John asked > If you hit something that is submerged in the canal (e.g. a > household cooker), is BW liable for any damage done? > If so, how would you claim?
As others have said, BW is not responsible. However on looking at the Licence Conditions (http://tinyurl.com/njcf7y) I am surprised to see that they haven't explicitly disclaimed responsibility for such damage. The nearest they come to it is in paragraph 7.7 "The Boat must be fit for navigation on any Waterway where it is intended to be used." I am sure that if pushed, BW would argue that rubbish in the canal is a foreseeable hazard, and so your boat should be reasonably able to cope with it. I would add, that if you do get stuck on an underwater obstruction and give them a call, BW do offer a pretty good service to get you going again. When departing from the BCN Marathon this year, Fulbourne went hard aground in mid channel at Erdington on the Birmingham and Fazeley after 9.pm. Probing with the pole showed that the stern was sitting on a rectangular object, just a little wider than the boat - in fact the same size as the electrical cabinets which were lined up on the offside bank! Either side of this object there was at least 18 inches of water under the boat. After an hour or more of pushing and pulling and engine revving and poling we were only more stuck, so we rang BW. We suggested we were OK to stay the night where we were (stern in mid channel, bow tied to the bank, and with room for other boats to pass), and that they could come in the morning. They advised that it was not the best area to stay the night (I wouldn't have chosen to stop there, but it was quiet enough) and that they would come to us straightaway. When they arrived it was approaching midnight. Two cheerful chaps had already worked a long day but were up for the challenge. After a few minutes pulling on ropes they agreed we were indeed stuck fast and got a tirfor winch from the pickup. This had us off in no time, and the chaps gathered their kit and departed, without even waiting for a cup of tea. And we went off boating into the night to Minworth. It used to be a matter of pride among some boaters NOT to call BW out when they got stuck. But if you do, a) it gets you on your way sooner, and b) it lets BW know where the obstructions are so they can do something about it. David Mack
