Kudu went in the water today (more on that later) but to celebrate I was sat enjoying the motion of being afloat this evening while tinkering with the electrics (I now have a full working 230v system and hot water!). Just as I’d finished the job, Chris Miller – the man behind Preston Marina – came strolling along the pontoon and in his usual gracious manner asked if I wouldn’t mind helping him with a ‘little’ problem.
He needed to tend to the above boat, but given its location was reluctant to go out there on his own. Of course, I gladly agreed, and off we went.
The location is Savick Brook, a tributary to the River Ribble and the initial part of the Ribble Link. The Ribble Link was built for the millennium celebrations and joins the Leeds Liverpool canal with the Lancaster canal. This greatly increases the cruising options for boats on the Lancaster, and also gives others access to its beauty. I am no ditch crawler myself but I can certainly appreciate how relaxing that picturesque canal could be.
The Ribble Link is presumably the source of many a narrowboaters nightmares since it requires the relatively underpowered flat bottomed barges to navigate two tidal rivers. Upon exiting the river lock at Tarleton, the boats must travel down the river Douglas to its confluence with the Ribble, then around the Astland lamp and up the Ribble to Savick Brook. Once in to Savick Brook there’s a set of withies to follow until past the sill, and in towards traditional canal territory.
Unfortunately for this boat, its skipper went the wrong side of a withy, or channel marker. I don’t know the reason for this, but as I understand it they were returning from an extensive cruising season so let’s do the right thing and presume that given their experience it was just an accident – we all make them after all; I ran aground on the opposite side of the river many years ago, pretty much level with Savick Brook actually. I shall write about it one day.
More unfortunately, since this boat was now in tidal waters, the tide went out leaving the bow high and dry and the stern free to drop in to the creek. This happened yesterday afternoon and caused much activity from the local emergency services. Interestingly, the fire brigade, coast guard, ambulance, and RNLI all came to help, and when the police turned up their input was to breathalyse the poor skipper who was trying to get to grips with the fact that their pride and joy might not float again.
Sadly, because of the boats attitude it wasn’t buoyant when the tide returned this morning, and it has all but filled with muddy water. Chris, in an effort to rescue the poor stranded boat, has devised a plan to try and float it tomorrow.
I haven’t met the owners, but if you ever read this, you have my sympathies.
Gunna make a mess inside when the water comes back!! Uggg
What a shame!
Nice to see the police being as helpful as usual (:
I am sure that the owners of this unfortunate boat, will be grateful to the team that worked so hard with Chris & Steven Miller to fetch the boat back to Preston Marina. everyone here at Preston Marina pull together as a team, if someone is in trouble, there is always a force of willing hands to get out there and help as a team. ANOTHER GOOD JOB BOYS!!!
Surprised that they have a legal right to use their wretched machine in this situation.
Does it not come under the road traffic acts, and also he has not actually broken any law by going aground.
We ought to demand an enquiry !
I am left wondering, under which Act of Parliament was the skipper breathalysed? Was he driving a car at the same time?
I think we are in muddy waters here! But I would be interested to know if the vessel had an overall length of less than 7 metres and a “maximum design speed” not exceeding 7 knots!
Should the water police be issued with tape measures!
It was in tidal waters, and is obviously over 7m. I’m not ever so impressed that the Police thought it the first port of call to breathalyse the skipper, but alas, I think that’s a minor point which shouldn’t distract from the actual problem of the owner, a liveaboard, now has nowhere to live. My thoughts are more concerned with that than anything else.
It’s also worth noting that the woman in question was not breathalysed. After being dragged across a field to the police car, the police officer realised that the car she was in wasn’t equipped with a breathalyser.
On the positive side this is the kind of thing you remember after many years and laugh.