RCR raised lock-stricken boat

IT WAS River Canal Rescue (RCR) that raised the lock-stricken boat out of Wash House Lock at Bath after the emergency assistance firm was called in to help.

The Anglo Welsh hire boat had been caught on the cill of the lock, and the all male crew had made no attempt to lower the paddles to save it, resulting in it sinking (Drunk hirers sank boat) and blocking the waterway.

Working in the evening

Once RCR was contacted, it sent a team out to assess the situation and quickly submitted documentation to the Canal & River Trust's third-party works engineers to secure approval for the recovery, with both parties working into the evening to ensure all health and safety issues were addressed and a refloat could take place the next day.

So after two weeks of being stranded in Lock 10 of the Kennet & Avon, the narrowboat Langton was raised in just two hours by River Canal Rescue on Friday 14th November.

Confident

Despite earlier recommendations to use lifting equipment or heavy plant solutions, RCR, that had a great deal of experience in such matters, was confident the recovery could be made with manpower, ropes and pumps.

As the vessel was caught on the cill and lying at an angle, it was secured and stabilised prior to raising the lock's water levels. The rescue team entered the lock, sealed all water entry points and used tarpaulins to cover or ‘bag' the front of the boat. They also cleared the environmental spillage so the lock could be used as soon as they finished.

Pumped-out

Having pumped-out the water in the boat, the lock was re-filled under the watchful eye of RCR's Rescue Co-ordinator, Trevor Forman, and the lock keeper to ensure water was at the correct flow for a steady refloat. Once recovered, Langton was moored in the lock for checking and any remaining water removed. It was then butted up to another boat and taken to a nearby base by its owners.

Trevor comments:

"We used ropes to restrict movement without any undue stress on bollards and the natural water movement in the lock to support the refloat. This was a ‘text book' rescue—we were four hours on site with a two-hour recovery—which proves with the right experience and expertise re-floats can be achieved quickly and without too much disruption to the navigation system. There were planned closures for this area of the Kennet & Avon at the time, so the incident affected very few boaters."

Very impressed

Carl Cowlishaw, Anglo Welsh Operations Manager, concludes:

"We can't praise RCR enough—we were very impressed with its work and although we hope not to have to use them again, we wouldn't hesitate in doing so."

To find out more about River Canal Rescue visit www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk or phone 01785 785680.