That sinking feeling!

[Chickadee]

Its only been about 8 months that we have had the boat but so far nothing...

 

Thats done it now hasn't it.

[Lady Muck]

A really expensive trade publication that I was using for work. I was sitting on the tug deck, working, the dog growled at a swan that had come too close ( in his opinion) and knocked it in. I spent the rest of the day ironing the magazine dry after fishing it out. Painstakingly boring but necessary.

[AMModels]

As a child I lost a favourite car (Austin allegro police edition, corgi), myself more times than I can remember but including between two boats moored at Titford national, from the gunwale of our moving boat and watched the prop swish past me (came to the surface to hear my uncle shouting swim son swim..yeah thanks for that advice it hadn't occurred to me lol) any number of fishing nets off the ends of canes..why don't they make them better and after a night in a beer tent I also dropped a (different) uncle in the canal, despite having boated for all his life he cant swim and just disappeared until I could grab hold of him to haul him out, everyone we were with thought I was joking about him not swimming!!

 

Things I have never dropped on pain of death lol windlass, keys, cups of tea or bits of boat.

[Teakbank12]

Only a nice mobile phone & full wallet, the trouble is i was still attached to them

That was back early October & it was bloody cold

[magpie patrick]

One windlass, three weeks ago at Caen Hill, tripped on those brick thingies that are supposed to help you open the gates (first windlass I'd ever lost, and it was alloy, not magnetic, pah)

 

three side fenders: we always lift them when cruising, but they are hooked on, so lost three (one at a time) in the dark.

 

lengths of fender chain and several shackles while changing fender

 

Many, many years ago, when I was but a nipper, we used to cruise in a car top dignhy. I was sitting in it as dad leant over to get stuff out, and saw his pocket watch (wind up with a luminous dial) fall out of his "hoodie" pocket (best way I can describe it). Being me I didn't say anything but tried to push the boat away from the bank to see it. Dad was about to have a go and I explained, he plunged his arm straight in without rolling up the sleeves, and got it back. 24 hours in the airing cupboard, it was fine...

 

the camera my brother accidentally kicked in on another occasion wasn't so lucky....

[koukouvagia]

Does this count? - the ellum off the butty which came unhooked half way down the Buckby flight. Getting it back on again was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

[carlt]

Does this count? - the ellum off the butty which came unhooked half way down the Buckby flight. Getting it back on again was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

This happened to me, going over something dumped in a bridge hole, at Radford Semele.

 

After hours of struggling with it I paused to roll a fag and a mate came along, moored up, put a mooring pin under the hook of the elum and lifted it back on, first time.

 

Don't you just hate some people!

[johnjo]

Me and a brand new starter battery last Thursday at Harefield marina, when we hit bottom at 12ft [yep! we checked it later] I decided it was time to let go. Only just made it back up, battery still there.

 

P.S. Contrary to belief, if you can get it out in a reasonable amount of time, a battery should not suffer unduly.

[Odana]

Me and a brand new starter battery last Thursday at Harefield marina, when we hit bottom at 12ft [yep! we checked it later] I decided it was time to let go. Only just made it back up, battery still there.

 

P.S. Contrary to belief, if you can get it out in a reasonable amount of time, a battery should not suffer unduly.

 

One of the electricians will be along in a minute to explain how you really should not try to jump start a boat like that

[johnjo]

One of the electricians will be along in a minute to explain how you really should not try to jump start a boat like that

 

I kinda had that thought meself, how long do you reckon it'll take?

[Night Hawk]

A bottle of Moet

[Boatgypsy]

I once had a a gurlyfriend, who, on her first visit to the boat offered to do the washing up after lunch. Being a sensible man I agreed. I wished I hadn't when she later emptied the washing up bowl out of the hatch - without having washed up any of the cutlery. I lost most of a very nice set of stainless steel cutlery, which of course is non-magnetic and couldn't be retrieved with the sea magnet. Our relationship foundered after several similar events!!!

[Chris J W]

A bottle of Moet

 

Ok, that's got to be the worse thing lost overboard!

[Lady Muck]

Before the start of the cruising season I always buy my partner about half a dozen cheap pairs of sunglasses because we can expect to lose about one pair a month in the cut.

[captain rosie]

Before the start of the cruising season I always buy my partner about half a dozen cheap pairs of sunglasses because we can expect to lose about one pair a month in the cut.

Have been on the cut for 3 years now and have never fallen in. But i always drop the water key in after filling up! I've lost 2 this month!

[Ange]

Have been on the cut for 3 years now and have never fallen in.

You've given me hope - I've been told it's a boater's rite of passage and have been dreading it!

 

To date (two months of boat ownership)

 

1 tiller pin (after spending many hours polishing it until it gleamed!) - not retrieved though we've bought a magnet and know where he dropped it

1 Nicholsons map - retrieved but will never be the same again

 

On an earlier hire trip my brother dropped his mobile phone in the Coventry Basin. He returned the next day with full Scuba gear and retrieved it - he was mostly concerned about the SIM card with his numbers on it - I can't remember whether it worked again

 

I'm sure there'll be more but still hoping it won't be me!

[Liam]

Been at it 10 years this coming May and haven't been in yet! Well, once, but I jumped in on purpose...

 

I think the only thing I have dropped in is a 1 day old mobile phone. I put it in my shirt pocket, and then leaned over to untie the ropes.... splash!

 

Here's what I have pulled out over the years, in no particular order

 

My Dad x 3

Small Yorkshire Terrier dog

Very LARGE Neopolitan Mastiff type dog

Lamb

Hedgehog

Walkie Talkie

Pair of glasses belonging to a friend

Multiple windlasses

Handcuff key

My dog (I swung him in by accident!)

Helped pull my mate out

Shopping Trolleys

Wheelie Bins

 

And probably loads of other stuff I can't remember at the mo.

[Odana]

You've given me hope - I've been told it's a boater's rite of passage and have been dreading it!

 

Have managed eight years so far and have been up to mid-thigh only - it was in a basin that raised an almighty stench whenever the boat pole disturbed the bottom, so I damn near dislocated a shoulder making sure I hung on to the handrail and didn't come into contact with the ooze! Still not sure how I managed to haul myself back up. Swimming in the Severn doesn't count as falling in cos it was deliberate

 

Shortly after the near miss with the ooze, shotblast was mixed with paint along my very narrow, outward-sloping gunwales. Tis the best thing I've ever found for antislip.

[Tim Lewis]

Have been on the cut for 3 years now and have never fallen in. But i always drop the water key in after filling up! I've lost 2 this month!

 

I have fallen in at Audlum, Barlaston and Callis Mill, desperately trying to avoid boating through anywhere beginning with D

 

Tim

[Smelly]

Been at it 10 years this coming May and haven't been in yet! Well, once, but I jumped in on purpose...

 

I heard that said with 16 years once, but still eventually he went in.

 

As for me, I've been in too many times, in terms of accidentally I've been sober at least once... In terms of deliberately, well I've waxed lyrical about weedhatches elsewhere on the forum...

 

Other stuff is much of the usual, phone, keys, any number of cats (one this morning at 6.15, an early start for me today) etc.

 

The one thing I really regret was my Brass Taxi Horn that rolled off at the bottom of Spon Lane Locks.

[sociable_hermit]

I knocked the water filler cap in, once. Can't remember where we were - possibly the water point on the canal coming up from Bancroft Basin.

 

*SPLOSH*

 

Got the magnet out straight away and started fishing, but with no luck.

 

The water filler cap, it transpired, was brass.

 

A green 'one size fits all' plastic petrol filler cap from a garage did the job for the rest of the week.

[djangobole]

6 dozen eggs

[Pretty Funked Up]

in a word.....Laptop

maaan I'd go mental at that 1!!!!

 

A few years ago I lent our magnet to someone else who had just dropped his last windlass in the canal. He thanked me, and threw it into the canal just as I turned to offer him a rope to tie it to. I don't know how he thought it was supposed to work, maybe it was just supposed to sit there on the bottom throwing things up for him to catch?

cant stop giggling about that 1.

 

I've dropped...

car keys (no float)

mobile phone

numerous pairs of sunglasses

chimney (previous boat, knocked off by branch)

windlass

old galley counter slid off roof

lump hammer

BBQ

 

all items were retrieved, with difficulty, except the shades (learnt a long time ago never to spend silly money on shades)

[arpeeuk]

worst think was myself into an empty lock in mid February. Fortunately it was well away from the cill. Still have nightmares thinking about it.

 

Spare a thought for these guys though - I understand it was worth about $4.5M

 

 

 

Did you spot the guy at the back?

 

[kayDee]

OMG to the boat!

Kay

x