Carolwildbird
Active member
Those of you contemplating doing the canals... take care! Just witnessed a near- fatal event..
We've just arrived in Toul on the Canal De La Marne au Rhin... ...just three locks up to the marina in Toul from the Moselle.
At the first lock on leaving the Moselle, as we activate the lock system, we spot another little barge coming the other way, who also wants to go up the canal. Although we've activated the system well in advance of him, and the lock is now empty and ready for action, he ignores us and charges at full pelt into the lock (bouncing off the walls) with us yelling for his attention. He finally acknowledges us and we creep in behind him. Good.. at least we are not in front and near the horrid waterfall of the up locks. I stay well clear of him at the back of the lock.
The lock starts to fill and I'm watching Wild Bird and getting ready to swap ropes on the rising bollards, when I become aware that the barge in front is in deep trouble. They have let go of their ropes and the barge is crashing into the lock gates, driven forward by the surging undertow. I'm concerned that they may drive backwards into me and am concentrating on keeping Wild bird out of trouble, when Trish yells that one of the guys in front has fallen in the water.
I look up and see that the nose of the barge has become trapped in the lock gates, and as the water continues to rise the back of the barge is tilting upwards at an increasing angle and bucking violently with its nose by now well under water. The bucking must have thrown the other guy off.
The crew member on the barge manages to scramble off and stop the lock with the alarm pole, but then yells that the guy in the water can't swim (and of course he is not wearing a life jacket) and can we throw him a rope. In the confusion,Wild Bird's nose has drifted across the lock (which turns out to be a good thing as ladder access is opened up), so we tie her off at both ends, and Trish throws him one of our mooring ropes. He misses and submerges again.. clearly he's in deep trouble. Trish yells and throws the rope again and this time he gets hold of it and Trish holds on to the other end and talks to him whilst the VNF guy, who by now has arrived, is working out what to do.
A passer-by also comes to help (thank god, as the crew of the other boat is standing helplessly.. obviously in shock) and we get the drowning guy to get hold of another rope which I then walk down the boat with and pass him over to the guys on the steps - now including the VNF man (Why did none of them - or indeed us - throw him a life ring, I wonder in retrospect?).
The drowning guy is completely exhausted, but after a bit of coaching manages to climb the ladder and be hauled to safety. I'm really concerned that he has not the strength to climb.. but he just makes it.
The VNF guy empties the lock enough to free the barge's nose. The barge by now is listing badly and l has a lot of water in it.. and I have visions of it sinking in the lock.. but they manage to pull it out and moor it just outside the lock giving us enough room to get out. PHEW! The ambulance arrives just as we are leaving, and carts the near-drowned guy off to hospital.
We are shaken, but able to continue up two more locks to Toul marina where we moor up on a ridiculously short finger pontoon. A little while later the damaged barge arrives too, being driven by the very competent Duncan from Lorraine marine. He tells us that after we left, the fire engines and divers arrived, pumped out the barge and checked the damage on the bottom.. and miracle of miracles it is not holed. It seems that all the water flooded in over the top when its nose was under water.
The near drowned guy is still in hospital, we believe... 2-3 days was the forecast. But apparently OK.
Morals
If you cant swim, wear a lifejacket (or in all locks, according to VNF safety advice).
Do not moor close to the front gates if at all possible. The undertow is fierce! (Duncan from Lorraine marine tells us this is by no means the first accident in tbhis lock, especially with hire boats...there.. he says usually the fronts are ripped off the boats who get stuck in this way.)
We've just arrived in Toul on the Canal De La Marne au Rhin... ...just three locks up to the marina in Toul from the Moselle.
At the first lock on leaving the Moselle, as we activate the lock system, we spot another little barge coming the other way, who also wants to go up the canal. Although we've activated the system well in advance of him, and the lock is now empty and ready for action, he ignores us and charges at full pelt into the lock (bouncing off the walls) with us yelling for his attention. He finally acknowledges us and we creep in behind him. Good.. at least we are not in front and near the horrid waterfall of the up locks. I stay well clear of him at the back of the lock.
The lock starts to fill and I'm watching Wild Bird and getting ready to swap ropes on the rising bollards, when I become aware that the barge in front is in deep trouble. They have let go of their ropes and the barge is crashing into the lock gates, driven forward by the surging undertow. I'm concerned that they may drive backwards into me and am concentrating on keeping Wild bird out of trouble, when Trish yells that one of the guys in front has fallen in the water.
I look up and see that the nose of the barge has become trapped in the lock gates, and as the water continues to rise the back of the barge is tilting upwards at an increasing angle and bucking violently with its nose by now well under water. The bucking must have thrown the other guy off.
The crew member on the barge manages to scramble off and stop the lock with the alarm pole, but then yells that the guy in the water can't swim (and of course he is not wearing a life jacket) and can we throw him a rope. In the confusion,Wild Bird's nose has drifted across the lock (which turns out to be a good thing as ladder access is opened up), so we tie her off at both ends, and Trish throws him one of our mooring ropes. He misses and submerges again.. clearly he's in deep trouble. Trish yells and throws the rope again and this time he gets hold of it and Trish holds on to the other end and talks to him whilst the VNF guy, who by now has arrived, is working out what to do.
A passer-by also comes to help (thank god, as the crew of the other boat is standing helplessly.. obviously in shock) and we get the drowning guy to get hold of another rope which I then walk down the boat with and pass him over to the guys on the steps - now including the VNF man (Why did none of them - or indeed us - throw him a life ring, I wonder in retrospect?).
The drowning guy is completely exhausted, but after a bit of coaching manages to climb the ladder and be hauled to safety. I'm really concerned that he has not the strength to climb.. but he just makes it.
The VNF guy empties the lock enough to free the barge's nose. The barge by now is listing badly and l has a lot of water in it.. and I have visions of it sinking in the lock.. but they manage to pull it out and moor it just outside the lock giving us enough room to get out. PHEW! The ambulance arrives just as we are leaving, and carts the near-drowned guy off to hospital.
We are shaken, but able to continue up two more locks to Toul marina where we moor up on a ridiculously short finger pontoon. A little while later the damaged barge arrives too, being driven by the very competent Duncan from Lorraine marine. He tells us that after we left, the fire engines and divers arrived, pumped out the barge and checked the damage on the bottom.. and miracle of miracles it is not holed. It seems that all the water flooded in over the top when its nose was under water.
The near drowned guy is still in hospital, we believe... 2-3 days was the forecast. But apparently OK.
Morals
If you cant swim, wear a lifejacket (or in all locks, according to VNF safety advice).
Do not moor close to the front gates if at all possible. The undertow is fierce! (Duncan from Lorraine marine tells us this is by no means the first accident in tbhis lock, especially with hire boats...there.. he says usually the fronts are ripped off the boats who get stuck in this way.)
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