Underwater at Hurley Weir
It came to the attention of the BCU that at the beginning of April 2004, some poor soul got a hole in the bow of the boat whilst playing at Hurley Weir on the River Thames, near Reading.
After discussions with the relevant people the BCU believe that the boat hit the corner of the sheet pile (used during construction of the weir), these corners are sharp and could go straight though the bow of a kayak. (See photo in Hurley Weir report)
There is nothing that can be done about this sheet pile, as it is the reason for the wave formation at Hurley. Mess around with the sheet pile and there is the potential to damage Hurley for the long term. The previous work was conducted due to a safety issue, not an equipment issue and therefore we have decided to not touch the weir. There are precautions you can take to reduce the possibility of your boat being damaged. Do not attempt a loop when:
1. When the down stream water level is low – normally after periods of drought
and at the end of the summer when Hurley first starts to work again, or
2. If there is only a small discharge through the gates.
It is at these times when you will be closest to the sheet pile and more likely to damage your boat