Narrowboat scuppered in act of ‘wanton destruction’
“We do not know when it will be moved and we have left the scene.” That was the message from West Midlands Fire Service (via Facebook) after being called to the Oxford Canal, in Coventry. A narrowboat had been scuppered and was blocking the canal.
The narrowboat’s fate was every owner’s nightmare. It was broken into, vandalised and sank sometime between 15/16 February. It then blocked boats cruising the Hawkesbury junction area of the canal.
According to River Canal Rescue (RCR), which undertook the task of raising Rosie four days later, it was the worst case of wanton destruction its teams had ever seen.
Thieves strip narrowboat of everything before scuppering
Thieves stripped the narrowboat clean before it sank, not far from its mooring. Its back doors were ripped from their hinges, the engine wiring was ripped out as was the Eberspaecher heater and pipe work. The bilge pump was taken (its pipe was cut) and the gearbox and bell housing (connecting the Vetus engine to transmission) were stolen.
Also in the haul were engine axillary components, Rosie’s engine panel, batteries and solar panels, the toilet and bathroom sink, engine deck boards, her bow canopy and all the mooring ropes.
But the thievery didn’t stop there. Pictures, kitchen cutlery/dishes/food, personal paper work/clothes and shoes were also stolen.
Scuppering of narrowboat after thieves plunder all contents
According to RCR, Rosie sank because the bilge pump and batteries were stolen and the sea cock pipe was cut and left open. That meant water from the canal flooded the boat. With no mooring ropes, the vessel soon drifted to the middle, causing an obstruction.
The front port side window was also broken and there was damage to the port side bow hull. The rescue team believes this may have been caused by another boater trying to pass Rosie while it was blocking the canal (a theory supported by a witness).
“In all my 15 years and Pete’s 25 years of undertaking rescues, we have never seen such a violation of somebody’s property,” says rescue manager, Tushka Horton. “The thieves knew what they were doing and exactly what they wanted. There must have been at least two people to be able to remove certain things – this is such a shocking story and our hearts go out to the owner.”
The boat was raised on 20 February, four days after the incident. All entry points were sealed, pumps were deployed and water emptied until she was buoyant again.
The rescue team was chief rescue co-ordinator Pete Barnett, and rescue engineers Andy Spencer and Abbie Pamplin.
Rosie was towed to Coventry Cruising Club and will be inspected by a surveyor.
Maintenance courses for inland waterway users
River Canal Rescue is taking bookings for its two-day maintenance courses, running at its Stafford HQ on 26/27 March, 10/11 and 23/24 April, 7/8 and 21/22 May and 11/12 and 25/26 June.
The boat and engine maintenance course covers how to maintain diesel engines and the systems within a narrowboat, such as propulsion, cooling, engine servicing and fault finding. More information is available on RCR’s website.
RCR celebrates 25th year with short story contest
The company’s also celebrating its 25th year and is offering a CRT mooring licence, worth £700, to the boater who writes the best story about life on the cut.
£300 and £200 chandlery vouchers will be given to the second and third-placed entries.
The story (700 words max) must relate to a boating experience over the past 25 years and can be funny, dramatic etc, as long as it reflects ‘real life’ on the inland waterways. Details can be found on RCR’s website – entries need to be received by 16 May 2025.
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