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Burnham
Hovercraft Home Page > Burnham Hovercraft
News Archive
September
17, 2006
Sunken
fishing boat rescued with the help of Burnham's hovercraft
A
five-and-a-half hour bid to retrieve a sunken fishing boat from
the treacherous banks of the River Brue ended successfully on
Sunday (September 17th) when the craft was refloated with the
help of Burnham's rescue hovercraft.
 The
Spirit of Lelaina hovercraft was called to the scene to help refloat
the 21ft cabin cruiser, which had got into problems half a mile
up the estuary towards Highbridge.
Owner
Roger Geach, 58, of Bridgwater, (pictured) watched on from the
river bank as his £3,000 boat - which he'd only bought a
week ago - was unplugged from the thick mud, before flotation
buoys were attached to it and it was towed back to the safety
of Burnham Sailing Club's pontoons.
"I'm
gutted this has happened," he said. "It's a big disappointment.
I moored the boat on the banks but didn't take account of the
high tides we've been having. The tide came in and completely
engulfed it."
 "Fortunately,
I wasn't there at the time so there was no risk to myself, but
the boat is in quite a state."
"After
a good wash down, I hope to be taking it out sailing again soon.
These rescuers have done a terrific job and I will be making a
donation to BARB in the coming days."
Once
the hovercraft had pulled the cruiser free from the mud, a nearby
yacht towed it to the town's sailing club.
Burnham's
hovercraft has helped and rescued more than 95 people during the
last two years. The hovercraft is named after five year-old Lelaina
Hall, who tragically lost her life in the mud at nearby Berrow
in 2002. The Western Daily Press launched a successful fundraising
campaign soon after the tragedy when its readers donated £115,000
to buy the fully-equipped hovercraft.
RELATED
LINKS:
Official
BARB Web site home page
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