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Boat sinks “lock keeper bang out of order”


PD1964

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I don't think she should attach any blame to the lockeeper. It is not emptying the lock that caused the problem. This was below Culham Lock.  This part of the river is often subject to flooding. The weirs would have adjusted themselves for the flow. The river goes into flood and they tie up to steel bollards only meant for temporary mooring. Surely if they had asked advice they would have been told to go back to Clifton Lock where there are risers and it is relatively safe in the lock cut. Once the water is above the bank there is little anyone can do without taking risks. I doubt is was due to any leaks in the boat just being tied onto  a short line. Maybe it is time that you need some compulsory training before owning a boat as in most other countries.

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Fully agree it isn't the lockie's responsibility.  But the claim is that the lockie admitted to seeing the situation developing and still did nothing about it.  If there was anything the lockie could have done - without putting himself at risk - that seems a bit callous.

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4 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Sad really but to be fair nowt to do with the lockie. Leave a boat tied up anywhere and it's your responsibility and leaving one in winter during prolonged heavy rain on a river is quite simply asking for trouble. Hope she gets a good result but I very much doubt it. 

 

I can't agree, on this. There must be many an occasion when it was thought necessary to pull up and secure someone's lines. One very wet Friday, I think it was the year Worcester had floods, I had to cut no end of lines and re-tie boats in a marina. Some people tie up, like they've tried to do a Gordian knot; cutting is the only way to quickly right the boat. 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Higgs said:

 

I can't agree, on this. There must be many an occasion when it was thought necessary to pull up and secure someone's lines. One very wet Friday, I think it was the year Worcester had floods, I had to cut no end of lines and re-tie boats in a marina. Some people tie up, like they've tried to do a Gordian knot; cutting is the only way to quickly right the boat. 

 

 

 

 

 

That (maybe) comes back to an earlier point that (possibly) some training in boat skills should be mandatory before being allowed a licence.

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

That (maybe) comes back to an earlier point that (possibly) some training in boat skills should be mandatory before being allowed a licence.

 

It wouldn't be a bad thing, but I doubt will ever become mandatory. 

 

 

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Do you think lock keepers have their own secret forum where they chat but also read this and if so

 

1) trying to put any level or responsibilities on the keeper may come back to haunt them

 

2) I’ve always found lockies a friendly helpful lot especially when single handing and they should be given awards

 

thats me covered 

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1 minute ago, Higgs said:

 

It wouldn't be a bad thing, but I doubt will ever become mandatory. 

 

 

 

I also doubt it, but it would be simplicity itself to adminster (although as we all know it could not be made a requirement of issuing a licence as the only three criteria are enshrined in law).

 

It could be made a compulsory requirement of being granted insurance tho'.

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2 minutes ago, big d said:

Do you think lock keepers have their own secret forum where they chat but also read this and if so

 

1) trying to put any level or responsibilities on the keeper may come back to haunt them

 

2) I’ve always found lockies a friendly helpful lot especially when single handing and they should be given awards

 

thats me covered 

Don't know. Romney weir is quite active on twitter, and I think may talk to the lockkeeper from time to time....

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The most recent video gives more useful info.  They point out a couple of boats above the lock and say they wanted to get there.  Those moorings don't have risers on them either, so still could flood, especially with a poorly tied boat.  I don't think this girl has really grasped what it means to leave a boat unattended in winter on a river.  I just wouldn't do that ever.  Even in summer I would avoid leaving my boat unattended over night on a river.  I've only ever done that in summer, during a dry spell, checking my river levels app regularly, and I was on a floating pontoon.  Maybe I'm too cautious, but then my boat hasn't sunk yet.

 

The impression I get is that they a those typical sort of people who jump into things without doing any research and then moan when things go wrong.  My sympathy ended when she started bad mouthing the lockie.  Yes, it's nice when other people come to the rescuse, but you can't live your life expecting that will always happen.  Take your own responsibility.

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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I also doubt it, but it would be simplicity itself to adminster (although as we all know it could not be made a requirement of issuing a licence as the only three criteria are enshrined in law).

 

It could be made a compulsory requirement of being granted insurance tho'.

 

It would have implications for the buying and selling, as there's virtually nowhere for a boat to have a place that wouldn't be subject to the training requirement certification. Mandating would, as you say, have a knock-on effect for the issuing of a licence. We'd probably all have to take the training. Could create a good business for someone. 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

It would have implications for the buying and selling, as there's virtually nowhere for a boat to have a place that wouldn't be subject to the training requirement certification. Mandating would, as you say, have a knock-on effect for the issuing of a licence. We'd probably all have to take the training. Could create a good business for someone. 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it wouldn't need to be mandatory in private marinas.

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A slight tangent. At the moment due to Tier 4 Covid I am essentially barred from going to see my boat.

The marina staff where we keep her have said they will keep an eye out and walk the pontoons every day. 

 

I really need to check with my insurance whether, should the unthinkable happen and the boat sinks am I covered?

 

I will contact the insurance and report back.

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This is her latest and although she still feels the lock keeper was partly to blame she is surprisingly positive with RCR due to lift it when the level falls. From photos posted earlier on FB I wouldn't be surprised if she also had a centre line attached, but as the girl admits they didn't know better.

 

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1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

on a lock landing below a lock, hence its the lockies fault as he emptied the lock to stabilise the levels is what she said i think

They were not on the lock landing but towpath moorings before the bridge which is before the lock and lock landings. You can see these on the still picture of the boat near the end of the Vlog. It looks like they have gone through the bridge hole to the lock/landings, realised it was closed then returned to the towpath moorings as the boat on the still is facing the opposite direction to the lock and moored up.

Edited by PD1964
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45 minutes ago, Cheese said:

- it is at Culham

 

 

So simply emptying the lock would have had no effect but rain run off in excess of that which could get down the reach and over  Clifton Hampden weir would. I suspect the weirs were fully open and the run off was sufficient to raise the level. The Thames lock/weir keepers are normally very good at maintaining a level until they the weirs are fully open.

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15 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

This is her latest and although she still feels the lock keeper was partly to blame she is surprisingly positive with RCR due to lift it when the level falls. From photos posted earlier on FB I wouldn't be surprised if she also had a centre line attached, but as the girl admits they didn't know better.

 

Agreed. Putting a lot of it down to their lack of experience is certainly not shirking responsibility. It doesn't seem to have dampened their enthusiasm to bounce back. 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

They were not on the lock landing but towpath moorings before the bridge which is before the lock and lock landings. You can see these on the still picture of the boat near the end of the Vlog. It looks like they have gone through the bridge hole to the lock/landings, realised it was closed then returned to the towpath moorings as the boat on the still is facing the opposite direction to the lock and moored up.

my mistake then, i'd watched that a few days ago and was going from memory, i'd assumed being on bollards it was the lock landing as i don't know the area and all towpath moorings i've ever seen are rings ;) 

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1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

my mistake then, i'd watched that a few days ago and was going from memory, i'd assumed being on bollards it was the lock landing as i don't know the area and all towpath moorings i've ever seen are rings ;) 

They look good towpath moorings though, but obviously not floating. A hard lesson learnt especially as only 3rd Party insurance, will be interesting to see her future Vlogs documenting the raising of the vessel. I’m surprised the E.A haven’t got involved with potential contamination from oil/diesel fuel. They may be looking at a large salvage/clean up bill.

Edited by PD1964
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2 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

They look good towpath moorings though, but obviously not floating. A hard lesson learnt especially as only 3rd Party insurance, will be interesting to see her future Vlogs documenting the raising 

of the vessel. I’m surprised the E.A haven’t got involved with potential contamination from oil/diesel fuel. They may be looking at a large salvage/clean up bill.

Which should be covered by insurance (it is 3rd party claim).

 

As for some of the comments, I hope if my boat ever sinks, it doesn't get reported on here...

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1 minute ago, StationMaster said:

As for some of the comments, I hope if my boat ever sinks, it doesn't get reported on here...

Well, one could also help ones self there by not posting it, along with the rest of ones life, on YouTube as the subject here chose to do.  When you chose to do that, I think it pretty much guaranteed to solicit both positive and negative responses.

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the lockies are responsible for monitoring and controlling the river levels as far as possible, to avoid flooding.

 

the level of the river just above a weir will not vary much, but, because of the gradient in the river when there is a significant flow, it means that the level just below the lock/weir will vary enormously.

 

newbies may not realise this.

Edited by Murflynn
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