This is how we roll on the Thames

[mct_cars]

I think its just a rep box passat, but I can see how you could think its a Pheaton.

I had the same thoughts a couple of years back. W12 for less than £10k Mmmmmmmmmm.

The thought of never being able to sell it put me off!

This vid made me laugh out loud. Owner when the boat gave it a nudge "jeez, its only 2 month old". Yeh, ya moron, so don't park it next to a river with the handbrake off!

 

[scottishman2]

I love my phaeton -- drives brilliantly, and cruises down the French Autoroutes like nothing you could ever imagine.... a true piece of German Engineering brilliance....

That said - I love the CLK55 - drives brilliantly, and cruises down the French Autoroutes like nothing you could ever imagine.... a true piece of German Engineering brilliance....with the added benefit of roof down in the summer, and so much "grunt" I never need worry about a French bread van with its left hand indicator permanently on in the outside lane.....

but I wouldn't try to float either of them in the Thames...

 

[artyman]

What a load of plonkers, all that was needed was wade in from the shore tie rope and pull. As they say on Top Gear "How hard can it be"

There similar occurances at Bosham where tourists park on the foreshore

 

[Dryce]

I really just want one. A W12 preferrably but a 3.0TDi would be still great. Dream car if I win the lottery as its an indulgence.

This thread has got scary. I have to confess was seriously looking at going for a nearly new Phaeton about two months ago. The idea of a big wafty 4WD saloon at a knock down price - which is also so bland and anonymous - has it appeal.

 

[0ptic]

Hilarious! Not just a very wet car but scuffs all over from the boat and boot prints on the roof! Then they tie a rope around the boot hinges! LOL!

 

[PXW]

Must have left his handbrake off -all four wheels seemed to be rolling.

I guess it didn't really matter how much damage they did recovering it - the water would have written it off anyway.

 

[moonloops]

Is it the new VW Gulf ?

 

[brucemillar]

I think is Howard is spot on with the White Swan in Richmond. Used to be an almost weekly event cars getting washed away by drivers to who ignore the high tide signs. It is also a very fast flowing tide (as you can see how it pulls the car in). Not good if you were to slip in when not expected.

 

[nick mercedes]

no no no built by communists and self destruct with alarming regularity....

Unlike Steve's 211 which has been trouble free...

 

[Howard]

Better cars than boats , which is what we had on wednesday evening ...

A dunkirker as well

Real shame

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/..._rescued_as_Dunkirk_ship_destroyed_in_Thames/

 

[corned]

Well and truly Dunk(irk)ed...

 

[Dieselman]

A bit of a novice error there, attaching a stern line instead of the bow line?

I've seen a narrowboat go down on a well flowing river, when the bow was pointed into the bank to wind, instead of moving further downstream to a junction. Once it was across the river it went down.

 

[corned]

I don't think the fact that it was the stern line is itself the problem. If the stern line was downstream, then that would be the cause of the problem.

 

[Howard]

They had a bit of a problem apparently , and the woman on board chucked a stern line out ( which in itself wouldn't have been the end of the world in normal river conditions ) , however , we are currently in very strong stream conditions at Teddington as a result of the recent rains.

Entering a lock , we always like to get a stern line on first as we can control the speed of the boat if need be. When people put bow lines out first , in invariably pulls taut and the boat pivots around the central point and the stern of the boat shoots round. A better idea in this particular case would have been to chuck the anchor out ( assuming it is attached at the other end , you would be amazed how many boats each year drop anchor in an emergency only to see it all disappear over the side )

The boat swung round as the stream caught the bow , presenting the stern flat on to the stream , which tore it off. Perhaps the boat had a bit of rot in it ? who knows ?

In the picture, the lifeboat crew have attached a line to the bow of the wreck and out of shot have attached the other end to their lifeboat tractor ( behind the cameraman ) and are pulling the sinking boat clear of the pontoons and other boats.

Sadly it disintegrated shortly afterwards.

Some of it is in place , some went downstream and all will be recovered next week.

 

[Dieselman]

The story says they were attempting to moor.
It looks like the stern rope would have been the one closest to the mooring and was downstream. As the bow swung round the boat would have been jammed against the pontoon and the leverage on the rope and stanchion would have been immense, thus ripping the back of the boat off at that corner.

The captain should have sent ships mate up to the bow with instructions to take the rope and jump off the bow onto the pontoon, at gunpoint, if deemed necessary to over come any fear.

 

[Howard]

Well , they tried to get a rope out onto my fathers pontoon , he was standing there and as ex Lifeboat Operations Manager for Teddington , he phoned London Coastguard direct and requested immediate launch , as such they did so without going through the current launch authority , which saved time.

They weren't attempting a planned mooring , the pontoon in question is locked and is private , they would have had no reason to moor on it.

It was a couple on board , man and woman and two cats. The stream was flowing very quickly and it happened literally in seconds. To be honest it was madness to be attempting to head up our weirstream in that boat in those conditions. Teddington Weir is the biggest and most powerful weir on the Thames.

Exactly what you said happened , happened. The cockpit of Tantalus is at the back of the boat , everything happened so quickly , the only opportunity was to chuck a stern line out from right where they were standing. A better idea would have been the anchor. If the rope had missed the pontoon , and they hadn't got an anchor out , the boat would have been broadside against the downstream moorings and probably broken in two , damaging all the moored boats there.

The boat on the pontoon in the big photo is Brown Owl , another Dunkirker.

 

[Dieselman]

The stream was flowing very quickly and it happened literally in seconds. To be honest it was madness to be attempting to head up our weirstream in that boat in those conditions.

One day a Friend rang me and said a narrowboat had just gone over their weir backwards in flood conditions.
The couple on board were very lucky as the steel bridge had cleared everything off the back of it and bent the rear of the cabin and roof.

Again, madness to be out in the floods as something flaoting stopped the engine and then it was game over.

 

[Howard]

They have just pulled a narrowboat off the weir at Bell Weir within the last couple of days ! Same thing happened , i beleive they did throw the anchor out only to watch it disappear over the side as it wasn't tied to the boat !

The tug is the E.A tug Falconbrook.

 

[BTB 500]

When we went up the Avon in the 70s most of the weirs were completely open ... no chains or anything ... and we did see a somewhat battered narrowboat that had gone over one of them.

Also saw a hired narrowboat go under the bridge out of the basin in the centre of Stratford at some speed ... unfortunately he picked the side that was bricked up

 

[Howard]

All gone today.

Chomped up by the salvage barge.