Narrowboat home is lost under waves

[history girl]

The Herald of Free Enterprise was not sunk by the mass of water on the car decks which it could handle easily, but by the free surface effect acting upon that mass. Similarly a narrowboat can easily handle an extra ton. Whether a ton of water in the bilges sinks a narrowboat very much depends on the what the boat is then subjected to (wind, tight turn, etc). I'm sorry but since you decided to categorise us according to these percentages, I'd have to put you in the 98%.

 

What is a "Canal Skipper" anyway? I don't really think my RYA Inland Waters Helmsman's certificate qualifies me to move boats anymore than someone with experience without one.

 

Don't put yourself down! I have my RYA IW Helsman's Cert and I am extremely glad I passed it. I feel that handling a boat without proper training is like driving a car without proper instruction and not passing a driving test at the end. Granted we don't reach motorway speed, but each have their own hazards.

[pearley]

Pugwash and I visited Bluewater in Thorne on Friday and have the story from a neighbour friend of theirs................the fella tells us winds were gusting badly and the water was very choppy with waves about 12" high.............his bow dived into the water in one of these waves the water then caused the bow doors to be blown open which his wife did manage to close. However, the wash when it hit the bank reversed upon itself and hit the stern counter on its return causing the boat to be flooded from the back. He managed to get his wife and dog to the safety of the bank and went back to rescue the cat and when he re-entered the boat the water was already waist high. He managed to get to the safety of the bank in time to see their boat of 20 years going under. BW would not lift the boat until after the bank holiday and so they have lost everything as they have lived on it for the past 20 years. No problems with insurers thank goodness .......it would seem that on the face of it, it appears to have been something that no one could have foretold. Everyone is fine including the dog and cat.

 

Bad reporting in this instance.

We are moored at Blue Water at present. That's much the same story as Norman told me.

[keble]

From what I can remember the boat that sank on the Severn last year sank because it was taking in water on the well deck and that got in through the doors and eventually sunk it. It sunk on the last corner before Gloucester lock so maybe they Thought they could make it home.

 

It added to a very scary journey for us when after riding a high tide down (never doing that again!) the last corner had to be negotiated round this sunk boat. Never been so happy to see Gloucester before!

 

Surely it would take water coming in for awhile and not a freak wave to sink a narrowboat, unless your st sea.

Hi Chickadee, are you referring to Angelwood? I think it was a weed hatch problem that sank it.

Anyway it's now being restored

[14skipper]

Pugwash and I visited Bluewater in Thorne on Friday and have the story from a neighbour friend of theirs................the fella tells us winds were gusting badly and the water was very choppy with waves about 12" high.............his bow dived into the water in one of these waves the water then caused the bow doors to be blown open which his wife did manage to close. However, the wash when it hit the bank reversed upon itself and hit the stern counter on its return causing the boat to be flooded from the back. He managed to get his wife and dog to the safety of the bank and went back to rescue the cat and when he re-entered the boat the water was already waist high. He managed to get to the safety of the bank in time to see their boat of 20 years going under. BW would not lift the boat until after the bank holiday and so they have lost everything as they have lived on it for the past 20 years. No problems with insurers thank goodness .......it would seem that on the face of it, it appears to have been something that no one could have foretold. Everyone is fine including the dog and cat.

 

Bad reporting in this instance.

 

Think the 15ft waves made more sense !

 

14skipper

[mykaskin]

12" waves should not sink a narrowboat... I'd say these are around 12" waves:

 

 

and the only problem is a little bit of spray finding its way around the doors - no seal you see. Not enough to sink a boat, and why didn't he have the back doors closed?

 

We've been through 2-3 foot waves on the Trent and not sunk (albeit for only short periods, quickly seeking the lesser waves at the edges).

 

Mike

[Naughty Cal]

12" waves should not sink a narrowboat... I'd say these are around 12" waves:

 

 

and the only problem is a little bit of spray finding its way around the doors - no seal you see. Not enough to sink a boat, and why didn't he have the back doors closed?

 

We've been through 2-3 foot waves on the Trent and not sunk (albeit for only short periods, quickly seeking the lesser waves at the edges).

 

Mike

 

I have to say that I agree with you. Why would 12" waves sink a narrowboat?

 

Narrowboats travelling on the Trent and Ouse will experience 12" waves during most transits. Obviously they dont all sink in doing so.

[mrsmelly]

12" waves should not sink a narrowboat... I'd say these are around 12" waves:

 

and why didn't he have the back doors closed?

 

 

 

Mike

 

Err perhaps he made a mistake ? perhaps it was totaly missreported by the media ( 99% of stuff is ) I think in 20 years as a liveaboard he probably usualy got it right. I USUALY get it right but I like him am not perfect and but for the grace of you know who go I

[Tam & Di]

I have to say that I agree with you. Why would 12" waves sink a narrowboat?

 

Narrowboats travelling on the Trent and Ouse will experience 12" waves during most transits. Obviously they dont all sink in doing so.

 

I can only imagine it had far too little freeboard to start with - drains for the foredeck which would let water in if the boat dived just slightly, air cooled engine with the vents barely above normal water level so water could come in that way if the stern dug in too much or the boat lists, which would also stop the engine of course. No automatic bilge pumps.

 

I've no idea if this craft had such design problems, but I've certainly come across them. It's possible to get away with very poorly designed boats when they are only used on little canals in fair weather. I've even come across people with dutch barges used on large continental canals who ask why they should have automatic bilge pumps, and I'm sure a lot of UK narrowboats don't.

[Chickadee]

Hi Chickadee, are you referring to Angelwood? I think it was a weed hatch problem that sank it.

Anyway it's now being restored

 

Not sure what the boat was called. It was under water when we saw it. I am probably going off third hand info so your probably right.

[Doorman]

I've even come across people with dutch barges used on large continental canals who ask why they should have automatic bilge pumps, and I'm sure a lot of UK narrowboats don't.

 

Some UK narrow boats don't even have a bilge pump!

[Proper Job]

.............. I USUALY get it right but I like him am not perfect and but for the grace of you know who go I

Don't worry pet... we've got plenty of fuel to get us back

[mrsmelly]

Don't worry pet... we've got plenty of fuel to get us back

 

Ahhhh Pj...........mmmmmmmmmmm now I come to think of it didnt you once get a little damp

[tillergirl]

We are moored at Blue Water at present. That's much the same story as Norman told me.

 

Yes story from Norman - and for clarification it was the water ingress at the stern from the returning wave that did the damage.

[hilofoz]

This is the first post that has made sense of the incident to me. Firstly, I wish the couple well and that all things have been sorted by now. A nightmarish story whatever the wave height may have been.

 

When I first read this in (I think it was in the Tillergraph), I too was very surprised about the size of the waves. I came to this forum quite late as I was in Australia at the time, and we bought our boat in April. I live in Sydney, Australia, so I have a fair idea of wave height. Also, I used to body surf near Durban, South Africa at the age of eight. One day I was body surfing and the weather turned rather nasty, so I decided to leave the water. I was wading, trying to run (difficult with the drag of the tide on the sand) as the last wave went out, and the water was just up to my shins. I did not look behind me but I heard the next wave breaking just behind. It lifted me right off my feet, tumbled me over about three times, and I held my breath for dear life until it finally dumped me on the sand. Very scary and the episode seemed to have taken a long time. I estimate that that wave was only about three feet. I had seen surf waves from four to five feet around there that day. Fifteen feet is huge and would be classed as a king wave in surfers terms.

 

Why I mention this is that not so only the height, but the force of a wave that is important. I believe that the fifteen feet description was a typographical error on the part of the reporter, and that the waves were really around two feet but many and very forceful. We also experience bumping just by the wake of a Narrowboat while moored in a calm canal. So a freak storm with two foot wind waves could easily toss the boat about and wreak havoc. It is a very sad story, and it is easy to see how such a size error can be promulgated through copying and repetition.

Edited July 12, 2012 by hilofoz