Beeston Iron sinking

[dor]

From BW today:

 

Due to a sunken craft which is lying on its side at Beeston Iron Lock on the Shropshire Union Canal, the lock will remain closed for up to 72 hours whilst craft is recovered. Dewatering is possible.

[Big John]

Due to a sunken craft which is lying on its side at Beeston Iron Lock on the Shropshire Union Canal, the lock will remain closed for up to 72 hours whilst craft is recovered.

Does anyone know if it has the cill warning signs? I just want confirmation that they won't work :lol:

Edited October 22, 2008 by Big John

[sueb]

Does anyone know if it has the cill warning signs? I just want confirmation that they won't work :lol:

Of course they won't work - they are on the wrong end of the locks.

Sue

[Guest]

Does anyone know if it has the cill warning signs? I just want confirmation that they won't work :lol:

I am pretty sure it had such warning signs when we used the lock in August.

[alan_fincher]

Does anyone know if it has the cill warning signs? I just want confirmation that they won't work

There were certainly newly installed "cill" warning signs in the Stoke Bruerne flight when we saw a boat well and truly "cilled" there.

 

Meanwhile down here (southern GU), the destruction of ones inappropriately fitted to rubbing surfaces continues unabated. I watched "Swallow" take a huge chunk out of one as it entered a lock in Apsley on the "Jam 'Ole" event. They'll soon be gone or unreadable.....

[John Orentas]

Oh dear where there two boats in the lock with side fenders out, it has happened before.. I came very close to sinking once, it is a very narrow lock.

[down the north]

I am pretty sure it had such warning signs when we used the lock in August.

 

This has probably been said before , as Sue has commented, but did BW do an assessment of the chances of understanding the notice, given that theyre on the top gate, and if youre going downhill, then the action of sinking a boat is generally started buy drawing bottom paddles, so wouldnt the better place have been on the bottom balance beams ???? yes we all cry !!!

As Dan commented, its a bit tricky to get most boats between the cill marker and the top gate, unless you take a dam good run at it and compress things somewhat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

Oh dear where there two boats in the lock with side fenders out, it has happened before.. I came very close to sinking once, it is a very narrow lock.

There is currently a restriction allowing only one boat at a time, but lots ignore it apparently.

[Lady Muck]

They should have a magic eye set in the lock walls so that when you are too far back in the lock it that sets off a recorded message that shouts 'Oi! Cill! No!' from loud speakers attached to the balance beams - its the only way!

[cheshire~rose]

I hope no one was hurt

[fender]

They should have a magic eye set in the lock walls so that when you are too far back in the lock it that sets off a recorded message that shouts 'Oi! Cill! No!' from loud speakers attached to the balance beams - its the only way!

 

it should be 'mind the cill, mind the cill.... stand clear of the pours please"

 

(and exactly what are these 'pours?' its the mighty spurts of water from the gates that could sink a boat if its bows/stern should get too near them)

[Keeping Up]

There is currently a restriction allowing only one boat at a time, but lots ignore it apparently.

It's OK to ignore it if at least one of the boats is quite short, as long as you know how to position the boats. We went down there a couple of years ago, and one of the regular locals came through with us (we're 67' and he was 45'). No side fenders of course!

But two long boats, would almost certainly get jammed.

[RichardH]

It's OK to ignore it if at least one of the boats is quite short, as long as you know how to position the boats. We went down there a couple of years ago, and one of the regular locals came through with us (we're 67' and he was 45'). No side fenders of course!

But two long boats, would almost certainly get jammed.

 

Is it ok to ignore?.....a couple of less experienced boaters on 65 footers could be watching you and not realising that you know what to do might think it is ok to follow suit.

 

The other thing with ignoring a locally imposed rule is the risk that if something does go wrong our dear insurance companies have just cause not to pay out.

[Night Hawk]

We go down that way quite often..there are signs all over that iron lock (as well as vicious wasps!) warning folk of dangers and informing boaters not to double up!

[Keeping Up]

Is it ok to ignore?.....a couple of less experienced boaters on 65 footers could be watching you and not realising that you know what to do might think it is ok to follow suit.

 

The other thing with ignoring a locally imposed rule is the risk that if something does go wrong our dear insurance companies have just cause not to pay out.

In any situation where I have the skill and knowledge to do something properly, I refuse to accept responsibility for the stupidity and ignorance of other people. If I see or hear that they are going to do something stupid then I'll tell them, but if they choose to keep quiet and do something stupid after I've gone then that is their problem not mine.

 

On the other hand I believe that the insurance company would be perfectly correct in that approach. If I were to deliberately ignore a locally-imposed rule without having full knowledge of the consequences of doing so, and something went horribly wrong, then I would not expect the insurance company to pay for my stupidity. That wouldn't stop me from making a claim of course.

[dor]

I've never had a problem sharing through there, but I do watch very carefully while it is filling/emptying!

 

One danger there though is that it is very easy to jam a rope between the iron plates. If you throw a rope round the centre bollard on the towpath side, not an unreasonable action if you are in there on your own, it is easy to get the rope jammed and it can be very difficult to get it out again.

[magpie patrick]

In any situation where I have the skill and knowledge to do something properly, I refuse to accept responsibility for the stupidity and ignorance of other people. If I see or hear that they are going to do something stupid then I'll tell them, but if they choose to keep quiet and do something stupid after I've gone then that is their problem not mine.

 

On the other hand I believe that the insurance company would be perfectly correct in that approach. If I were to deliberately ignore a locally-imposed rule without having full knowledge of the consequences of doing so, and something went horribly wrong, then I would not expect the insurance company to pay for my stupidity. That wouldn't stop me from making a claim of course.

 

First point, we don't know why this boat sank, all this is just speculation

 

Second point, other people will follow your example, without working out why it was OK for you but not for them. In some instances this is fine, and people watching me work narrow locks often realise they can do them rather faster because they see me whip up all the paddles at once and the boat doesn't get banged about.

 

However, if they see two boats share a lock where a rule says don't do it, they won't know why you can manage it and they can't, until it's too late

[Night Hawk]

Do we know if its a hire boat or not....I'm not suggesting that hire boaters are any less competent that private owners...but would the hire boat company's insurers pay out in such a circumstance?

[RichardH]

Do we know if its a hire boat or not....I'm not suggesting that hire boaters are any less competent that private owners...but would the hire boat company's insurers pay out in such a circumstance?

 

As above not sure of the circumstances. If it is a cilling they should pay out. If it is because they ignored a sign saying don't share then I expect not.

[haggis]

This has probably been said before , as Sue has commented, but did BW do an assessment of the chances of understanding the notice, given that theyre on the top gate, and if youre going downhill, then the action of sinking a boat is generally started buy drawing bottom paddles, so wouldnt the better place have been on the bottom balance beams ???? yes we all cry !!!

 

I was told by a BW director that there is a reason for putting the Cill notices on the top beams. When a boat comes into a lock, going downhill, the gate is open and the back of the balance beam is along side the steerer so he sees and he reads the notice. If he doesn't know what a cill is, as the water goes down, he sees the wall marking for the cill and this tells him to make sure that his stern is not on top of it.

Good theory but not sure if it actually works like that :-). Boaters are probaly so busy reading signs and trying to understand them that their attention is not on their boat and they get hung up. Any time I have seen a boat almost getting hung up it was because the steerer was distracted by something and not watching his boat. No amount of signs will stop that.

 

haggis.

[AlanJ]

Any time I have seen a boat almost getting hung up it was because the steerer was distracted by something and not watching his boat. No amount of signs will stop that.

 

This is so true - and I'm sure we all do it at different times for different reasons.

Whether it to be grabbing a map, an extra layer of clothing etc - there are plenty of reasons to pop below for a few seconds while in a lock; afterall, where is the boat going to go?

Not saying that any of them are good reasons, but I'm sure everyone has done it at some point.

 

Has anyone been up to the iron lock to see the damage?

[carlt]

This is so true - and I'm sure we all do it at different times for different reasons.

Whether it to be grabbing a map, an extra layer of clothing etc - there are plenty of reasons to pop below for a few seconds while in a lock; afterall, where is the boat going to go?

Not saying that any of them are good reasons, but I'm sure everyone has done it at some point.

I haven't. I never stay on a boat, in a lock. Can't see the need, personally.

[mayalld]

I haven't. I never stay on a boat, in a lock. Can't see the need, personally.

 

You can put the kettle on, to make a brew for your lock crew.

[carlt]

You can put the kettle on, to make a brew for your lock crew.

I am the lock crew!

[mayalld]

I am the lock crew!

 

As am I, which is why Mrs M had better be below with the kettle on