Have you ever fallen into the canal?

[fudd]

 

I've only just bought my boat, but twice this week I have *nearly* fallen into the canal.

 

The first time, I got a "bootee", a wet foot that necessitated a change of socks, the second time I came so close to a full body drenching that a spectator actually gasped out loud...both times,by some miracle, I managed to drag myself back from the abyss.

 

I'm wondering, has anybody here actually fallen into the water? It seems inevitable that I will do at some stage and it would help me enormously to know I wasn't the first.

 

[/quote

 

If you were a real boater, you'd only have changed the wet sock!! ?

[Phil Ambrose]

I have just remembered when as a teenager our cycling club got caught out in a blizzard after dark, it was very bad so we wanted to get home asap. Someone consulted a map and the decision was made to take a short cut along the towpath of the Stort navigation. We mad good progress till I took a dive through the ice, managed to kick my bike away from me luckly.

Somehow the chaps managed to make a fire (middle of nowhere) and as I stood naked shivering they all stood round and dried my clothes off on/in the flames.

Boy did I stink when I got home, looking back I was lucky to get away with it.

Phil

[Ray T]

I have not managed to go in yet. The OH has been in more times than I care to remember. Which is a bit of a surprise because Im usually the clumsy one. I suppose it is only a matter of time before I take a swim though

 

ETA: Forgot to add we have only been boat owners since 2008!

 

Did he fall or was he pushed?

 

Fallen in once, The Rochdale.

[Kendal]

Not in 20 years but there's time yet. My wife sent me in at 1:00am one New Years Eve to retrieve the ash pan which I had dropped into the cut by mistake. We were moored at Willington, it was minus 3 degrees c and I had to break the ice to get in. Not a pleasant experience as I couldn't find it by feeling around with my feet, and it suddenly got very cold, in me bones cold, so I had to get out with no tray. Of course she sent me straight back in again, no sympathy, so I went right under and felt around with my hands, landed straight on it this time. A warm shower has never felt so good!

 

All our kids have fallen in over the years. The most spectacular being our eldest girly who was about 12 at the time and only tiny. We were waiting to go up through Trent Lock into the Erewash and had pulled the boat up at the lock landing. I asked her to hold onto the centre line while I went up and set the lock (the lock landing is out of sight of the lock as there is a bridge in between). Shortly after I had opened the bottom paddles I heard a cry for help and ran down to see my daughter parallel to the water with her feet on the bank and holding on to the gunwale as the boat was moving further and further out. Just before I got to her in she went, a full belly flop. the lady from the Tea Room was good as gold as again it was winter and bitterly cold, so she took her in and dried her off, while I contemplated my stupidity at leaving a 6 stone girl to look after a 20 ton boat

[cheshire~rose]

You're not a real boater until you've been in..

 

 

I have heard that said before and yet there are very many people who I consider to be excellent boatmen/women who have either not "been in" or took very many years before they did Alan Fincher for example.

 

A similar thing is often heard among motorcyclists - you are not a true biker until you have been off. When I was learning to ride (age 40) I mentioned to my instructor that people had said this to me. His reply was to tell them to say it to him. He was a former police motorcyclist with 40 years experience and had never "been off"

 

As the results of going in can be at best nasty and at worst life threatening I sincerely hope that it does not happen to any of us - and if it does it is the sort of dunking that we can laugh about afterwards.

 

ETA I have been in once. not properly just up to the knees. We were travelling with a very new to boating forum member and it was pooring with rain. We got through a bit that can be tricky for the inexperienced - old stop lock just before a bridge on a bend and at the top of an embankment where the wind can blow a hoolie making steering impossible for anyone not confident enough to keep the power on into the narrow obstacle. The other boat failed to emerge, we waited and still it failed to emerge. Thinking that perhaps I could grab a rope or push the bow off to help if I went back Dave tried to get the boat into the side but it was very shallow and needed a leap to reach the towpath. The problem was the tuft of grass at the edge of the towpath was overhanging and so when my foot went onto it there was nothing below and in I went.

No harm done, just squelchy boots and a bit of a bruise but I was hurt much more when we tied up a bit later and the newbie gave me a veritable tongue lashing about forcing him to move his boat in the pooring rain! (we hadn't - we had actually suggested it was a day to stay tucked up in the warm unless you HAD to move but he thought he HAD to move - he didn't!)

Edited September 25, 2014 by cheshire~rose

[AndyEd]

While painting boats working for a hire fleet, twice in a week I managed to walk off the end of the planking just above waterline due to over concentrating on what I was doing and not concentrating on where I was going, once was just a bootee as you say next was a full look, water splash ruined the finish on both but it was only a hire boat so no need to re do.

[Tacet]

Never fallen in (yet) in over 40 years of boating; nor has my wife in 30+years. Nor the kids either despite (holiday) boating from only a few weeks old

 

No explanation other than good fortune, as I've taken plenty of chances. There has been the odd wet foot - but nothing requiring a change of clothes.

[starman]

I was putting one of those mooring chains behind the Armco, leaned over to get the bottom end of the chain and did a delicate forward roll into the water!

Only three ft deep but damned hard to get out because my fleece had soaked up half a canals worth of water

[The Toad in the Hole]

I stepped off the stern of the boat going into a lock at Autherley. Suddenly found myself up to the nipples in the canal watching the dog sitting at the stern watching me as the boat tootled away on tickover. Jumped onto the towpath, legged it down and took a flying leap onto the stern.

 

My wife working the lock not only didn't notice, she also didn't see I was soaking wet when the boat rose up the lock.

 

More seriously, I helped an elderly lady back out after she'd fallen in Llangollen basin and bashed her hip on the concrete side. Apparently no major injury, but it did highlight the fact that the ambulance had no idea how to reach her - think BW put some signs up after that.

 

The dogs have been in more times than I care to think about. Mostly intentionally off the mooring, though one did try to walk across a whole stack of blown leaves.

[Hawkmoth]

Twice, once trying (unsuccessfully) to rescue a neighbour's cat, and once jumping for the shore I missed!

Bob

[Suzie_q]

I was putting one of those mooring chains behind the Armco, leaned over to get the bottom end of the chain and did a delicate forward roll into the water!

Only three ft deep but damned hard to get out because my fleece had soaked up half a canals worth of water

Snap although mine was reaching with both hands for a dropped mooring rope.

Full forward roll and ended up with huge bruise on my rear from hitting the bottom.

[bassplayer]

One word 'varifocals'. I ended up between the boat and bank. I was quite surprised that my head ended up under water despite it only being about 4 ft depth. I think it must have been the momentum.

 

As I was trying to get back up onto the boat, a passing boater kindly offered to let me use his shower. I very politely declined and explained I had a shower on board. He seemed very insistent though....

[twbm]

Ohhh Yess. A number of times. Fell in an empty dry dock too, that hurts more.

 

The NBT's Subject Matter Expert is a member of this forum ... last time he went in we were moving a very light and high in the water Brighton and he went off the side of a moored boat in the classic, 'foot under the front well deck cover onto the gunnel you can't see (fail)' manoeuvere. I was in the hold at the front so not best placed to help, and shouted 'Where are you' so I could chuck a life ring over the appropriate point. 'In the water' was the helpful reply. I suspect 'I know that, you twot, I heard the splash' wasn't the textbook response.

[mango]

I fell in once, in the early 80s.

 

I once fell off a boat that was out of the water. It had the old fashioned tubular hand rails which I grasped with one hand and managed to pull myself back on board. To this day, I don't know how I did not break my wrist, which hurt for ages afterwards.

[Tim Lewis]

I have falled in at Audlum, Barlaston and Callis Mill, I now avoid going anywhere that beginns with the letter D, Sorry Darlaston :-)

 

Tim

[Chop!]

 

I've got a pic somewhere of me sat naked in a deck chair on the frozen cut here. I'll post it, if I can find it. Ice didn't break, which was nice.

If it was that icy there won't be 'much' to see! LOL!

 

BTW I fell off our butty into an icy lock on the Rothersthorpe flight, luckily had a boat pole which caught on the butty and the lockside and I managed to pull my injured self out (minus phone, car keys etc.)

Edited September 25, 2014 by Chop!

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Three times now in forty plus years. Last time I slipped on ice forming on the cant on the counter. I hit my chin on the way in to a deep cold lock. Not only feeling foolish my face really hurt. My wife tried very very hard not to laugh but she failed miserably.

[tony p]

In the 90's I went all the way in after leaving the mill bar in banbury and forgetting I'd turned the boat around... I was quite suprised to bounce off the front end into the canal rather than stepping onto the nice low back deck

Can remember quite a few people tumbling in backwards when sitting on their cruiser stern rails too...

[Kiwidad]

No, and if anyone tells you otherwise they are lying. And the photo is inadmissable

 

OK, yes, at Barrow I walked straight off the front!

[Fat Boat]

leg dipped a couple of times but did trip over the steps under Cowroast bridge one November evening, bit scary as it was late at night and I was soo cold I had problems getting back out as it is quite deep there

 

I had to go in once, was iced in/moored at Bulbourne and the cat walked out onto the ice. We heard him crying and went out to look. he was over half way to the other side and had gone through the ice, everytime he tried to get back up the ice broke under him

 

So while the good lady held a torch as it was pitch black night I climbed in, the ice wasn't think enough to hold me and had to swim out to him breaking the ice thinking all the time please hold on as if you go under I wont be able to find you. got to him and rolled onto my back to swim back, he deceided that putting his claws though my ears was a good way to hold on

 

Got back to the bank and gave the cat to the missus to take in, then had to climb up using my front rope to get out

 

Me and him spent the rest of the night in front of the fire and if the canal freezes he is grounded these days

 

Should there be a "Dippers Club"? club tie with a tie pin depicting the depth you went in and if fully submerged you get a bow tie

[cuthound]

I have never fallen in the cut in 41 years and neither has Mrs Hound in 26 years. Still plenty of time to do so yet...

 

I fell in the Thames when learning to canoe in the early 70's one March. Bloody freezing. I was wearing a woollen jumper and when I got out is had stretched way below my knees.

 

Funniest one I ever say was my youngest son, when aged about 8. He was standing on the bank, with one foot on the shoelace of his other foot. He tried to step onto the boat, but his foot stopped going forward when the free part of the shoelace ran out. He fell between the boat and the bank. Luckily I was on the rear deck and caught him before he went in too far. I lifted him onto the deck and his legs were covered in weed. I laughed and her went mad at me!

[Rob-M]

I've been in a few times, mostly when I did turn round as a kid and used to wash hire boats. One occasion was slipping between two breasted up boats which could of been worse than it was. The most recent was a couple of years back coming round Sutton Stop in the wind and rain, I got pinned to the bridge 'ole so walked down the side to push off and slipped but had a good hold so only went in to my knees, it was raining so hard that I didn't get any wetter.

[muddywaters]

I've only just bought my boat, but twice this week I have *nearly* fallen into the canal.

 

The first time, I got a "bootee", a wet foot that necessitated a change of socks, the second time I came so close to a full body drenching that a spectator actually gasped out loud...both times,by some miracle, I managed to drag myself back from the abyss.

 

I'm wondering, has anybody here actually fallen into the water? It seems inevitable that I will do at some stage and it would help me enormously to know I wasn't the first.

 

I managed to fall in my very first day ever on a boat trying to get into the water point at Hebden Bridge

[junior]

I've seen someone just walk straight off the end off a pontoon in a marina thinking it went the full length of the boat. It didn't. It was a half length pontoon.

[Ray T]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ6681scHI4