Out comes the sunken boat

FOR many weeks there has been a sunken boat at Rickmansworth on the Grand Union Canal, with many complaining as it was taking up mooring space for the coming festival, but nothing was done, Peter Lloyd tells us.

The sunken boat is just below Batchworth Lock and was simply abandoned taking up mooring space.

Tug and barge

It was there yesterday (Wednesday) morning, then during the afternoon whilst Peter was busy fixing lights to his boat, Gecko, for the festival a tug and barge appeared complete with HiAb, pulling in by the sunken boat, so he grabbed his camera and here are his photographs.

Then it was all action, first rigging up a pump, but the water was entering the boat as fast as it was being pumped out, so that did not work, so after a while another pump was brought in, and that did the trick with the boat slowly rising.

Lifted clear

Once the boat was floating, straps were put under it and connected to the chains on the HiAb to lift it clear of the water.  It was then swung over and onto the barge and taken away leaving the mooring clear for boats for the festival.

We hear that CaRT Chief Executive Richard Parry will be attending the festival...