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NB on weir at Ditchford, R. Nene


the grinch

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We're waiting for our chosen 1st ever NB to be surveyed Monday and reading up as much as possible in the meantime.

This whole series of postings has been so edifying and educational, feel I've learned some very important lessons here. It's going to be quite some time before we attempt the Nene, or any other rivers for that matter, gotta do our time first.

 

Good luck with your survey, hope it goes OK.

When we were buying our pair of narrowboats, we tried to read up on how much it would cost us for surveys, blacking, craning etc etc but couldn't find anywhere that had all of the unexpected extras listed.

We were caught out, several times, by fairly large extras.

 

This is why we tried to itemise everything on our blog. Hope that it will help you. The link is in my signature below.

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What a relief for the owners (and, I guess, for other river users). She was listing nastily as they pulled her across despite several chaps hanging on to one side acting as human ballast, I thought she was going to go under again.

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It's been recovered.

 

(Not my video)

 

 

What a load of cow boys! ... Not a life jacket it sight, The guy on the bow couldn't throw the rope so his mate had to offer him the end of the ladder to hook it on and then when they finally pulled the listing boat against the current the rope was fixed to the roof where it was in danger of tipping the boat that tiny bit more which would have made it sink .... I think they were dead lucky to get away with that!

 

NickF

Edited by NickF
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What a load of cow boys! ... Not a life jacket it sight, The guy on the bow couldn't throw the rope so his mate had to offer him the end of the ladder to hook it on and then when they finally pulled the listing boat against the current the rope was fixed to the roof where it was in danger of tipping the boat that tiny but more which would have made it sink .... I think they were dead lucky to get away with that!

 

NickF

 

Exactly my own thoughts. They did not inspire me with confidence and they were very lucky to get away with it, as you say.

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Looks like it'll sink again when the pump runs out of fuel. More moved than recovered.

It won't be much relief to the owners will it? It's now a more or less worthless waterlogged 2nd hand old hulk. :( I wouldn't want to even see it again. One on the Cam like that sold for less than £5k a few years back.

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RCR would like to respond to some of the comments on the forum in regards to the rescue.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but sometimes these are not based on fact or knowledge about the issues involved. For those who prefer to know the true fact behind the rescue you could visit www.narrowboatworld.com . However as there has been much speculation and criticism based on individuals opinions RCR would like to respond directly to clarify the facts.

 

1) Pictures of the boat which were posted on face book were sent to us by the owner a short while after the accident, the rescue team were not on site until later that evening.

2) A rescue attempt was not made on the first night due to health and safety and restrictions placed on us by EA and the regulator

3) The boat was secured using 2.5” rope rated at over 100+ tons to prevent it moving, and has proved that it was more than adequate for this job.

4) The salvage was discussed in-depth with a number of parties include crane lifting and divers, before the best solution was decided upon

5) Although there was speculation about damage to the hull, luckily there was no damage and as suspected this turned out to be simply the observation of someone who did not recognise the standard construction of a narrow boat below the waterline.

6) The 1st rescue attempt on Sunday had 2 * 3”pumps, and was more than sufficient to clear the water internal to the boat. The key to the success was to get water levels as low as possible whilst we were pumping out the vessel. This was also to help us to identify if water was coming in to the boat from a suspected hull breach.

7) The main reason that we were not successful was due to the boaters moored in the vicinity insisting that the rescue stop and the water levels increase as they were concerned about their own vessels, coupled with un-forecast rain causing the river levels to rise faster than the water could be released.

8) The boom was not removed from the back of the boat until enough water had been removed from the vessel as it provided an additional safety tether whilst the water was begin emptied and the flow around the boat was at its strongest.

9) All staff at the rescue wore life jackets and dry suits whilst working on the outside of the boat, however life jackets were removed whilst working inside the vessel, the inside of a submerged boat is full of floating debris, loose furniture and electrical items and submerged obstacles which have to be cleared, to be able to pump water successfully. Life jackets can pose a serious risk if these inflate prematurely whilst ‘fishing’ around in the water.

10) The rope that was attached to the roof of the boat, had been under huge strain and saturated with water as it had held the boat in position for a week, (as seen on the photo)it is over 75ft long and 2.5 inches diameter and therefore is extremely heavy, hence why the engineer could not ‘throw a line’. It is also the reason that it was not untied and attached to the bow before the boat was pulled in to position. It took 4 men to lift the coil back in to the vans when the rescue was complete.

11) The ‘list’ on the vessel was not due to water, but most of the furnishings and fixings which were saturated were on one side of the vessel, the vessel was not in any danger or capsizing. Anyone who has been involved in salvage operations will know that a narrow boat without a substantial amount of water inside is very difficult to capsize.

12) RCR undertakes rescue operations around the country and are often the first on site, and where a boat is still accessible have a 100% success rate and have saved many vessels from complete submersion.

 

If anyone has any questions on any aspect of our work, please feel free to email us directly, as long as we are not inundated we will endeavor to provide you with as much background and information as possible on any element of our service…. Which has and does include rescue and salvage operations.

  • Greenie 4
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RCR would like to respond to some of the comments on the forum in regards to the rescue.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but sometimes these are not based on fact or knowledge about the issues involved. For those who prefer to know the true fact behind the rescue you could visit www.narrowboatworld.com . However as there has been much speculation and criticism based on individuals opinions RCR would like to respond directly to clarify the facts.

 

1) Pictures of the boat which were posted on face book were sent to us by the owner a short while after the accident, the rescue team were not on site until later that evening.

2) A rescue attempt was not made on the first night due to health and safety and restrictions placed on us by EA and the regulator

3) The boat was secured using 2.5" rope rated at over 100+ tons to prevent it moving, and has proved that it was more than adequate for this job.

4) The salvage was discussed in-depth with a number of parties include crane lifting and divers, before the best solution was decided upon

5) Although there was speculation about damage to the hull, luckily there was no damage and as suspected this turned out to be simply the observation of someone who did not recognise the standard construction of a narrow boat below the waterline.

6) The 1st rescue attempt on Sunday had 2 * 3"pumps, and was more than sufficient to clear the water internal to the boat. The key to the success was to get water levels as low as possible whilst we were pumping out the vessel. This was also to help us to identify if water was coming in to the boat from a suspected hull breach.

7) The main reason that we were not successful was due to the boaters moored in the vicinity insisting that the rescue stop and the water levels increase as they were concerned about their own vessels, coupled with un-forecast rain causing the river levels to rise faster than the water could be released.

8) The boom was not removed from the back of the boat until enough water had been removed from the vessel as it provided an additional safety tether whilst the water was begin emptied and the flow around the boat was at its strongest.

9) All staff at the rescue wore life jackets and dry suits whilst working on the outside of the boat, however life jackets were removed whilst working inside the vessel, the inside of a submerged boat is full of floating debris, loose furniture and electrical items and submerged obstacles which have to be cleared, to be able to pump water successfully. Life jackets can pose a serious risk if these inflate prematurely whilst 'fishing' around in the water.

http://www.facebook....&type=1

10) The rope that was attached to the roof of the boat, had been under huge strain and saturated with water as it had held the boat in position for a week, (as seen on the photo)it is over 75ft long and 2.5 inches diameter and therefore is extremely heavy, hence why the engineer could not 'throw a line'. It is also the reason that it was not untied and attached to the bow before the boat was pulled in to position. It took 4 men to lift the coil back in to the vans when the rescue was complete.

11) The 'list' on the vessel was not due to water, but most of the furnishings and fixings which were saturated were on one side of the vessel, the vessel was not in any danger or capsizing. Anyone who has been involved in salvage operations will know that a narrow boat without a substantial amount of water inside is very difficult to capsize.

12) RCR undertakes rescue operations around the country and are often the first on site, and where a boat is still accessible have a 100% success rate and have saved many vessels from complete submersion.

 

If anyone has any questions on any aspect of our work, please feel free to email us directly, as long as we are not inundated we will endeavor to provide you with as much background and information as possible on any element of our service…. Which has and does include rescue and salvage operations.

 

So now we know.

 

Thanks to RCR for a full account.

 

Nick

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Oracle, thanks for your detailed and reasoned reply which ably puts RCR's side of this story. I am rather worried by your expression "as long as we are not inundated", as the original meaning of that word is "flooded" which isn't very reassuring. But seriously, you have shown that RCR knew what they were doing.

Welcome to CWDF, I hope we shall hear more from you.

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This is now very interesting.

 

From my own experience - with boats and ships of all shapes, sizes and proclivities, and also other "dead things" such as trucks, tractors, cranes, diggers etc. It's always fascinated me that:

 

1. The people standing by watching a salvage or rescue can always see a better way of doing things than the people actually doing the work.

2. Usually, the less helpful the suggestions, the louder the shouts.

3. The vastly greater proportion of onlookers who are quite happy to offer helpful advice and criticism, but who don't tend to get involved in the mucky end of the job

4. How quickly people who have offered useless suggestions which have failed when acted upon melt away into the proverbial darkness.

 

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not acting in defence of any actions taken by any party here (or not taken) - it really is just a genuine general observation. I suppose if I force myself to admit it, there's a bit of an expert in all of us just crying to get out and be heard... How many of us would actually be able to stand up in a formal enquiry and justify EVERY single decision we've taken in the last 48 hours under pressure?

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9) All staff at the rescue wore life jackets and dry suits whilst working on the outside of the boat, however life jackets were removed whilst working inside the vessel, the inside of a submerged boat is full of floating debris, loose furniture and electrical items and submerged obstacles which have to be cleared

 

 

Are the people on the boat RCR employees? They don't appear to be Wearing lifejackets.

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I noted the misuse of the title of 'Engineer'. Far to many semi skilled trades and engineering technicians in the UK also call themselves engineers. This is seen by professional engineers as a misuse of the title, giving a false image of the profession. A growing movement in the UK is to legally protect the title 'Engineer' so that only professional engineers can use it,

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A growing movement in the UK is to legally protect the title 'Engineer' so that only professional engineers can use it,

 

 

Professional’s Quiz

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether you are qualified to be a "professional". The questions are NOT that difficult.

 

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

 

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Did you say, "Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator"? (Wrong Answe

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.

 

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

 

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there.

This tests your memory.

 

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

 

4. There is a river you must cross but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting.

 

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

 

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old

  • Greenie 4
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