While we've never had a Suez Canal-level disaster, Wiltshire has had its fair share of nautical nightmares.
The Kennet and Avon canal runs from the Severn Estuary near Bristol to the River Thames at Reading, climbing through the Caen Hill Locks in Devizes and meandering through the Vale of Pewsey hillside.
The canal, more than 100 miles long with more than 100 locks, has caught many a boater out over the years.
1. Bungled burglary
In 2014, a thief had his boat-stealing dreams scuppered when he became entangled in Britain's longest lock system - the Caen Hill locks in Devizes.
The two mile stretch of 29 continuous gates are tricky to navigate.
The man had stolen a pensioner's canal cruiser and made it through four of the locks before giving up and setting the boat on fire, before fleeing the scene.
At the time, Pip Flowers, watch manager in charge of Devizes fire station, had said: "It seems the arsonist thought they could escape on the boat but hadn't reckoned with the Caen Hill flight."
2. Stag party gone wrong
In 2014, much of the Kennet and Avon canal was closed after a boat became caught on the sill of Abbey View Lock in Bath.
It was understood that a Welsh stag party had hired the boat and, that one person leaped to safety after things went awry.
A crane was needed to lift the waterlogged vessel out of the canal.
What's more, the situation was complicated by the fact that the lock had to be totally drained, which meant that the fish were removed and released elsewhere on the canal.
3. Wrong turn
It's not only the waterways of the Kennet and Avon canal that have been blocked.
In 2014, an elderly man visiting Devizes took a wrong turn, and promptly found himself driving down the canal's footpath.
The driver was unable to turn his Vauxhall Astra round and tried to carry on driving on the towpath to find an exit but got stuck after about half a mile and summoned help.
It remained stuck for over a day and blocked both walkers and cyclists.
The man was said to be "very apologetic about the whole thing.”
4. Christmas cancelled
In 2018, essential repairs left canal boaters stranded on either side of the Harris Lock, near Semington.
The repairs to Lock 16 meant that boats heading down to Bradford on Avon and Bath found themselves stuck.
Ian Williamson, the owner of Semington Dock, had found half of a dozen of his boats suddenly stuck.
One boater had been trying to get home to Newbury for Christmas and the New Year, but was told they would be unable to pass through until mid-March.
5. Holiday memory
In 2013, boaters were left high and dry after a lock gate was damaged, again on the Caen Hill flight.
A holidaymaker who had rented a narrowboat had got stuck on the lock gate while it was manoeuvring through the top lock of the flight.
As the water rose, the boat managed to lift the gate off its hinges, damaging the anchor plate underneath.
All traffic on the Kennet and Avon Canal between locks 22 and 44 was halted as a result of the mistake.
Texan couple Joseph and Sandra Huck, had complained that, due to their mooring at the time, it would be a "race against time" to make their flight back to the States.
The previous October, a narrowboat sank after it got stuck at Lock 22 at the bottom of the flight, also closing the canal for a while.
6. Dry canal
In 2018, a canal boater passed through Lock 18, near the Barge Inn on Honey Street, left the lock's paddles up, causing this section of canal to drain down.
Paddles work similar to a bath plug and allow water to flow in and out of the canal's locks.
Hundreds of litres of water drained away after the incident, which left canal boats high and dry.
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