Taken a swim?

[Serenity Malc]

Yello,

 

(continued from #46).

 

A flash of inspiration then hit me .... all fours would be a better chance of getting out of the mud by spreading the load. So I flung myself forwards onto my arms and went in to my elbows, but this did allow me to pull my legs out of the mud just long enough to do a sort of all fours crawl with each limb going in and out of the mud.

I made it about 5 or 6 strokes to solid land by the embankment wooden pillars. Then looked for my key wallet ..... which was no where to be found

So just the task of getting back to the boat again before the tide turned. Same technique again but with added speed to get back to the boat before it floated away on the turning tide.

 

I still to this day don't remember how I managed to get out of the mud and back onto the bow of the boat. Adreneline I suppose ? .... It's amazing the strength you can muster when your life is under threat.

 

I eventually got back to Putney completely covered from head to toe in thick, smelly Thames mud .... found a phone box and called my in-laws to ask for a pick up. So after being thoroughly black bagged, I got home safe.

 

A genuinely terrifying experience that will live with me always.

 

Malc.

[Liam]

Yello,

 

(continued from #46).

 

A flash of inspiration then hit me .... all fours would be a better chance of getting out of the mud by spreading the load. So I flung myself forwards onto my arms and went in to my elbows, but this did allow me to pull my legs out of the mud just long enough to do a sort of all fours crawl with each limb going in and out of the mud.

I made it about 5 or 6 strokes to solid land by the embankment wooden pillars. Then looked for my key wallet ..... which was no where to be found

So just the task of getting back to the boat again before the tide turned. Same technique again but with added speed to get back to the boat before it floated away on the turning tide.

 

I still to this day don't remember how I managed to get out of the mud and back onto the bow of the boat. Adreneline I suppose ? .... It's amazing the strength you can muster when your life is under threat.

 

I eventually got back to Putney completely covered from head to toe in thick, smelly Thames mud .... found a phone box and called my in-laws to ask for a pick up. So after being thoroughly black bagged, I got home safe.

 

A genuinely terrifying experience that will live with me always.

 

Malc.

 

You were very very lucky there, glad to hear all was OK end in the end.

[Lady Muck]

Always best to keep in mind: One hand for you, one hand for the boat. I've not been in... yet

 

Or in my case, one hand for the boat, the other for the kebabs.

 

We'd been cruising, I think to Uxbridge, we were on our way home through our old stomping ground, Lower Clapton on the Lee. Moored for a pitstop and food at the Prince of Wales pub, next to the bridge, which meant disembarking from the roof.

 

I decided to do a weekly shop, as there is an excellent fruit n' veg shop on the Chatsworth Road. Also visited the kebab shop, on my return, I slipped on the roof, ended up with feet dangling in the water, one hand on rail, other had still holding full shopping trolley and bag of kebabs. What a save.

 

Not a proper dunking, but just think what could've been, sodden kebabs.

[NB Alnwick]

I have been boating for 15 years, and apart from jumping in myself on purpose on one occasion (long story), I have never fallen in, and don't plan to!

 

Now you've done it . . .

 

You do know what will happen next - don't you?

[Liam]

Now you've done it . . .

 

You do know what will happen next - don't you?

 

As Churchill would say.... "Ohhh yesss!"

 

Now I'm off to do 14 hours of single handed pair boating...

 

 

.... SPLASH!

[DeanS]

I was thinking of throwing myself repeatedly into the cut a few days before I start cruising. Just to get it over with.

 

 

Good IDEA....LOL....

 

 

We have had 7 instances.

 

Father in law fell off in a marina

Teen fell off in a lock. (was wearing my wellington boots with no grip under.

Middle son fell in by jumping between land and hatch door...twice on 2 occassions...and missing both times.

7 yr old fell in while standing on the towpath, but bending over too far while throwing in a sea magnet trying to pick up bits of metal off the bottom.

Cat has fallen in twice. Once while jumping from the hatch thinking we were near land (we werent) and the other, just the other night, while leaning over too far to try and eat a swan.

 

Wife hasn't yet...and my turn is coming

 

I'm quite aware that all instances could have caused injuries, but luckily in all cases, we survived, and are now much wiser and do things more slowly....

 

 

Was going to send you an email just to say hi,and let you know all is well

Edited June 15, 2012 by DeanS

[Guest]

 

I'm quite aware that all instances could have caused injuries, but luckily in all cases, we survived, and are now much wiser and do things more slowly....

 

 

The nearest to a serious injury we've seen was at Fradley when a girl on a hire boat had one leg on the bank one on the back counter with the boat moving steadily away from the bank, before she could decide which was the best option the boat or the bank she was in the cut with the crew then dragging her over the back of the boat with the engine running and in gear.....

 

She luckily came to no harm...

[Smelly]

I've had a few dunkings; mostly drunkings tbh but the best wasn't me...

 

While I was moored on the water point above Farmer's Bridge a Viking boat came hurtling out of the top lock; realising too late that there was little steerage up against the bank with little to do before they rammed me.

 

An enterprising passer by shoved their bow out and one crew member did the splits trying to get on. She managed to end up with hands on the gunwhale and feet on the bank as the bow drifted out and shouted that someone should grab the hem of her trousers to try and rescue her. Sadly gravity won over elastic and she went into the cut face down with trousers and undergarments round her ankles!

 

She saw the funny side!

[Maffi]

I have been boating for 15 years, and apart from jumping in myself on purpose on one occasion (long story), I have never fallen in, and don't plan to!

 

 

There is no plan, you dont have a choice. Shit happens.

[the grinch]

i sank a rowing eight under clapton bridge 22 tons of boat takes a lot of stopping ha ha

[Guest wanted]

 

 

She saw the funny side!

 

And everyone else saw the sunny side!

[Smelly]

And everyone else saw the sunny side!

 

Fortunately it was the moony side... It was wrinkled and cratered too

[sueb]

i sank a rowing eight under clapton bridge 22 tons of boat takes a lot of stopping ha ha

When we hit a skiff it just floated away with no damage

[Tim Lewis]

Have gone in at Audlem, Barlaston and Callis Mill, am avoiding boating through anywhere beginning with D!

[Magic Potion]

13 yr old daughter went in at Easter near Leamington. She stood there, holding up her phone to save it from a dunking. It was the only time I didn't have my camera near me!

[boatmanckp]

In 45 years of boating just one leg! CKP

[mattlad]

In 45 years of boating just one leg! CKP

 

Another dunked leg here too! In fact I wish I had taken the less painful option of falling in.......

 

Someone flagged us down to ask if we could help with his starter failing to do it's job on a National. We breasted up and went and looked at his boat. While we were checking the electrics we decided we needed a multimeter so straws were measured and mine was not as long as the others and I was dispatched to fetch it. Stepping across from one boat to the other I had a slight loss of footage incident and fell between the two boats with my right leg falling in and the rest of me landing on the gunwales of the the two boats. trust me landing on cold steel fing hurts!

 

The following day my back was as stiff as a board with the sharp edges rounded off and the round edges nicely bruised. It took a few quid spent at the osteopaths to sort that little lot out!