Dave Marshall, owner of the so-called 'Manchester Pirate Boat', woke up on Wednesday to find his barge grounded after a stretch of the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre drained for the second time in six months. The 53-year-old army veteran said he was 'pinned against the wall' and realised the water had vanished when he looked outside.
This is the second such incident in half a year, raising concerns among the small boating community at New Islington Marina. Marshall, a self-confessed eccentric, was seen wading through the shallow waters retrieving lost items, including two iPhones and a pair of false teeth, though he failed to find a friend's wallet.
Marshall described the sudden draining as 'dangerous', noting that three people have fallen into the canal. He blamed the latest event on a failed repair at a nearby culvert, while last September's draining was attributed to a leak. Boat owners fear damage to hulls from debris or tipping over if v-shaped boats hit solid ground.
The Canal and River Trust, responsible for maintenance, previously cited a nationwide water shortage due to a dry spring and summer. The Manchester Evening News has approached the trust for comment on this latest incident.
