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Falling in


Bobbybass

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I slipped off the boat today...and the whole experience has been a wake up call.

The boat is moored...and all the canal bank is solid..upright...and about 18 inchese above the water.

I was painting..and stepped back...and my right foot was on the chamfered edge of the boat...slipped down....I kicked out but chipped my shin on the boat...and then fell vertically. Reactions being what they are...I tried to lean as I went down and smacked my upper chest on the boat..before sliding in.

Luckily..the canal was about 4 feet deep....and the boat wasn't being dragged by any passers by...but...I had no air in me to call out...and was in great pain.

I eventually'wheezed' enough that my wife came out...but then I couldn't get out.

I was in too much pain to haul myself.

Since I bought the boat....4 years..there has been a small rope ladder on the stern..that I never give a passing thought to...so I tried that..

It was floppy...and impossible to use even trying to get a foot on the rudder.

 

Luckily...a passer by gave us a hand...and I was dragged onto the bank...and it HURT !!

The wole experince was horrible...and tonight..I'm in some pain...

 

My main point is....how bloody difficult it is to get out...

 

I assumed..I would manage it...as it wasn't deep...and I had a ladder (now known as useless)

I will certainly take a very serious view on hwo to cope if it happens again..maybe a little solid ladder...

I urge others...to think about this..but I'm sure many are cleverer than me ...and already have.

 

Bob

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I slipped off the boat today...and the whole experience has been a wake up call.

The boat is moored...and all the canal bank is solid..upright...and about 18 inchese above the water.

I was painting..and stepped back...and my right foot was on the chamfered edge of the boat...slipped down....I kicked out but chipped my shin on the boat...and then fell vertically. Reactions being what they are...I tried to lean as I went down and smacked my upper chest on the boat..before sliding in.

Luckily..the canal was about 4 feet deep....and the boat wasn't being dragged by any passers by...but...I had no air in me to call out...and was in great pain.

I eventually'wheezed' enough that my wife came out...but then I couldn't get out.

I was in too much pain to haul myself.

Since I bought the boat....4 years..there has been a small rope ladder on the stern..that I never give a passing thought to...so I tried that..

It was floppy...and impossible to use even trying to get a foot on the rudder.

 

Luckily...a passer by gave us a hand...and I was dragged onto the bank...and it HURT !!

The whole experience was horrible...and tonight..I'm in some pain...

 

My main point is....how bloody difficult it is to get out...

 

I assumed..I would manage it...as it wasn't deep...and I had a ladder (now known as useless)

I will certainly take a very serious view on how to cope if it happens again..maybe a little solid ladder...

I urge others...to think about this..but I'm sure many are cleverer than me ...and already have.

 

Bob

We have fallen in several times over the years. The thing I forget is that the base plate sticks out. We have a folding ladder similar to a rope ladder but with solid rungs, which has proved useful. Also our stern ropes are on the deck and can be made into useful loops. I was by myself on one occasion and had to use the stern ropes. I hope you soon feel better.

Sue

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I really feel for you and you have my most sincere sympathy. I know how it feels because I did something very similar when repainting our back doors near the junction of the Welford Arm five years ago - I suffered grazes and bruising to my shins and chest and I twisted my back - it was all extremely painful and the shock makes it worse. I do hope that you are soon fully recovered and able to carry on with your painting.

 

If I can offer a note of modest encouragement, I can vouch that it won't be quite so much of a shock next time you fall in!

 

We all can do it! It is said that there are only two types of boater, those who have fallen in and those who have not fallen in yet . . .

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Hope that you get better soon and no lasting damage has been done.

We carry an aluminium ladder with about 8 rungs instead of a gang plank. It is padlocked to the boat to put off thieves with the key readily accessible inside the boat. It has a roape permanently bent onto one end which can quickly be secured to the dollies onboard, bollards etc. It has proved to be very useful in getting someone out of the water.

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Not the first and you won't be the last.

I actually fell off the back of a moving boat, at the water point at Hebden bridge on our first ever canal holiday and yes it does come as a shock.

Luckily the boat was in neutral at the time, another boat at the water point had shouted for us to throw them a rope and they would pull us in, Rose threw the front rope no problem.

After making sure I had put the engine in neutral I threw the stern rope but slipped as I threw it and went flying of the right of the boat like an Olympics diver.

Although I can swim a little I am not the strongest of swimmers and went under a few times having no breath at all and honestly thought I was going to die before eventually managing to get my footing and walking to the side.

Then the real problems began as the side where that high and I had become so weak with the cold and lack of air I could not get myself out even with someone helping me from the side.

Ended up with someone having to get in to help lift me out.

Was in shock for a while and did intend calling the hire company telling them where we had left the boat and going home.

But strangely as that happened at lunch time I had a quick lunch after having a shower of course and felt much better.

But my excuse was that we where inexperienced at the time

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I slipped off the boat today...and the whole experience has been a wake up call.

The boat is moored...and all the canal bank is solid..upright...and about 18 inchese above the water.

I was painting..and stepped back...and my right foot was on the chamfered edge of the boat...slipped down....I kicked out but chipped my shin on the boat...and then fell vertically. Reactions being what they are...I tried to lean as I went down and smacked my upper chest on the boat..before sliding in.

Luckily..the canal was about 4 feet deep....and the boat wasn't being dragged by any passers by...but...I had no air in me to call out...and was in great pain.

I eventually'wheezed' enough that my wife came out...but then I couldn't get out.

I was in too much pain to haul myself.

Since I bought the boat....4 years..there has been a small rope ladder on the stern..that I never give a passing thought to...so I tried that..

It was floppy...and impossible to use even trying to get a foot on the rudder.

 

Luckily...a passer by gave us a hand...and I was dragged onto the bank...and it HURT !!

The wole experince was horrible...and tonight..I'm in some pain...

 

My main point is....how bloody difficult it is to get out...

 

I assumed..I would manage it...as it wasn't deep...and I had a ladder (now known as useless)

I will certainly take a very serious view on hwo to cope if it happens again..maybe a little solid ladder...

I urge others...to think about this..but I'm sure many are cleverer than me ...and already have.

 

Bob

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The first time I fell in I was walking up a friend's plank, slightly the worse for wear and trying to hand said friend my rucksack that, for reasons I needn't go into, had all of my climbing gear in it (long since redundant for the sakes of my dicky back unfortunately). Said rucksack was heavier than I was used to & I overbalanced and fell off the plank; fortunately into clear water.

 

My boat was about two miles away and I walked those two miles thinking "at least I'm a bit p*ssed, I'd be really annoyed otherwise!" :)

 

OTOH A mate of mine fell off the top plank of a butty while stood on the walk plank, trying to shaft it off a bank in heavy wind; shoulders first onto the gunwhale and head first, backwards into the cut. That was nasty as if the cloths had been slacker he'd probably have caught his head and it was a neck breaker of a fall; we were very glad when he stood up... The bruises were spectacular a couple of days later.

 

I think the motto is "be careful!"

 

Bobby, if you're climbing that ladder go up it at 90 degrees to the rungs; it's much easier on flexible ladders (look on Youtube how cavers do it if it's not obvious), also a spacer from the side of the boat so you can get a grip between the steel and the ladder as opposed to it hanging flush to the stern will help a lot..

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Bob,

 

You might want to get that pain checked out. From what you describe about how you fell it sounds possible that you may have cracked a rib.

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Please dont assume because the gearbox is in neutral that the prop is not still turning, Friction through the drive train will keep it rotating and it is sharp enough to do serious damage. I think you naturally attempt to get back on the boat rather than the towpath and the rear is likely to be easier, you can get a foot on the rudder and use the swan neck to haul yourself up. This is what I did but my foot slipped and my leg went under the boat, if it had been in gear I would have lost a leg, as it was I uncovered the bone on my shin, and ended up at Northampton Casualty.

Please beware, you dont even feel a thing.

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when i fell in (before i owned a boat) i had to get myself out... as my "captain" was too busy wetting himself laughing to give me any form of useful assistance!!!

 

thankfully there was a gap between the boat and the bank that the boat wasn't going to get into but i wasn't overly that damaged... what if i clonked me noggin???

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I've been in, after a mooring pin "loop" sheared off when I was mooring up. Did a back flip off the side.

Was hauled out eventually by laughing family and asked to repeat the performance for those who missed it. I could barely speak and when I did it was incohertent stuttering for about 10 mins.

 

So we bought an aluminium "ladder on one side, plank on the other" thingy, locked it to the roof and have never needed to use it since. However, I have often wondered, if I fell in when nobody else was on board. How the ladder is supposed to unlock itself and find its way over to me!

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Hope that you get better soon and no lasting damage has been done.

We carry an aluminium ladder with about 8 rungs instead of a gang plank. It is padlocked to the boat to put off thieves with the key readily accessible inside the boat. It has a roape permanently bent onto one end which can quickly be secured to the dollies onboard, bollards etc. It has proved to be very useful in getting someone out of the water.

 

Bloody good idea I am now going to do that. I have not ever fallen in YET but the old girl has once such a simple idea but not many of us think about it. I have owned this particular boat for over 4 years now and never taken the gang plank off the roof so may as well get a ladder and burn the plank :D

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MoominPapa's tip for not falling in: don't run the shoreline mains cable up the gunwhale to get it out of the way of work on the roof; it makes a very good roller when you step on it. This time I was lucky, I caught the handrail as I slipped and limited the damage to one wet foot and a bruised knee.

 

MP.

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Bloody good idea I am now going to do that. I have not ever fallen in YET but the old girl has once such a simple idea but not many of us think about it. I have owned this particular boat for over 4 years now and never taken the gang plank off the roof so may as well get a ladder and burn the plank :D

 

 

If you ever change your plank for a ladder, instead of burning your plank, you may be able to make someone else happy with it, which is much nicer then just burning the poor plank.

 

Peter.

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If you ever change your plank for a ladder, instead of burning your plank, you may be able to make someone else happy with it, which is much nicer then just burning the poor plank.

 

Peter.

 

I'm not opposed to burning my cousin... or are we talking about something else???

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A few things to think about in the brief period between knowing that you have gone past the point of no return and actually entering the water:

 

  • The canal is rarely that deep, so don't try swimming, STAND UP. (This may not be the case in rivers).
  • You won't be able to climb out onto the boat (unless it is very low sided and you have a ladder or suitable foothold already deployed).
  • You don't want to go anywhere near the prop if the engine is running - even if it is in neutral.
  • Wade over to whichever bank is easiest to get out of. In many cases the offside will be shallower.
  • If you can't get out unaided, then stand in the shallowest water until help arrives.

David

 

(who once jumped off the back of a moving boat after a toddler daughter had just fallen in from the cabin roof)

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My wife fell in in March this year just after the thaw. She was so shocked by the cold she could not shout and it was very lucky I came looking. Water that cold is really dangerous.

She could hardly move and I could not pull her out - had to go and find a ladder. She was cold for the rest of the weekend. Nasty.

Now we have one of those alu ladder/planks which I think are excellent.

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I was painting..and stepped back...and my right foot was on the chamfered edge of the boat...

I don't understand why some boats have chamfered edges and also why most narrow boaters insist on only having the non-slip finish in the middle of their gunwhales, leaving a line of slippery gloss paint on the inner and outer edge? Yes, it looks nice but the outer edge of gunwhales and decks is exactly where you need the non-slip finish most. Narrowboat gunwhales are so thin you need all the grip you can get. I apply non-slip right across the width of my gunwhales (and decks) up to the edge.

Edited by blackrose
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My wife fell in in March this year just after the thaw. She was so shocked by the cold she could not shout and it was very lucky I came looking. Water that cold is really dangerous.

She could hardly move and I could not pull her out - had to go and find a ladder. She was cold for the rest of the weekend. Nasty.

Now we have one of those alu ladder/planks which I think are excellent.

 

When I went in through 1" of ice and into 4' of very cold water on the o/s of the boat I found the cold a stimulus to get out, can't quite recall how I did it but I whizzed up the side of the well deck and really didn't notice the cold too much, that is until I tried to speak! Gasp gasp gasp! :lol:

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I know a bloke who fell off his boat in a lock in winter. He went down to the bottom and was actually standing on the bottom of the lock underwater. He told me that even more shocking than the cold water was that he didn't rise as he expected because his waterlogged fleece jacket and other clothes were weighing him down. Fortunately he was still holding onto the centre rope and managed to haul himself up. Without that he reckons he would have died.

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As a non swimmer I am constantly amazed at the risks people take when on water. The problem of getting back on board has been explored and debated to death amongst sea going boaters and the only sure fire solution is don't fall in in the first place.

I pulled a guy out of the River Bure many years ago who fell in early in the morning when no-one was about. He was lucky, I was walking the dog on the opposite bank and saw him go in. All he could do was hang onto the jetty by his fingertips. It certainly shook him up, he thought because he could swim he was safe but admitted another minute and he would have been a gonner.

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