Inexperienced crew sink day hire boat

An all male inexperienced crew of 10 in a day hire boat managed to sink it in Stanstead Lock on the Lee.

It was yesterday Wednesday (29th July) that the day hire boat was steered into the lock, Alan Tilbury tells us, but the inexperienced crew did not realise the swing bridge over the lock had to be opened, and as the boat rose it became jammed, taking in water and sunk.

The crew had neither had proper instruction, or seemingly the sense, to close the paddles, but kept them open, even though the boat was obviously sinking.

It is understood the boat had 10 men on board, with none of them thinking of opening the swing bridge over the lock. When it started sinking they simply 'abandoned ship'.

A recovery team, overlooked by British Waterways staff brought in equipment to pump the boat out and so raise it.

Many boaters have told in narrowboatworld of the problems with all male crews, usually the worse for alcohol, causing problems on the waterways.