Boat lost over Teddington weir?

[blackrose]

A friend of mine told me a boat was lost over Teddington weir yesterday. The couple on board managed to survive but the boat is wrecked and they are uninsured. I can't find the story on any news website though?

 

Anyway, I'm not sure any insurance company would have paid out since they went against EA recommendations not to move on red board.

Edited June 13, 2012 by blackrose

[MIKE P]

The EA also advise;

 

Caution stream increasingWe advise users of all unpowered boats not to navigate and users of powered boats to find a safe mooring. This is because river flows are likely to strengthen and red boards could be displayed very soon and without warning.

 

Caution stream decreasingWe advise users of all unpowered boats not to navigate and users of powered boats to navigate with caution.

 

More info for River Thames if you look at the following link

 

http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

 

 

[stewey]

A friend of mine told me a boat was lost over Teddington weir yesterday. The couple on board managed to survive but the boat is wrecked and they are uninsured. I can't find the story on any news website though?

 

Anyway, I'm not sure any insurance company would have paid out since they went against EA recommendations not to move on red board.

Coincidentally there was another problem yesterday on the Thames involving a weir. This time at Egham.

 

http://www.getsurrey..._at_thames_weir

 

Not a good day on the Thames.

 

Stewey

[KenK]

Not to clever on the K&A at Reading either. County Lock is flooded again and the Waterfest scheduled for Saturday has had to be moved to Forbury Gardens with the water based events cancelled. Well the duck race is still on but in the park fountain.

 

Ken

[Daiboy]

The EA also advise;

 

Caution stream increasingWe advise users of all unpowered boats not to navigate and users of powered boats to find a safe mooring. This is because river flows are likely to strengthen and red boards could be displayed very soon and without warning.

 

Caution stream decreasingWe advise users of all unpowered boats not to navigate and users of powered boats to navigate with caution.

 

More info for River Thames if you look at the following link

 

http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

 

Thanks Mike P for this as I am on the Thames at Boveney at the moment. I have singed up for email updates. What I don't understand though is why there should be a warning for DECREASING stream. Surely that should be a good sign.

[GUMPY]

A friend of mine told me a boat was lost over Teddington weir yesterday. The couple on board managed to survive but the boat is wrecked and they are uninsured. I can't find the story on any news website though?

 

Anyway, I'm not sure any insurance company would have paid out since they went against EA recommendations not to move on red board.

 

Details are here

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319538

[Starcoaster]

If that account is accurate, then bloody hell, how awful. It sounds like the plot line of a film- or a nightmare.

Thank god they got to safety, including the cats.

[Serenity Malc]

Yello,

 

(re: the Egham incident)

 

I must have been up the lane whilst the rescue was going on .... I saw the fire boat and crew passing by though. The weir only had 4 out of 9 gates open all yesterday but at about 5pm there were REAL white water rollers being formed where the Colnebrook meets The Thames.

 

I've not seen water quite like that here before. The water has only dropped about 8 inches over night ..... still red boards up here at Runnymede Lock.

 

Malc.

 

Thanks Mike P for this as I am on the Thames at Boveney at the moment. I have singed up for email updates. What I don't understand though is why there should be a warning for DECREASING stream. Surely that should be a good sign.

 

 

If you're travelling down stream, give us a toot when you've just come out of the lock at Runnymede Hotel Daiboy .... I'm on the red oxide coloured widebeam.

 

Malc.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Serenity Malc

[GUMPY]

If that account is accurate, then bloody hell, how awful. It sounds like the plot line of a film- or a nightmare.

Thank god they got to safety, including the cats.

The poster is one of the lock keepers at teddington he is usually pretty accurate

[Tam & Di]

A friend of mine told me a boat was lost over Teddington weir yesterday. The couple on board managed to survive but the boat is wrecked and they are uninsured. I can't find the story on any news website though?

 

Anyway, I'm not sure any insurance company would have paid out since they went against EA recommendations not to move on red board.

 

I'm probably not going to be very popular on this, and OK I have a slight sympathy for their plight, but what on earth were they doing on the move in those conditions? It's not as if they have occured overnight. Why were they not insured? - maybe insurance would not have covered them in what they were doing, as suggested in another post, but it would have paid for the recovery of wreck operation. Their actions also put others at risk.

[blackrose]

If you're travelling down stream, give us a toot when you've just come out of the lock at Runnymede Hotel Daiboy .... I'm on the red oxide coloured widebeam.

 

Malc.

 

I think we've exchanged waves a few times when I've exited the lock. I'm on the black widebeam with portholes.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike P for this as I am on the Thames at Boveney at the moment. I have singed up for email updates. What I don't understand though is why there should be a warning for DECREASING stream. Surely that should be a good sign.

 

Bear in mind that it's only updated once a day.

 

Boveney is still on red board as far as I can see.

 

http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Edited June 15, 2012 by blackrose

[Timleech]

Thanks Mike P for this as I am on the Thames at Boveney at the moment. I have singed up for email updates. What I don't understand though is why there should be a warning for DECREASING stream. Surely that should be a good sign.

 

Surely it's a warning that, although the stream may be decreasing it is still strong enough to make boating hazardous?

 

Tim

[Rob@BSSOffice]

A friend of mine told me a boat was lost over Teddington weir yesterday.

 

Thanks to everyone here for the information about both Thames incidents.

 

It look like that with rivers in spate = spate of strandings and difficulties.

 

That makes six in recent weeks counting the unfortunate fatal accident on the Avon

 

Bath Avon, 2xWarks & Worcs Avon, R Severn and 2x Thames.

 

Any river navigators should note the heavy rain expected today and Saturday in the West and North West. If you are out on the boat, take care near weirs, bridges and other structures...

 

... and the gale force winds won't help either!

 

Rob

[Serenity Malc]

Yello,

 

>> I think we've exchanged waves a few times when I've exited the lock. I'm on the black widebeam with portholes.

 

Mike >>

 

Yep ... I know your boat Mike ... she's a lovely craft. I went to see your neighbour with the mooring a while back. We should hook up some time.

 

Only a few hire boats coming upstream at the moment on red boards ... struggling against a 4 knot stream.

 

Malc.

[cheshire~rose]

It appears this was the Dunkirk Ship Tantalus

 

Grauniad link

 

Really pleased people and cats are safe but a tragic loss of a rather beautiful old boat

[WJM]

A sad story - but I am wondering why the rescue services felt so compelled to pull the boat off the jetty. I know that area well and I would have thought that jetty could easily cope with the loading. Had they waited two hours the incoming tide would have caused the flow to slacken and the boat could possibly have been floated off and settled on the beach beside. Sometimes rescue people in their adrenalin-fuelled enthusiasm can be heavy handed. It is possible that they didn't need to pull the boat with a tractor and smash it to bits!

[Naughty Cal]

A sad story - but I am wondering why the rescue services felt so compelled to pull the boat off the jetty. I know that area well and I would have thought that jetty could easily cope with the loading. Had they waited two hours the incoming tide would have caused the flow to slacken and the boat could possibly have been floated off and settled on the beach beside. Sometimes rescue people in their adrenalin-fuelled enthusiasm can be heavy handed. It is possible that they didn't need to pull the boat with a tractor and smash it to bits!

 

From various accounts the boat was severly damaged before the resuce services moved it.

[WJM]

It was made of wood and it was about 20m from a tidal beach. My suggestion is that it could possibly have been floated over to the beach and allowed to settle there at low tide. With total respect to all the good work they do, I do sometimes find certain rescue services in the area to be a bit aloof and 'rambo' in their approach ;-)

 

For clarity - in the news picture the RNLI boat is directly above the tidal beach. It should also be noted that despite total flooding the boat is refusing to sink. Two hours after the incident the tide will have begun to flow in over Richmond Weir. This is usually met with a closing off of many of the gates on Teddington weir to prevent a big bulge in the middle from flooding west London. The river slows quite considerably then.

Edited June 15, 2012 by WJM

[Naughty Cal]

It was made of wood and it was about 20 feet from a tidal beach. My suggestion is that it could possibly have been floated over to the beach and allowed to settle there at low tide. With total respect to all the good work they do, I do sometimes find certain rescue services in the area to be a bit aloof and 'rambo' in their approach ;-)

 

They are there to save lifes not property. However harsh that reality may be at times.

[WJM]

I understand that the boat was dragged off and broken up after they had saved the cat! :-)

[Timleech]

It appears this was the Dunkirk Ship Tantalus

 

Grauniad link

 

Really pleased people and cats are safe but a tragic loss of a rather beautiful old boat

 

Not the Grauniad but a local newspaper site.

The writer has his history a bit muddled, talks about the 'Dunkirk landings'.

 

Tim

[madcat]

The lives are the most important,human and feline.If all the family is safe the rest can be sorted.Glad they saved the cats cos they had no choice but to be there and no part in the decision to move in bad conditions.If any children had been present then they too would have been as helpless to change events as the cats.We all have a duty of care to those who rely on us to ensure their safety.

Sorry it went so badly wrong for the boaters involved.

[Proper Job]

A very sad tale that such a boat with it's history has probably been irreparably lost.

 

....... but surely there must have been some inherent structural problem to have had its transom ripped off in such a way?

[Naughty Cal]

A very sad tale that such a boat with it's history has probably been irreparably lost.

 

....... but surely there must have been some inherent structural problem to have had its transom ripped off in such a way?

 

You would think so wouldnt you?

[luctor et emergo]

Fatality on the Avon?