Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

[David Mack]

A group of tourists fell into a murky, cold canal in Venice when the gondola in which they were travelling capsized after they failed to heed an order to stop taking selfies and sit down.

The gondolier, who had been attempting a tricky manoeuvre as he navigated the vessel under a bridge close to the area of St Mark’s Square, also ended up in the water before scrambling to rescue his passengers.

According to reports in the local press, the group from China had been shifting around the gondola and taking selfies against the backdrop of the lagoon city’s famous sites when the incident, which was captured on video and shared widely online, happened.

The gondolier’s manoeuvre under the bridge required the maximum balance of weight onboard, but the passengers reportedly ignored his orders to sit down and instead continued to stand up and take photos, thus tipping the boat over.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/venice-gondola-capsizes-tourists-canal

 

[Guest]

I'm finding it hard not to have a little laugh at that video.

 

People can be very stupid in their quest to get themselves on Tik Tok which is the source of the video.

[Mike Tee]

I have no sympathy with either the passengers or the gondolier - I know there was a language difficulty but if they ignored his first instruction to sit then he should have stopped the boat and got them off.

[MtB]

I find myself wondering what this bit in the article means:

 

"The gondolier’s manoeuvre under the bridge required the maximum balance of weight onboard"

 

 

A journalist making up twaddle (again), perhaps?

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

20 minutes ago, MtB said:

I find myself wondering what this bit in the article means:

 

"The gondolier’s manoeuvre under the bridge required the maximum balance of weight onboard"

 

 

A journalist making up twaddle (again), perhaps?

 

 

Its the Guardian, sensationalism or fake news is the norm.

[Arthur Marshall]

3 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Its the Guardian, sensationalism or fake news is the norm.

The voice of the Daily Mail?

The story was taken from the local papers: "According to reports in the local press".

Still, never waste an opportunity to snipe, eh?

Edited December 7, 2023 by Arthur Marshall

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The voice of the Daily Mail?

I just knew someone would rise to that bait. Thought you were in the running Arthur but so fast?

[magnetman]

It was in the rule book back in the day for small craft on the Thames. 

 

"It is shocking bad form to stand up in a Boat". 

 

Also "Consider the comfort of the Lady in preference to exhibiting your skill as an oarsman". 

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

I just knew someone would rise to that bait. Thought you were in the running Arthur but so fast?

Ah, well, I've got Covid and am locked in one room, bored out me tree. Still, it's always good to read an actual article before condemning it as a fraud.

[Tracy D'arth]

4 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Ah, well, I've got Covid and am locked in one room, bored out me tree. Still, it's always good to read an actual article before condemning it as a fraud.

Sympathies Arthur, get well soon.  Is this your first bout?  

[Slim]

9 hours ago, M_JG said:

I'm finding it hard not to have a little laugh at that video.

 

People can be very stupid in their quest to get themselves on Tik Tok which is the source of the video.

I can't help but agree with you. The  most amusing thing for me was the woman? struggling to clamber aboad the rescue boat. No was she going to let go of her phone 

[Arthur Marshall]

20 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Sympathies Arthur, get well soon.  Is this your first bout?  

Cheers, yes , I've escaped it till now by being generally antisocial. Brass band concert season - think I got it from the euphoniums, if you'll pardon the phrase.

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Arthur Marshall

[magnetman]

13 minutes ago, Slim said:

 No was she going to let go of her phone 

 

I saw a hilarious bike incident once. Bloke was tearing along the towpath ding ding ding pedestrian didn't move an inch he braked hard and went head over heels into the cut. When he climbed out using one of the egress ladders (Limehouse cut has high towpaths) he was using one hand to climb and clutching his phone in the other hand. 

 

He actually emerged from the water phone in hand. Very funny that was. 

[MtB]

36 minutes ago, Slim said:

I can't help but agree with you. The  most amusing thing for me was the woman? struggling to clamber aboad the rescue boat. No was she going to let go of her phone 

 

The thing that struck me was the person filming her struggle. No hint of them stopping filming to help. 

 

 

[IanD]

12 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

The thing that struck me was the person filming her struggle. No hint of them stopping filming to help.

 

Why would they stop and help, when getting a hilarious video you can post on TikTok is *much* more important? 😞

Edited December 7, 2023 by IanD

[Stilllearning]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Its the Guardian, sensationalism or fake news is the norm.

What is either sensationalist or fake about the report? Neither are the norm at the Guardian, you know that but decided to make a cheap  'political' point on a non political thread, shame on you.

[ditchcrawler]

12 hours ago, M_JG said:

I'm finding it hard not to have a little laugh at that video.

 

People can be very stupid in their quest to get themselves on Tik Tok which is the source of the video.

Some people even crash an aeroplane and video it YouTuber gets six months in prison for staging plane crash to make video | YouTube | The Guardian 

[IanD]

28 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

What is either sensationalist or fake about the report? Neither are the norm at the Guardian, you know that but decided to make a cheap  'political' point on a non political thread, shame on you.

 

Note where the Grauniad is on here, up near the BBC -- and a *long* way from the favourite "news"paper of some posters... 😉

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Some people even crash an aeroplane and video it YouTuber gets six months in prison for staging plane crash to make video | YouTube | The Guardian 

 

Indeed I saw that the other day - 'complete idiot' doesn't even begin to describe that particular attention seeker.

[bizzard]

If The gondolier had a lisp and said ''Don't Wok the boat'' his Chinese passengers might have understood then.

Edited December 7, 2023 by bizzard

[MtB]

2 hours ago, bizzard said:

If The gondolier had a lisp and said ''Don't Wok the boat'' his Chinese passengers might have understood then.

 

That's not a lisp! 

 

A lisp is pronouncing the letter "S" as "th". 

 

As in that Carry On film where the doc says "big breaths" to his patient, and she replies "Yeth and I'm only thixteen".

 

 

[magnetman]

I think therefore I cannot thwim. 

2 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

That's not a lisp! 

 

A lisp is pronouncing the letter "S" as "th". 

 

As in that Carry On film where the doc says "big breaths" to his patient, and she replies "Yeth and I'm only thixteen".

 

 

It would be thickthteen as the x would not be pronounthable. 

[rusty69]

17 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I think therefore I cannot thwim. 

surely, I cannot thwim , therefore I think.