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Is it just us?


tonyt40

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Back in the early 70's, I was on holiday in Salcombe. It was about 10.30 pm when we noticed a man fall off a floating pontoon into the sea.


We were on the land at the time and quickly started our 17 ft launch (it started first time).


Andrew steered the boat towards the spot where he fell in, with me on the front giving him directions.


I couldn't see any body with my torch, then I noticed ripples in the water and got Andrew to move the boat to the centre of the ripples.


There was no one there, I plunged my hand down into the water as far as it would go and grabbed a wooly thing and pulled it up with all my mite .


Up popped a man gasping for air. It took Andrew and my self ages to get him into our boat as being wet he weighed so much.


We got him back to shore and he fully recovered.

  • Greenie 3
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I do think you've been very unlucky. In seven years of living aboard we've never had to fish any strangers out of the water (have given helping hands to my dad and a friend when they've slipped off the bank, but that's a bit different). Hopefully you've had your quota for some time to come smile.png

 

My rescuer cloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gif

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We were on the Welford arm last September. K was winding the boat just after the lock when she stumbled and was on her way in. I managed to grab her by her jacket wtih my left hand but couldn't hang on so I grab her by the hair with my right hand, it wasn't very graceful (and there was a loud scream),but I did stop her going in.

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You have

Ave definitely been unlucky. In 43 years boating I have never had to fish a human out, cats, dogs, a deer, a sheep and a cow yes but never a person.

 

Ducklings, hedgehog

 

Richard

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Ducklings, hedgehog

 

Richard

Err, aren't the ducklings meant to be in the cut ☺

 

(actually we let some out of a lock once after mum had left them in there and presumably the previous boat had closed the gates on them).

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We fished a 75 year old lady out of the Grand Union on our first year of liveaboard. As others have said it is quite difficult even though she was wearing an automatic life-jacket but with no crotch strap pulling her out with that would have just dropped her out of the harness. The solution we found was to use a tarpaulin we had on the roof of the boat to 'scoop' her up with. The Tarpaulin has now rotted and been discarded but I think I could possibly get the same result with one of the covers off my roof boxes.

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Err, aren't the ducklings meant to be in the cut ☺

 

(actually we let some out of a lock once after mum had left them in there and presumably the previous boat had closed the gates on them).

 

This was at Hatton top lock. Mum had lead them over the weir and into a four foot deep chamber. She could fly out but they couldn't

 

Richard

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This is my tally: (in over thirty years)

1. Woman knocked off boat by tiller as she was struggling to put up her umbrella

2. Woman fell into marina and clung for dear life to her boat. I told her to let go and walk to the edge. She wouldn't and we had to drag her on board.

3. Son fell in. Big strong lad who leaped out instantly

4. OH who fell off front of boat, swam to the side and calmly tied up the fore end before changing her wet clothes

5. Self - stepped off the boat as I was admiring a perfect starry sky

- fell in while washing the boat down. Slipped on soapy gunwale.

- stepped off the bank (again) as I was daydreaming

- stepped in (yet again) at the Braunston show. (v. embarrassing)

6. Woman upturned her canoe. Needed the ladder we keep on the mooring to get her out

 

In addition I've been in the cut voluntarily

1. to release an obstruction in freezing water. (I fitted a weed hatch after that)

2. to retrieve spectacles - twice. Success

3. to examine damage to the skeg and try to relocate a rudder on a friend's boat

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I did a back flip from a top gate on the Wolverhampton 21 and felt like I just kept going down and down

Fortunately Iain was off the boat and was able with difficulty to pull me out

.I was always careful to hold on when crossing lock gates so don't know what happened but I didn't lose hold of my windlass or anti vandal key. I seldom cross lock gates now :-)

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Had a thought t'other evening while standing on deck pondering the world. I have a small tyre tied on side to stop us bumping against the wall we are moored against. A chain of small tyres tied with rope might make a rescue ladder. Not that I need one, I have one of those folding plastic rescue ladders.

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