Narrowboat Disaster at Barrow on Soar.

This boat and part of its mooring broke away in the floods and finished up pinned to a road bridge, after attempts of salvage failed it sank along with all the owners possessions, this was their home. A GoFundMe page has been set up, thank you in anticipation.
gofund.me/44ce...

[@gillcooper108]

I have just looked on the Narrowboat World site and must admit that I must have been at another incident to this, I am putting the link up so you can read it yourself but it claims that the boat sunk due to the onlookers not moving, this is total rubbish, I was there from the start with my daughter, there was around 20 people watching, most on the opposite bank, people were asked once to move away to their right which they did, the time was spent by this "Rescue" team trying to throw a rope from the river bank into the water to float down to the bridge where another member tried to grab it with a hook, they tried this several time with no success. At one time, a man was in chest waders in the water up to his waist with no life jacket or rope attached to himself trying to do the same thing, if he had slipped he'd be a goner now. I definitely witnessed them winching the boat, they did it for about 90 seconds then the man on the bridge in a yellow jacket shouted down to them to stop, they all then gathered on the bridge and watched this boat fill with water, you can actually see this on your video. Here is the link to Narrowboat World. narrowboatworld.com/15083-proctors-park-narrowboat-sinking

[@user-hp5qw3fv6m]

Having watched the video several times the vessel was listing more and more to Starboard by the time they attempted to salvage the boat had already nearing the point of capsize or in marine terms beyond the point where the righting moment would keep the boat afloat with free surface effect no matter what the RCR did the result would have been the same, nobody is to blame during the salvage but boat owners make sure you check your moorings regularly also the bollards and stay safe.

[@FreakyKangaRoo666]

I live at Proctor's. I can see the bridge from my boat. We saw this boat come flying pass us at 3am. It broke my heart and the crash when it hit another boat and then bridge was terrifying. We rang the fire and rescue as we were so concerned someone was aboard. 😢

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

And that flow was going like a train, frightening really.

[@simonfenney3748]

This was my boat it hit. The 30 foot blue narrow boat. Dragonfly

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

It's a wonder more were not hit, any damage to yours.@@simonfenney3748

[@TaroBlindLabrador]

A boat breached on a bridge, whilst the water is in spate, is near impossible to recover. You realistically have to wait until the level normalises or if you can divert the flow.

[@john8451]

Before people get too carried away, the water level was already falling and the boat probably would have capsized once it was no longer floating regardless of what the RCR did. The time to deal with it would have been when the water was much higher and it could have been dragged into the slack water nearer the bank.

[@cedarcam]

It probably took 24 hours to fill in the method statements risk assessments and safety briefing notes the way things are these days so they began as soon as possible.

[@CruisingTheBroads]

There is no way on earth that winching attempt should have gone on with members of the public in close proximity. Winch lines are notorious for snapping and killing people with flailing wires, chains or fittings. Whoever was carrying out the attempt clearly had no understanding of a risk assessment, so equally possible they had little understanding of the dynamics of how the boat would behave. A bit of patience and a couple of salvage bags on the starboard side probably could have prevented the outcome.

[@ascgrp]

And you would have been happy to climb down and affix the salvage bags ?

[@CruisingTheBroads]

@@ascgrp not in those conditions, which is why I said patience. I suspect you probably could also have got a supporting line off the bridge with a HIAB, but that might entail a road closure, which the authorities may not be helpful with.

[@excossack]

Poor boat. It looked like it was able to be saved before an incorrect rescue was done

[@Lauproo]

it would have capsized anyway if they had done nothing, they had to try.

[@pippashaw8224]

The boat should have been secured with the Winch before the water level started to drop, then put pressure on the line. To pull the boat free from the bridge. Then, wait for the water level to drop. And the boat would have been OK. You could see what was going to happen. The boat was already listing. Pulling from a high point. It just rolled over. Saying that, there would have been a lot of pressure from the water flowing from the river against the side of the boat.

[@olivergilcreest5941]

No one goes into a rescue to with the intention to make it worse!! Unfortunately it was an all or nothing situation. The guys turned up and tried to help.

[@Lauproo]

@pippashaw8224 perhaps you should have got your waders on and got down there and sorted this out Pippa.

[@pippashaw8224]

@paul5474 maybe you should of called me

[@ThePorkypete51]

Not exactly a great advert for RCR

[@chrisbates7743]

Lesson: don’t call that bunch of clowns to come sink your boat.

[@bungle6668]

100% agree, there were many options that would have been better than that, get a decent HGV rescue firm in with winches and heavy rescue equpment would have saved all of that.

[@MrSoppysod]

So right. Total incompetence. My heart goes out to the owners of the boat. Not the best start to 2024.

[@Angel-002]

Lessons in how not to rescue/salvage a narrow boat. Before they even started it was obvious the way it was leaning that if they tried to just pull the front off at that angle it wasn't going to work!! Wonder if the owner agreed to the attempt or if they can sue them for damage/sinking of their vessel.

[@clifftonicstudios7469]

We have to pay a hell f lot of money for canal river rescue its not cheap sue them.

[@Angel-002]

@@clifftonicstudios7469 It's not cheap to sue anyone & can be a long drawn out process as we all know. However, if the owners didn't agree to this action then it could be an option. If the owners win, which they could very well do with the footage here, then CRC should pay court costs as well as compensation. I should imagine CRC are insured for this type of thing anyway. The owners just need to find a very good solicitor, but if they agreed to this action, it's all immaterial as they gave permission knowing it may or may not work.

[@jennr3850]

Great video, so sad to have their home sink. If that was my boat I'd be in tears so I feel so sad for them. Hope they are OK? Stay safe everybody.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Thank you for your comment.

[@user-iq8mg2nv7p]

Never ever seen a narrowboat sink, they were so close to rescuing it. A fantastic video, so much information given and well explained on how the boat got in that situation and how they tried to save it.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@NarrowboatSuperB who said I enjoyed it knobscratch!!!

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@nigelgregory7308 This reply was to the person who commented first , 😀

[@g.proclips3389]

Muppets. That boat was entirely salvageable. They have not only sunk the boat but made a much bigger problem. It's a shame that I'm not surprised they failed.

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@NarrowboatSuperB sorry about the mix up, have read your previous comments, absolutely amazing filming, don't even offer me a drone, your comments were about filming, not the incident, I can see this now, I think you tube tries to mix things in and it doesn't work, many apologies, will keep you as your photography is amazing, just KZbins positioning them in comments needs to be worked on, have a great day and a wonderful weekend 👍👍👍

[@dandelyon7114]

Obviously the turfur was going to pull the boat over, the angle from the boat to the tree was to Great, perhaps they should have attached the line to the back deck at a lesser angle and pulled it backwards towards the bank which would have released the bow from the bridge buttress therfore lessening the chance of capsize then gently manoeuvre the boat to the bank and secure, and the owners would still have their narrowboat. Good old CRT doing what they do best.

[@chocksaway100]

Pulling against the force of that river, it was never going to happen.

[@martinclark7935]

See 4:50 It appears that the recovery attempt was by RCR, not CRT.

[@dandelyon7114]

@@chocksaway100 quite correct! That's why pulling it backwards may have been the best option.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@martinclark7935 Correct Martin, on the video I said CRT came to look at it, after that is when RCR turned up with their vans.

[@sashcramp2099]

Exactly. Far safer to try dragging it astern into slacker water. A sideways pull above the waterline must increase the angle of heel. Hopefully, the boat's insurers will claim against RCR.

[@nigelhudson1948]

Interesting! That path going across the field passing the pylon was my route home from school in the late sixties. It used to flood every year but in those days the bank was not there so the floodwater went across the field, over the road and back into the river downstream of the bridge. This meant that the flow under the bridge was reduced.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

They have probably built the bank there to give a little more time for the road, but it eventually reaches the road anyway.

[@catshez]

Yes me too, walking to and from Rawlins in the 90s, the flood barrier was built around then

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@catshez Good old Rawlins.

[@catshez]

@@NarrowboatSuperB Ha , "good old, Rawlins" ?! Served its purpose I suppose 🤷 We were selfish teenagers,before the flood barriers we had an excuse not to go to school.. After the fact we had no excuse and cursed the barriers! They are obviously holding up well after 25 years, almost no flooding in that field !! /? Lucky cows who roam around there, sorry for people who lost boats, but I am going to guess this boat in this vid was already Winterised, and noone was on board when it floated away?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@catshez Hi, the boat was a liveaboard, everything they owned gone.

[@NigelMarston]

18 years ago I saw "something" pinned against Evesham's bridge by the weight of the flood water. It may have been a boat (not a narrow boat) or maybe a caravan (there are static caravan parks up-river). You couldn't tell because it was so submerged. There was virtually no space between the water and the top of those arches. They closed the bridge. When you think that the bridge is only held in place by its own weight, it's quite scary.

[@BoatTime]

oh gosh this is so sad to see 😢scary that the pontoon broke off too! hope it’s able to be recovered when the water levels lower 🤞🏻😣

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

They can recover but it will be a crane from the road and not the actual bridge, I was part of a similar incident years ago when in the fire service.

[@robertstuthridge8980]

Such a heartbreaking loss for the owners. I hope they’ll be able to rebuild their lives and move forward quickly, but no doubt many personal effects will have been lost. 💔

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Didn't want to catch it on film, but you could see personal items and belongings pouring out as it went under.

[@nigelgregory7308]

Well another great example of people who don't know what they are doing, I work in the recovery industry, cars,trucks, trams trains and boats, this needed a lift from above because it was grounded, absolutely f#@£[?g obvious if you know what you are doing , a turfer against a narrow boat in a flow !!!! Who the f##£ thought the resistance figures on that, this is what happens when people don't think, this boat was safe, but dodgy, done right this boat could have been saved, but a bunch of hero, no idiots that didn't know what they were doing, did not have the equipment or knowledge sank this boat, and the Canal,River, Rescue should re-embursley fully from their insurance because it was their negligence that caused this boat to sink and destroy someones life.

[@BarrowladKingVichai]

I must admit my thoughts too

[@chrisbates7743]

Agreed

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@BarrowladKingVichai respect, I just feel for whoever owned that boat it was their home, if it was a house on land on fire you wouldn't want some muppet walking in with a bucket of water where there could be bare electricals, yes always help if you can if there is a risk to life, 👍👍

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@chrisbates7743 many thanks I was not personally destroyed on this, it's like if I have 50mph with my boiler at home I call the plumber/ maitainance man, not sure if you are uk or states ,but thinking that you are uk 🫰,

[@nigelgregory7308]

50mph, damn auto correct, it should say, if I have a problem.

[@thebrowns1017]

I used to live close to here. This is not the first narrow boat to flounder at this bridge during floods.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Certainly been a couple over the years.

[@williamparker3765]

Sorry to see this happen with the boat, the owners have my sympathy, I hope my donation will help somewhere. I don't think the rescue was thought through, it should have been lifted from the top, it was so obvious that if pulled from the opposite side of the river the boat would go down, the rescuers should be asked to pay at least 30% of the cost of replacements. Many thanks to the gentleman who did the video and the good explanation.

[@pujabelgian]

That's why people don't get involved.. liability. I once sold a vehicle to a 16 yo. He killed 2 people in a head-on. The family being sued tried to drag me into it for shared liability since I'd sold him the car. He was on their insurance, they lost their house, their business, everything.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Thank you for your donation William, it will indeed help.

[@Derek_S]

Do you realise how much a narrowboat that size weighs? I doubt if the bridge could safely support the weight of the boat and any crane capable of lifting it. Flotation bags underneath the vessel would probably have a better chance but it takes time to organise that kind of thing. Assuming the boat was insured, the insurance company will normally organise any salvage operation if it's possible to avoid a total loss.

[@jimjoelliejack]

Why the hell did they try to winch that boat off that bridge with a little tirfor ( max 3.2 tonnes pull)! ? My company clears log and tree Jams off bridges, we cleared Tadcaster bridge twice this year, we pull whole trees out with 15 tonne excavators , hydraulic winches and operators in dry suits and PPE and that isn’t an easy undertaking. That narrow boat weighs about 12 tonnes empty, the flow of that water is bloody immense. We can not judge the mass of an object being pull out of a flood flow so we have safely methods to stop any unforeseen incidents. That bridge should have been off limits to vehicles and pedestrians until that river had subsided (Tadcaster collapsed due to debris build up a few years back), that narrow boat probably would have settled in the water, they have in effect sunk it and also complicated its recovery. Fools! Why did they pull it towards the flow?

[@matty40s]

The stretch the boats are moored on against Proctors is NOT CRT navigation, so no licence is needed. ...or insurance. The navigation is from the lock and through the centre arch of the bridge. CRT are responsible for the navigation structures, not the safety or floods on the river.

[@diabolicalartificer]

A similar thing happened to my boat in 88/89 up river from Barrow on Soar. I was living on it at the time, it got stuck against the jetty, tilted, water went in through a hole in the engine compartment & it sank. I lost everything. The fire brigade from Loughborough tried to pump it out, to no avail, I feel for the owners of this boat, hopefully they were insured.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

I might have been on that job, we commandeered another boat to carry the pump to the job, was you in a wooded area.

[@diabolicalartificer]

@@NarrowboatSuperB Yep, just down from Sorrel on an old willow coppice, big old hut right next to the river. The couple who owned the boat brought the pump down & made cups of T. The fire brigade was going to use a big pump on a 6 wheel drive tender but the local landowner Greg Duffin said no, not on my land. I was really pissed off with Greg at the time but he was a good old boy, no longer with us unfortunately. Were you one of the fire crew?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@diabolicalartificer Yes, we were Blue Watch from Loughborough, I remember when the pump failed/lost suction, I was inside and water came gushing in, I wouldn't have remembered the year until you said.

[@diabolicalartificer]

@@NarrowboatSuperB Wow, small world, thanks for filming this incident, I no longer live in the area but have many fond memory's of when I lived there. Thank you once again for your help at the time and all of Blue Watch. You probably won't believe this but I had a dream prior to my boat sinking where I was wading through water inside my boat. I'd lived on boats for about five years previously, & had other boats sink before. I forgot about the dream until I had a strong deja vous experience whilst trying to re-float it prior to the attempt you mention.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Dream of lottery numbers instead. The officer in charge has since passed, I have retired after 30 years but work in a local school now. Small world, you're right.

[@russell-di8js]

Damn them beaver's down that way sure do like their comfort!!!

[@jacquelineryde7339]

So very sad and upset for them. Seen the gofundme page. Even if for some comfort bless them ❤️

[@howardgaskin6117]

There's nothing like exacerbating an already tricky situation.

[@bennyhill4228]

Would of been better leaving it alone, trying to winch it from the bridge side was a bad idea, would of been better to pull it from the flow side somehow, i feel sorry for the owners.

[@PhantomMark]

I am not an expert, but I think they Fked that up !!!

[@ostosix]

Looks like they should have tried to take the barge to the nearer side. Or lever it off the buttress with a bottle jack. That loss is on that crew who tried to winch it off in that direction.

[@Raceproved]

It's possible not enough thought was given to what needed to be done ....................................

[@makinganarrowboatwithnannyandg]

Jeez that is horrible. Those poor people. Every boaters worst nightmare. Thank you for a good video and good explanation Jim. Hope you're keeping safe. We are hoping our boat is ok at castle marina while we are away in India. I think from looking at all the footage of the floods we chose our winter mooring right. Thinking about everyone else who haven't been as lucky. Stay safe mate Ady and Hayley 👍

[@rjkism]

Either they tried to move it and should not have done so or the did not understand the principle of spring mooring a vessel in my vast and long career working with boats the majority of canal boat owners are literally out of there depth on rivers in flood

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

This was a liveaboard moored up, the mooring came away with the boat.

[@chocksaway100]

The CRT sunk the boat using their rescue method why not just leve alone until the flood water begins to subside . I believe CRT wanted to be seen to be "doing something" and they absolutely fffed it up, and their efforts sank the boat ,classic example of unless you know what you are doing leave well alone . Thankfully for the owners its all documented on film.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Hi, just want to point out that it was not the CRT in attendance, it was the RCR, River Canal Rescue, I think they are based in Stafford.

[@rickykent4543]

Two things here, if the pontoon broke and floated off down the river with the boat, Proctors would then be liable as it is their duty to maintain them to a decent standard, also, the boat was not submerged when RCR attended, they effectively sunk the boat, I don't believe this boat was insured but the owners must be in a very strong position to recover the costs they incur putting this right.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@hughn I would agree there, and you are so correct about the risk assessment, that was quite some fast flowing water.

[@lewis72]

Arguably it would have been the best option to pull it away from the bridge when it was most upright earlier. Could well have been in an impossible situation when they tried to recover it at the angle it was at.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@lewis72 Agree with you Lewis

[@jpleics6152]

This has happened twice in the past and flooding like that used to be an annual occurrence, the bridge is too weak to hold a crane and boat full of water. whoever thought winching it into the flow above the water level needs to answer some serious questions. The whole area along Proctors park is overflowing with boats, far more than there ever has been and I doubt the pontoons have been replaced since the 50s.

[@johnlightbody9942]

It's the rescue team that should refund loss...

[@paulb8186]

Absolutely useless they should have lifted both ends straight up using the bridge. Obviously dragging it against the strong current sideways will tip it further!

[@BarrowladKingVichai]

Exactly as it transpired, I witnessed the whole process excellent video, i also had a good chat with super -b and his wife great couple and now subscribed 👍

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Hello again, wasn't that the longest trip to the shops you've had.

[@BarrowladKingVichai]

@@NarrowboatSuperB Hi, yes I’m not allowed out anymore 🤣

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Have to get an ankle tag for you.

[@user-hp5qw3fv6m]

The attempt to salvage the barge pinned to the bridge with such a force of water would have been near impossible even attempting to save the barge was something of going through the motions the winching didn't sink the barge water ingression was inevitable fortunately no lives were lost.

[@jamesgraham6122]

That was never going to work.. The weight of flow on the hull would be measured in way too many tons of pressure.. I've witnessed similar situations. Better to have done nothing and waited for the water flow to abate, or at most, attempted to get a wire strop all the way around the hull, extremely difficult, and attempted to right it which would have relieved some of the pressure had it been successful. Terribly sad for the owners, to lose their home.

[@fizzedupslade4082]

Donated. I'm near Avon and it's terrible for the narrowboats docked in Bath. Awful. I hope many can give a fiver.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Thank you for your donation, I will do a follow up when we can hand over funds, every little helps, once again, many thanks.

[@stevensmith277]

This boat is surely insured with boat safety certificate and river license. A nice boat like that, who wouldn’t have all the relevant paperwork, no need for crowd funding if you ask me, and also if there wasn’t any insurance why not, you wouldn’t crowd fund an uninsured car driver for driving into another car or house front living room window would you. You need to be careful what you are trying to do.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

I see you edited your comment Steven, it actually read "Need to be carful what you are trying to do, as I will be watching" Just what will you be watching Steven

[@robshaw3655]

would be interesting to see the risk assessment..and method statement..small clubs and societies etc are made to jump through hoops these days. looked like a nice slack area on opposite side out of the main current? live and learn

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Blimey, it would be reams and reams of paper.

[@ajw1467]

surely part of having a crt licence they have to have insurance

[@davidh4514]

They should, but no-one checks.

[@ajw1467]

i hope they lose everything then id sue them if there boat had hit mine and they wasnt insured

[@nevermorethan4]

What absolute nonsense... You have to have insurance to get your licence. But it never covers everything in a situation like this. Why come on and troll when you could just be kind... Imagine if it was yours

[@ajw1467]

@@nevermorethan4 if my insurance didnt cover i wouldnt be getting money via go fund me the roof on my conservatory came off i dont go for fund me

[@Wolfyjinny]

That was a bad attempt at recovery, seemed like there was no planning or proper equipment to do it.

[@sidewaysid]

I feel sick inside watching it, the poor people and the poor boat I could cry, I hope they get insurance, I am saving up for a boat and this makes me realize you can't be too careful, good luck.

[@KarrierBag]

Sitting on my boat on a short canal which is between two rivers (one is tidal too), seeing things like this does scare me big time, I really feel for the owners, hopefully they don't live on it like a lot of us do.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

They do live/lived on it, even the canal further downstream was flooded, the lock could not hold it all back.

[@KarrierBag]

@@NarrowboatSuperB aww that makes it so much harder for them, I lost my land rover in Feb to a canal (yes you did read that right) and that was bad enough, bit of footage of it being lifted out on my channel, I was in a police van waiting for an ambulance, was a medical thing that caused it not drinking or anything) one copper dived in and saved me, it was 9pm and cold and dark, bloody star he is too , have subbed your channel, thanks for replying.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

I've just watched it, that looked terrifying

[@KarrierBag]

@@NarrowboatSuperB yup was as i went right under, just happened to be a police van parked a 1000 yards away so drove down to see what was going on, as the landy sank and went under he just dived in and got me out, then took 30 minutes to get us both as we were blocked in as no towpath on other side of canal as i apparently skipped over the canal, hit a tree and started to sink. was so cold, he said he thought i had died in his arms at one point, he came to visit for coffee n cake on my boat for a few hours once i was out of hospital, he is 30 years old and my hero.

[@chaswarren7239]

The only way that could have worked would be if the pull was low down on the hull, rather than from deck level. Even then, the forces would be huge.

[@paulgbar666]

Having an effective insurance policy is obviously very worthwhile. I believe this incident will cause many boaters to investigate whether their policies would cover them. I would imagine that boat insurance has limited contents cover. Would the insurer pay for a complete gut out of the shell. That would be potentially more than the boat is worth! What happens in such a case?

[@rickykent4543]

Unfortunately I don't believe the boat was insured.

[@paulgbar666]

@rickykent4543 Whoops well that is a lesson in itself for all other boaters. Just proves insurance cannot be skipped!

[@benjones4365]

Would Insurance pay out at all, they would argue that it was an act of God.

[@richharding7927]

Well, ideally, RCR get sued for gross negligence.

[@bobgorman9481]

​@@paulgbar666 Ex narrowboater here , I saw a few similar incidents over 12 years of boat ownership ,and it's amazing how quickly things can reach the point of no return , HOWEVER, I really can't understand why people skimp on insurance ? Yes it's an added expense, but if your a livaboard then everything you own is basically inside a metal box floating on water , and completely at the whim of nature. Also , I don't like the way that " crowdfunding " etc seems to be becoming a " post accident " insurance policy.

[@dk4559]

Absolutely useless help. Instead bringing Crain and do it properly, by taking boat out. More pressure on bridge boat under water. Well done. Was better without idiots interfering. Very sad view 😢

[@marklapierre5629]

Ship wrecks are such sad things.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

It was sad, just seeing it slowly filling knowing nothing could be done at that point.

[@nigelgregory7308]

My I say I'm not a total bastard, I follow a lot of vloggers on the canals and want one myself, my rant was about people in general who don't know what they are doing admitting they don't know what they are doing, if you don't know,? You don't know go get someone who does, this tragedy could have been avoided if those who did not know what they were doing admitted it at the time and got the big boys in, it would have been cheaper for the insurance and they would still have their belongings and irreplaceable memories, I truly hope that they can recover from this, my heart goes out to them. I believe that there's a just giving page set up, I'm off find it, I think you should to, if you don't think one pound makes a difference, a million giving one pound is one million pounds, a millionaire giving one pound is one pound, let's be a group millionaire, ❤❤❤

[@ratmanbug]

Let's not make them millionaires. Their insurance will cover most. I cannot understand why people rush to set up Just Giving before they think about it (such as for those who go abroad with no insurance).

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@ratmanbug mate not sure if they where abroad, the site already up and running, I couldn't do that, I don't know them ,but I know that I would be grateful of any help at this moment, ps where we're you??

[@WattyBhoy]

Absolute cowboy attempt, should have had the boat supported with airbags 1st then pulled out at a slight angle with another boat or winch. Would have been fine if they just left it for the water level to drop also.

[@tylerdurden7500]

These poor people. Their poor home!!😟😭

[@skf957]

Easy to say from my sofa of course, but unqualified people attempting the winch op?

[@nevermorethan4]

That wasn't thought through was it?! Not sure I'd trust river rescue after seeing this. Donated. Heartbreaking😢

[@petebuck9889]

How do you know they weren’t insured anyway

[@nevermorethan4]

What do you mean?

[@petebuck9889]

@@nevermorethan4 I'm assuming that the owners didn't start up the Go Fund Me page they might be insured anyway. In which case there's no need for it

[@nevermorethan4]

​@@petebuck9889well I'm sure they are, but who is 100% insured including all contents... And which insurance company pays out 100%?. This guy seems genuine (I have emailed him separately) and go fund me is aware of frauds that may go on and pay you back if it is. They are only asking for £5000 which I hope would cover all the bits the insurance doesn't. I chose to donate so why question it? If you choose not to for whatever reason... That is your choice.

[@HairySteveUK]

I remember years ago in Maidstone the river Medway flooded, there was a river bus moored up near the town centre and it broke of its mooring lines, they were worried the other line would break and it would drift into one of the bridges and either damage the bridge or block the archway and flood the town centre, so they got a helicopter to drop a couple of men onto the boat to get the mooring lines tied back on. In this video it does look as though pulling the front of the boat from the top did make it tip over more and flood, but I'm no expert and hopefully the owners insurance will pay up.

[@shauncorless8965]

I hope they have good insurance ,,,

[@NeilArcher]

Wow. What a nightmare.

😢 They were too late unfortunately and pinning up high did not help. It seems like as water levels dropped, the port side of the boat hung up in the sill of the bridge.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Yes, from the top of the bridge looking down you could see where it was catching.

@@NarrowboatSuperB yes around 6:30 in yout vid.

[@niklar55]

Most narrow boats are very underpowered, If they meet strong currents they are lost.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Don't think they had a choice, was asleep when it happened.

[@niklar55]

Just watched again, and realised it was the jetty that broke away. Must be that the water level rose, with the boat and part of the jetty following suit. It puzzles me why boaters don't use Heavy Duty Bungees to moor with. They would adjust automatically to water level variations. I just lost everything of value I owned (£150k) in a fire. (Excluding the building!) So I can sympathise their loss to some extent. I'm surprised there are no posts to protect the bridge from drifting boats. Cables should have passed _under_ the boat to pull the bottom of the boat, not the top. @@NarrowboatSuperB

[@tomthompson7400]

sad to see ,,, but they were really pulling the wrong end of the boat and pulling it the wrong way too.

[@richharding7927]

Absolutely. I mean, for starters, how about lassoing the starboard suicide seat to stop it toppling; perhaps then put something down from the bridge and lever the port side off; anything but what they actually did, which was just madness...

[@tomthompson7400]

@@richharding7927 my thougts , use the lower flow to your advantage , use the bridge pier as a pivot point , work on the safe side and not across the flow , and as soon as the hull moved it would fall to a safer position , repeat as often as needed ,,, and before I get the armchair warrior crap , I do a lot of heavy recovery and Im a commercial diver , and have a book full of rigging certs.

[@richharding7927]

@@tomthompson7400 precisely. it's hung on what appears to be a tiny little ledge (easily done, seen it very recently with a brick sticking out minutely from a lock side).

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

Trouble with being pinned across a flow is that the water works on the underwater part of the hull, rolling the topside upstream. Even pulling the bow outwards, as was tried, doesn’t stop the rolling effect and removes some of the support from the bridge. Better to have left it in place and use the pulling gear to stop further rolling.

[@murrayjoslin6316]

So many suggestions but pulling it like that was just dumb

[@cheshirebowman4465]

Narrow boats and rivers?? Definitely a no no

[@chromiumphotography5138]

Needed something like an ARV on both banks to right it. Not just a winch but something that can recover 60 ton vehicles.

[@markseibert6369]

Incorrect rescue attempt. Swift water at river center, calmer water near bank. The correct thing to do was to pull from end nearest bank and into calmer/shallower water and ground the flat bottom. Then pump it out. Amazingly inept.

[@JelMain]

A tirfor jack's made in Sweden, and walks it's way along the wire. They're commonly used to tighten circus big top stays, something learned from a slackline walker in Edward's Chandlery when they were still in Covent Garden.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

We used to carry one on our fire tender for road accidents.

[@JelMain]

@@NarrowboatSuperB I was Royal Engineers

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@JelMain wow, second nature to you guys then.

[@50mi55ile]

We used them for recovering vehicles while in the army ,why did they try to pull it across the river where the water was flowing the strongest instead of pulling it the other way towards the nearest bank

[@stihl3826]

Why wait for the river level to drop further. It was always going to go wrong against that force of water.

[@steve-r-collier]

if this has happened before why werent the boats at those moorings alerted and moved to a safer place?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Not sure where they could move to, they would have to go down the river to the canal but the flood lock would be shut to prevent the canal from over filling.

[@chrisjourneyman]

It looks as if things took a turn for the worst when the CRT got involved. It might have been better to let nature take its course.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Just to add, it was the RCR, River and Canal Rescue who carried out the rescue attempt.

[@user-hp5qw3fv6m]

@@NarrowboatSuperB Having watched the video the vessel was listing more and more to Starboard by the time they attempted to salvage the boat had already nearing the point of capsize or in marine terms beyond the point where the righting moment would keep the boat afloat with free surface effect no matter what the RCR did the result would have been the same, mother nature won.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@user-hp5qw3fv6m Hi, yes I agree with that, as the video shows, it was listing well to starboard.

[@krishyfishy1]

@@NarrowboatSuperByeah looked like a tricky save. I think the only option would have been to lift it by crane from the bridge. It’ll be a shame if that’s how they get it out as they could have done it before sinking the boat.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@krishyfishy1 I'm told it will be craned out, need to close the road and send divers in to secure.

[@sheilabutcher776]

Gutted what a loss. Xx😨

[@sr3d-microphones]

Terrible loss, £50 donation given, I hope that they get back on board ASAP

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Thank you for watching and your kind donation, I will do a follow up and will include the handing over of funds raised, thanks again.

[@Carl0690]

Hope they've done the quarterly on that Tirfor?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Hi mate, certainly brings back memories of our time on Blue Watch, remember we had to rescue a couple from a caravan in Proctors and the woman said, "I'm not meant to be here" !!!!!

[@Carl0690]

Can you remember when a pylon was arcing on to a caravan on Proctors? Another night, we had Caravan well alight, but tragically, we came across a deceased gentleman while damping down?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

@@Carl0690 We had quite a few calls like that Carl, I was chatting to a viewer on here who owned the boat that sank at Mountsorrel in the 80's when we were called to assist, Eddie took charge of someone's boat to transport the portable pump and ruined their varnish.

[@Lbm414.Oleg.Kuznetsov.]

I remember the same situation in the same spot 20 years ago.

[@Dave-gi1eb]

Did they not think that that was going to happen

[@BigAndyAutos]

has it been recovered yet ?

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Not yet, plans have to be made for the road to be closed and that sort of thing, but needs to be done soon as it blocks that part of the network.

[@Backtoreality1873]

International rescue they are not. At least they tried I guess. Feeling very sorry for the owners. I hope that wasn’t their main home.

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Yes it was their main home according to locals.

[@bexhill8777]

i was expecting it to go under,would have thought the other end was best to winch,they just turn it into the fastest stream of the river,totaly wrong.

[@colvinator1611]

I do hope they save the boat. Is it someone's home ?

[@MsGrandunion]

Such a shame that nobody was around earlier, they could have got on board and poled against the bridge to move away before it got stuck.

[@robshaw3655]

not with that current pushing against ..

[@Uftonwood2]

The problem was not properly mooring the boat to something more substantial than a floating jetty.

[@mattydare]

It's not the first time. Didn't they have to cut one up a few years back?

[@tridentmusic5570]

Well, that was a cock up.

[@iansmith7369]

If it’s lost its mooring you won’t find it by the bridge. I’m just saying

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

No, on its way to Trentlock by now.

[@nesleinf]

I see all the wise persons are on this page now. It was a diffcult situation and any attemt to save the boat could have failed. They tried and I think they should have credit for that!!! I feel sorry for the ones suffering the loss.

[@richharding7927]

There was absolutely *zero* chance that what they tried would work and it was almost *certain* to end how it did. There are at least three different suggestions for strategies that had a reasonable chance of success - and far less chance of making it worse - in these comment threads.

[@pdtech4524]

Looks like they made it worse⚠️😲🤔😳 Surely they should have winched the other end that was stuck on the bridge?😲🤔

[@rjkism]

The mistake the made was trying should of left it to the professionals

[@JohnSmith-ei2pz]

Hopefully those Clowns did not damage the bridge!

[@Simon-rx7sv]

Don't they have insurance?

[@DaveM_thetrucker]

Hope the owner of the boat is getting the canal rescue team to pay for all damages, as if of ordered a crane or even pulled it up from the bridge side

[@petebuck9889]

Since the owners haven’t launched a Go Fund Me page does that mean they were insured or are people jumping to conclusions

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

Don't know about insurance or if gofund was on their mind at the time, I set up the donation page for the wider audience and a village local set one up, I don't know the owners but thought it would be a nice gesture to help out in any way. By the way, thank you to everyone who has donated.

[@stogmot1]

all the worlds a critic

[@paul36uk]

hopefully insurance pays up

[@davemurphy2020]

Tirfor was the wrong tool . Especially to a tree. Compressed air buoyancy lashed low to the stbrd bow would have had a better result but it would have taken bravery to do the work. Lesson learned use ropes more effectively and know when to deploy the anchor.

[@tomf4547]

Actually nice to see some water in the British canal network. Was tired of dragging the bottom on ours and sold up!

[@thoughtsonfitness3249]

That’s heartbreaking….

[@simonvaughan788]

Yeah that River authority Knew they Effed upbehen they suddenly stopped whinching. They should pay compensation to the boat owners also for the useless Pontoon. Anyone see SANTAS BOOTS FLOATING UP.

[@simonfenney3748]

I was wondering if you could get the owner to contact me. I'm on proctors. And this boat hit my boat on the way down river. Mine is the 30 ft blue narrowboat. This is why it didnt hit the bridge a full force. Its Next to my barge. It has put a right dent in my boat. And could of sunk it.

[@knowbs2122]

Loads of diesel no doubt spilled into the river

[@johnr1992]

OMG, this is proof of global warming!

[@philippankhurst6680]

Is it ? In what way ?

[@robertrobhog]

Crt should pay for that they made it worse

[@philippankhurst6680]

CRT were not involved

[@NarrowboatSuperB]

This is correct, the CRT were apparently there in the morning, then later on in the afternoon the RCR were in attendance. Also, there is a funding page set up to help, thank you to everyone who has donated.

[@CruisingTheBroads]

@@NarrowboatSuperB every sympathy for the owners, particularly as it's their home, but is the funding page really neessary? Presumably, it should be covered by insurance?

[@ajw1467]

​@@CruisingTheBroads 100% they should be insured

[@thebrowns5337]

Yes, CRT, and lets not forget... Jeremy Corbyn, are to blame for all ills. We all know they control the weather AND employ mind control to ensure boaters tie up inadequately. Bloody lizards.

[@user-jn6ll2ko3r]

Can't park there mate.