Soar boat an obstruction to navigation and the flow of water

THERE are lots of comments about the boat [at Barrow-on-Soar] obstructing the navigation of other boats through the bridge but more importantly the boat was an obstruction to the flow of water, writes John Coxon.

The water has to go somewhere and the obstruction would cause the flow to hit the side of the boat then drop down and go round upon itself resulting in a local vortex of increased intensity.  This higher local volume and increased flow rate would have scoured the riverbed under-mining the boat until it literally rolled into the hole produced by the swirling water and the longer it stays there the deeper it will get and the harder to get out!

Have to be removed quickly

When River Canal Rescue do get the boat out, and it will have to be removed quickly as it's a danger to the bridge, then CaRT, the EA or the local council will have to inspect the bridge's flow defences and see if the scour has undermined the bridge foundations. They may have to fill the hole with rip-wrap in the short term to protect the bridge pillars from further scour.

The real lesson to be learnt by all boaters from this, and other incidents like the boat dumped on the bank at Trent Lock etc., is for boaters to get off the rivers at the end of October and stay off until the beginning of April.

Remember, there is no such thing as an unsinkable boat.