Fundraiser launched to help heartbroken couple whose boat sank into Regent’s Canal
Jahne Cleaver and Dylan Stockli with their leaking listing barge on the canal in Hackney - Credit: Archant
A couple who spent seven months restoring their narrowboat lost everything in the space of 20 minutes when it sank into the Regent’s Canal.
Jahne Cleaver and Dylan Stockli with their leaking listing barge on the canal in Hackney - Credit: Archant
A crowdfunding campaign has now been set up to help Dylan Stockli and Jahne Cleaver, who have been living in a hostel since the heartbreaking ordeal on November 20.
The pair frantically tried to rescue their belongings from their home after Dylan, 34, broke through rust while sweeping the floor.
He was finishing the last bit of tiling on the boat, which he had put his blood, sweat and tears into doing up using reclaimed materials.
“Water started bubbling through at first and then it came through fast,” said Jahne, 26. “We were trying to get out as much stuff as we could. But the bedroom we built, the lounge, the kitchen – it was all ruined.”
Firefighters helped rescue the boat, which was moored just off Mare Street, and it remains on the side of the canal.
Dylan now has a long road ahead redoing the boat from scratch after his seven months’ work was destroyed. “It was very bad timing,” he said. “It’s so stressful. I put a lot of energy into it. It was not livable in any sense when we got it – it was disgusting. Now I need to repair it and make it nice again.”
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The problem is, Dylan’s toolbox is at the bottom of the Regent’s Canal. To try and help them out, Jahne’s mum Jeanette has set up a crowdfunding page from New Zealand and is pleading with people to help. “The sense of loss I feel for them is so immense,” she said.
“An uninsulated, run down narrowboat with no electricity, cooking facilities, running water or toilet facilities was taking its toll. Soon they started to see the rewards. By sheer hard work and the clever sourcing of old bits and pieces they created a home.”
To donate to the crowdfunder, click here.
