes ago, howardang said:

And your experience adds reality to the never ending debate about the use of anchors to save a boat from going over a weir! If all the circumstances are right and there is enough warning/time to let the anchor go is one thing, but often the reality is there is neither, no matter how experienced the skipper or what type of anchor is carried.

 

Howard

Do you know that the passenger boat was carrying an anchor, and if so, was any attempt made to use it ?

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6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Do you know that the passenger boat was carrying an anchor, and if so, was any attempt made to use it ?

No, it was an assumption that being a passenger vessel with that many passengers it would have been equipped with one,  but thanks for your helpful comment.  Maybe Mr Smelly can enlighten us.

 

Howard

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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Do you know that the passenger boat was carrying an anchor, and if so, was any attempt made to use it ?

In fairness Alan we did have an anchor but as anyone that knows that turn will understand I was going north on the GU Leicester section and immediately prior to Belgrave lock is a VERY hard turn onto the soar and into Abbey park. As I rounded the turn and came broadside to the weir on my right the drive went.Rain was torrential and  the river was in flood which is why we had gone down the GU in the first place. Within but a few seconds we were alongside and on the weir and the boat tilted slightly and settled. The people onboard who I vividly recall were all NAT west bank employees on a company jojjy. They to this day have no idea what nearly happened and how it could have ended. I went up to my neck in the river with a rope to secure the arse end of the boat to a concrete structure in a useless attempt to stop the boat going over the weir but I suppose it meant I had at least tried if the worst happened. I  three nines fire brigade and they quickly came and asked me what the hell they could do as they were perplexed. I asked if the had any winches which they did at front of vehicle a big fire engine. They sent for another similar vehicle and with the use of heaving lines and some good throwing we secured wire hausers to front and read dollies and in unison the guys pulled us off and mid stream. I had bodged a temporary repair to gain drive and at my command weight was taken off the lines as we were nose into the flow ( considerable ) and then slipped by a fire bobby one at each end of the boat and I gave some welly and away we went. The next day when I confronted the owner he said the best place to be was at home drinking brandy when things like that happen with no interest in what might have happened. I had not many years been left the plod so calmy explained what might have happened and told him to stick his job were the monkey sticks its nuts and walked. He lost trade as he had bookings that morning. Anyway I digress. The reality of the event was seconds between no drive and being on the weir so the anchor was completely useless. However had we been 200 yards further up the river it may have been time to deploy and stop us going on the weir?? I always always carry an anchor myself on rivers.

My wife was working bar that night and realising what may have happened made light of it to the passengers bless her. The arse who owned the Leicester boat company Stewart whom I had repeatedly told the drive was dodgy was lucky I am a mild mannered bloke as some others would have battered him after his cocky reply.

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10 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

Is this the reason for the "police incident" which has closed the river between Diglis and Bevere Locks, together with Diglis Lock on the W&B?

There was also a jumper off the Sabrina bridge near the Canoe / Rowing clubs at 12.52 Friday

may be that was the incident

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4 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

In fairness Alan we did have an anchor but as anyone that knows that turn will understand...…………..

Thanks for the explanation - If you are only a matter of yards away from a weir then there is now't you can do.

 

I still maintain that a correctly sized and type of anchor on a correct length of chain will save a 'potential serious incident' if you are far enough away to deploy it.

 

Not having one means absolutely NO CHANCE of even trying.

 

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12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Thanks for the explanation - If you are only a matter of yards away from a weir then there is now't you can do.

 

I still maintain that a correctly sized and type of anchor on a correct length of chain will save a 'potential serious incident' if you are far enough away to deploy it.

 

Not having one means absolutely NO CHANCE of even trying.

 

I agree. Its a funny world. Another little ditty re real life experience and life saving equipment. I was sent to a road accident in my jam sandwich and on getting there it was a car I cannot recall and a mini ( a proper mini not that shite made by BMW ) I vividly remember no one was injured but mini was buggered, easily done. Ambulance turned up and looked at occupants who were all walking about chatting and no one injured and everyone declined attending hospital for check ups. The mini had been fitted with static seat belts as was norm then. I left the scene as it wasnt a police matter realy and all amicable. I recall the mini driver was a very pretty nineteen year old girl also vividly due to what happened. 45 minutes later the girl had collapsed at home iirc and ambulance rushed her to PGI where she was pronounced dead. Transpired she had ruptured her spleen with the seat belt and it had gone unnoticed. Things today would be different and seat belts then being static were often worn loose then the body was thrown into the webbing which is what had caused her injury. Sad sad job, I attended far more than my fair share as was just my luck. To add that seatbelts are fantastic but on this occasion it contributed greatly to her death but other injury may have occured had she not been wearing it?

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Thanks for the explanation - If you are only a matter of yards away from a weir then there is now't you can do.

 

I still maintain that a correctly sized and type of anchor on a correct length of chain will save a 'potential serious incident' if you are far enough away to deploy it.

 

Not having one means absolutely NO CHANCE of even trying.

 

Nice to see that we both agree - just to remind you what I said, my comment earlier was " If all the circumstances are right and there is enough warning/time to let the anchor go is one thing, but often the reality is there is neither, no matter how experienced the skipper or what type of anchor is carried. "

 

Another reality is that I am sure many people carry anchors on rivers religiously without a clue how to use them or when, and by the time they have worked out that a) they should deply it and b) how to do it the time has run out and they are in trouble. I think we have to remember that not all boaters are as experienced as you are, and by the time they realise the situation it could well be too late.

 

Howard

 

 

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4 minutes ago, howardang said:

Nice to see that we both agree - just to remind you what I said, my comment earlier was " If all the circumstances are right and there is enough warning/time to let the anchor go is one thing, but often the reality is there is neither, no matter how experienced the skipper or what type of anchor is carried. "

Agreed - except for the comment 'often in reality' there is no time to deploy...………………………..

 

I would suggest that the chance of mechanical failure 'often' failing within 100 / 200 yards of a weir is fairly remote.

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The ongoing closure between Diglis and Bevere locks is indeed for the poor kid who jumped off Sabrina Bridge. Last I heard was that a tractor was going to try to pull the boat off the weir today. (We’ve just come down from the Camp to Diglis unaware of the closure - fortunately CRT let us up onto the canal!)

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58 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Agreed - except for the comment 'often in reality' there is no time to deploy...………………………..

 

I would suggest that the chance of mechanical failure 'often' failing within 100 / 200 yards of a weir is fairly remote.

Suggest what you like - that is my view and you are welcome to yours.

 

Howard

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4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I would suggest that the chance of mechanical failure 'often' failing within 100 / 200 yards of a weir is fairly remote.

Does the throttle string breaking count as 'mechanical failure' ?  Fortunately the missus yanked up the throttle.

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1 hour ago, Chris Williams said:

I would suggest that the chance of mechanical failure 'often' failing within 100 / 200 yards of a weir is fairly remote.

My experience of 'Sods Law' & boating means if anything can fail at the worst possible moment, it will

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On 30/06/2019 at 12:37, max's son said:

River might be open, now Policemen on Worcester bridge this morning said a body had been recovered this morning

Together with another narrowboat, we located the body floating downstream just below Kempsey yesterday morning.

We alerted the authorities and guided them to the location of the body, which had eventually become snagged in an overhanging tree and so was stationary.
I thought the actions of the Police in closing the navigation for two whole days by calling it a "crime scene" (despite the fact that the local newspaper report stated that no foul play was suspected) was heavy handed and show little understanding of the situation that they were dealing with.
The fact that the body was located *within an hour* by the first two private boats that they allowed to go downstream suggests that what they really needed was eyes on the water to save wasting the time of the search and rescue teams.
Apart from the time that a diver was actually in the water on Saturday afternoon, there was no need to close the river at all.

They would have been better off if they had leafletted boaters as they passed though with details of the person that they were looking for, and details of who to contact if found.
I also love the way that the press reports (which are usually press releases more or less verbatim) are worded to give the impression that it was the Police and Fire Service that found the body, without actually saying so, of course.

Edited by PaulG
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