Sunk hire boat crew left in shock

THE crew of the narrowboat that sank in a Kennet & Avon Lock at Bath were left in a state of shock.

It was on Tuesday of this week that the crew dropping down the lock in their hire boat were too far back and the stern caught on the cill and not understanding about closing the paddles, it sank.

Meant nothing to them

Like many hundreds before them the notice 'keep forward of the cill' meant nothing to them and not keeping forward of the cill it caught, and as the paddles were not immediately closed, so down it went to their complete shock, believing a narrowboat was unsinkable. (Photograph by Tracey Weedon.)

Receiving a call that one of its boats was sunk in a lock, the manager of the hire company, Sally Narrowboats, was on the scene in minutes to find the crew in complete shock with the emergency services looking after the people who just wanted to get away from the boat and back home

Boat rescued yesterday

The Kennet & Avon Canal was closed until the boat could be rescued, that took place yesterday, Thursday, with the hire company arranging for it to be returned to its base.

The manager of the hire company told that nobody was drunk and it was not a stag party as others have speculated.  Of the incident the Trust told that 'accidents like this are fortunately very rare'.  Alas, they are far from rare, and whilst the Trust refuses to give clear instructions of the dangers of cills, they never will be.