The Funny Side of Falling in

[Gracie]

Now I know it can lead to tragedy and would never make light of that fact but some of you must have some funny stories of falling in the Broads while Boating, fishing etc. You know the type of thing where we panic at the time but then have a good laugh after the drama is over.

 

When we were little and on holiday with our parents, we came into moor (can't remember where) my brothers jumped off with the mooring ropes and dad called out to pull her to the end so more boats could get in, my eldest brother was pulling the boat with all his might (walking backwards) and walked straight off the end of the mooring. I know it could have been serious but he was unharmed, had a life jacket on and can swim like a fish, mum took over the boat and dad was at his rescue within seconds, the funniest thing I remember is seeing his face appearing over the quay heading holding on for dear life laughing his head off.

 

Another time only a few years ago, my husband and sons were fishing at the very end of the Hoveton moorings and got a fishing float stuck in a tree, he informed me he could just about reach it to which he tried and then did the most amazing roly poly straight into the river, I laughed till I cried Lol

 

I have not fallen in yet (come close a few times, climbing in and out of dinghy's I can tell you) but have been informed by my family it is only a matter of time   So, just for a bit of a laugh do you guys have any funny stories to tell?

 

Grace

[riyadhcrew]

Many moons ago, 8 of us hired 2 boats for a week from Ferry in Horning. We moored up one night side-on and stern to stern. In the morning, one of the ladies stood on the transom of the other boat and shouted for the marmalade. She then put one foot across on our boat (you can guess) and the boats started to part company. Well, it was like the splits in slow motion and then splash, she was in the water. 2 of us blokes leaned over the transoms and had her out in a jiffy. It was a "get your wet clothes off and get in the shower" and we all had a good laugh. Needless to say, we bought another jar of marmalade.

[BroadScot]

Gracie, I've fallen in all the Rivers and Broads sometime over the last 50 years, I even swam across the Bure outside the Swan at the height of theseason in 1975, "Stupid Boy"

 

Dave

Ohhhh  the cats out the bag !!! Pike is/was Dave

 

Iain

[Baitrunner]

None as good as these I am afraid - far too sensible (so far).

 

Apart from me nearly going in the drink down the Chet on a very cold and wet Easter trying to moor up to get a pump out (first boat, first weekend, nearly the last). Sore bum and leg and soaking trainer - no spare shoes on board for rest of weekend!!

 

Wild mooring on the Ant, after 3-4 goes at getting in the right spot, wife steps off boat onto what looks like solid ground. leg goes straight down between bank and quay heading past knee - very wet and smelly leg/foot which was apparently my fault!!

 

On the boat in the summer wife lounging back glass of wine in hand legs dangling over the side - swan comes along and starts to try and eat her toes - it was funny when she stopped swearing.

 

Lastly, and didn't know this guy. It was up the north side with a very small dyke and a shop at the end. Guy had come down in his dinghy and gone to shop. Came out of shop and stepped into dinghy only to be completely off balance and whole lot goes right over - him in the drink. He did the true man thing and was up and out in a jiffy, righted the dinghy and rowed off to his boat before anyone could come to his aid.

 

Near misses yep, but that's why I do the driving  

[Bound2Please]

well it was 29th october 1976, on out honeymoon abourd the bourgh queen, on waking up at about 7am the wench had her hand out of the bunk and said should there be water on the floor.

 

jumping out only to find that yes there was about half an inch over the floor, the forward cabin was only just above the hull, so firing the engine up at that time then putting on the pumps, we was moored near a pub in the somerleton area near the swing bridge. So I deceded the best option was to get the boat back to st olaves where we got it from. Well it just went from bad to worse, as on approaching the new cut waveney junction there was an almighty thud the engine reved its preverbile off and no steering luck was with us as the breeze was blowing us over toward the beever fleet mariner. The wench says to me when were near the grass bank your ok its just wet grass. I jumps only to find its a good 6ft of water, by which time 3 guys arrived from the beever fleet pulled me out and got the boat onto their slip in the mariner, and phoned out yard.

 

An old boy turned up and says oh its ok its only that troublesome plank sprung again, have you any newspaper if you have i'll stick a new nail in it and off you can go again.

 

Guess what we did ................

 

booked the beever fleet for the easter of 1975 and went home

[SteveO]

I have never fallen in in the UK, but came close to drowning on a lake in the NE USA a few years ago.  I had hired an open aluminium canoe one Saturday afternoon and paddled about a mile down the lake. Just as I turned to come back an idiot in a speedboat came by at full speed. I lined the canoe up to cross his considerable wake perpendicularly, but the wave came straight over the bow of the boat.  

 

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bottom of the lake looking up at the swamped canoe. I swam back to the surface only to find the canoe with about a foot of water in it.  Very un-cleverly I had been using my life jacket as a cushion, rather than as a life preserver.  I had no way of getting the water out and me back into the canoe whilst in the open water, so swam with it for a quarter of a mile until I reached a slipway where I could haul the boat out, empty it and re-launch.  

 

Whilst I was in the water, people motored up in boats to see if I needed help (I thought)  and then waved and drove away. Fortunately I am a good swimmer, the water was warm and the canoe had some built in buoyancy, but the passing boaters were not to know any of that.

 

Ever since then, I have always worn a life jacket when out in a small boat.

 

 

Steve

[ranworthbreeze]

The only time up to now I have fallen into the water was well over 35 years ago on the Trent & Mersey Canal at the top of Stenson Lock.

 

We were late back to the boat yard due to gales. I was doing the same as one of the other posters, I had my legs over the rails of two boats and they went apart with me hanging off the rails of one boat up to the waist in bitter cold water.

 

I dried off and changed and then it was all the way back home.

 

Neither Tan nor I can swim so its always now one hand for the boat and one for self.

 

Regards

Alan

[grendel]

being a great underwater swimmer has disadvantages, while at school my record was 55m underwater, one time though I got my teachers very worried - we were learning basic survival in canoes, the proper method of exiting a canoe after a capsize, roll canoe, slap bottom of canoe then exit.

All went to plan until my turn, ok capsize canoe, wait for bubbles to clear, lazily reach round and drum fingers on canoe bottom, then exit, just in time to stop the two instructors diving into the water to rescue me, oops.

Unfortunately the underwater swimming ability comes from the general inability to naturally float, they say everyone has inherent bouyancy, for me this means being in the water, relaxing and letting my body float, yes vertically with about the top 1/2 inch of my head above the surface (with a few weeks practice I can still manage 2 lengths of the local pool underwater, but maybe not more than twice in a swimming session, te rest of the time I will stick to single lengths or widths and try not to upset the lifeguards.

Grendel

[Polly]

My favourite was a friend falling in extreme slow motion off the bow of his boat at St Benets, no names no pack drill. . Phill fell in at Ranworth Island, I have never seen Alfie look so happy. I capsized a well-dodgy dinghy on Wroxham Broad which sank like a stone, not trusting it at all, I jumped clear as it began to go-good thing too. Wearing a life jacket is a no-brainer I think, then you probably will be able to look back and laugh.

[webntweb]

Probably pushing my luck but not fell in yet in over 50 years of boating - good job really cos I can't swim. Had my foot in up to my ankle a couple of times on the canals.

 

Funniest I have seen was the "too short a rope" manoeuvre. It was the early 80's on the canal at Llangollen; all the boats were moored a couple of feet or so from the bank (it was really shallow) when this guy got his boat as close as he could and leapt for the bank with the rope in his hand. He just seemed to stop in mid-air and ended up sitting in about 18 inches of water. No damage except to his pride and the stitch my son got rolling around laughing.

 

Roy

[BroadAmbition]

Twice for me.

 

1st time was at Womack Water 1963 - I was thre wandering round the deck (We were stern moored at the time) pulling a toy boat on a string and overbalanced, in I went head first. No lifejacket on but Mum had hand stiched some harneses out of car seat belts, then dad had fastened a washing line to them so I simply got hauled out, no harm done, I was reputed to have said something along the lines of 'I've seen the boat from underwater'

 

2nd time - Ranworth dam, (there used to be a grass area on the the port bank adjacent to the Bure)  I would have been about 12 so 1972, I was getting out of the dinghy directly onto the bank (Dinghy was tethered to the back of the hire boat), of course the dinghy moved away from the bank I ended up with hands on the bank and feet over the gunwhale in the dinghy straight as a bar  over the water. I shouted 'Dad' but he had his back to me and was talking with someone on the bank, I got the usual 'Don't interupt I'm talking'  Twice more I tried it with the same results all the while my front torso was getting closer to the water. In the end I said something like 'Bo££ox' then This had the desired effect on my Dad who spun round to give me what for - Too late I was now in the drink good and proper. He hauled me out and said 'Why didn't you tell me'?

 

There have been other cases during our infamous Lads Week, Three crackers was Bro Howard at Coltishall, Adrian again at Coltishall and Metal Mickey at Wayford, I'll leave those for another time

 

 

Griff

[JennyMorgan]

Many years ago, when on the Oxford Canal, one of my then young daughters fell in. Oh, the anger, the upset, the mud! All turned to extreme pride when watching Worzel Gummidge she saw him fall in in exactly the same spot, an amazing coincidence and one that made a young girl extremely happy!

[Chelsea14Ian]

I partly fell in this year on holiday.We moored for the night at Reedham ferry,Like a good samaritan I went to help a boat having problems mooring.Taking a rope and walking backwards,one of the planks gave way,my left leg went in,however I kept hold of the rope.We tied up the boat.No bones broken only my pride.One of my ribs was sore for about 2 months though.

 

Ian

[SANTED]

Personally I’ve ended in the river while paddling an open canoe with a friend who was kneeling in the front and leaned over a bit too far to give it a bit of an extra pull.

The best however was my son who was out on a canal boat with his dog which was only a pup. He moored up for a day or so and the dog got used to jumping on and off the boat onto the bank and going walkies along the towpath on his own. One day my son went upstream for a few hours, turned round and came back and moored up in the same spot but facing the other way. Of course the dog decided to go walkies again, leaped off the boat as usual, straight into the canal instead of onto the towpath .The poor dog panicked and managed to paddle to the opposite bank and promptly got trapped in the mud and reeds.

Son had to jump into the canal, wade across to the other side through all the filth and mud to rescue his dog and get it back onto the boat     

[Wussername]

Not a falling in tale, however, a true incident, involving a holiday boat hirer.

I met him some years ago now, on a boat yard. He was just about to depart on his holiday, and as a local, we talked about where to go, what to see, what to do. I think that he appreciated my advice. I wished him well and the last I saw him on that day he was  tacking his way down the river Ant. In a motor cruiser!

 

I met him the following week. What a coincidence. He was pleased to see me.

 

I could not help but notice that he had a very large bump right in the middle of his forehead. It was the size of, half a size, class A extra large EGG.

 

"My word" I said. " What ever have you done"

 

Well he said. " I bumped into Potter Heigham Bridge!

 

"Oh" I said. "Quite a big bit of kit, did you not see it"?

 

"Oh yes, I saw it all-right, It was through my video camera, recording the memorable moment of going through the bridge. Unfortunately it was on zoom, so I lost all perception of distance."

 

"And I hit the bridge"

 

Old Wussername.

[Baz]

I've only fell in once, in my own marina of all places, and to this day can't understand why I did. One minute I was stepping onto a pontoon, and the next I was on my way into the water. On the way down, I tried to grab the side of the boat, but no luck, and with my hand sliding down the boat, ( My wedding ring was pulled off my finger ) and into the water. I was given a ladder to climb out by the then groundsman, and no harm done, except that my gold wedding ring was, and still is, at the bottom of the water, so if anyone should find it, you'll know who it belongs to, Baz.

    After this little excursion into the unknown, a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, won't he Frank ie Mowjo, heard about my little escapade and promptly gave me a new name, it's now "Splash", bless him lol.

[Mowjo]

Baz! would I do something like that? OK! yes I would! I went on once many years ago but it was caused by someone trying to help, it was my first boat a little Shetland, we could only moor bow on in Wayford because of the low bank and the outboard motor, I'd done it hundreds of times, I'd cut the engine and drift into my mooring, while drifting in I'd go to the bow and as I got near I'd jump off over the pullpit onto the bank, this day came in as usual, I'm ready on the bow, just as I started my jump a guy appears from no-where in front of me on the bank, in an effort to not to land right on top of him I did a mid air swerve and landed right in the water, as I climbed up the bank black from head to foot from the silt, I heard applause and as I looked over to the old Caravan office, there was the owner Mike his wife Janet and my brother the manager all standing looking through the office window laughing their heads off and holding up score cards, I did manage an 8.5 and they never let me live it down for years, perhaps that explains the look of panic I get when anyone gets too near when I'm trying to moor up,,

 

Frank,,,,

[Siddy]

On holiday i was 15 only managed 1 leg in twice, 1st we had 2 narrowboats for a week and doubled moored bottom of Bingley 3 rise. We had visitors on board and i stood to release the outer boat ready to let them go and the visitors helped push it away so our boat wasn't there when i stepped back so I was split across them with leg in.

2nd we had a cross wind and my dad was tryin to get in to pick me up and my sister couldn't throw the rope across so the banking had a concrete ledge except the bit I stood on to reach the rope which just went down when I stepped on it.

 

Working in boatyard my mate was in nearly every week. One afternoon I had to help him in, nice hot day so up to me to run grab him and in we went. No hundred of £££ phone in pockets them day to worry about.

 

On the trip boat one Sunday afternoon we were jumpin other boats into Leeds Lock outside the Armouries I was near top of the ladder with the rope in one hand my dad had started getting the stern in when I heard he can pull my rope anyday and he pulled my rope ok (attached to the front (before your dirty minds start))  and I came down the ladder and the 38ton boat pinned me against the wall, I got the hidden power and pulled myself up and out. Sat on top with everyone watching to save face I got the boat up the lock in this time no one had come forward so the front of boat was closed to punter and door closed. Leg was black for a few weeks.

[Gracie]

(before dirty minds start).....as if, this is the proper nice Forum, no dirty minds on here  can't think what you mean anyway

 

Grace

[BroadScot]

Grace, 

 

The members on this forum are exemplary   well most are, well some are, nearlly all are, I think, there again hmmmmm      Nah they are angels, arn't they?

 

Iain.