Boats suffer in Switzerland in icy conditions

Some 13 yachts reported to have sunk on Lake Neuchatel after three days of bitter, northerly winds

We may have finally seen the back of the worst winter in 30 years here in the UK, but spare a thought for those poor Europeans still gripped by bitter conditions.

This photo was taken on 9 March at the marina in Grandson on Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland, and shows yachts listing dangerously under the weight of ice on their decks.

It was reported that 13 yachts sank in the marina on Tuesday after a third day of strong, northerly winds. Milder conditions are expected to prevail from today.

British boats didn’t escape the winter completely unharmed, however. A leading insurer warned recently that the number of claim notifications was “alarmingly high” for this early in the season, caused mainly by split or fractured pipes.

“Whist seeming basic, the effects of a split or fractured pipe can be catastrophic on a boat leading to complete or partial flooding over a gradual period,” Navigators & General said.

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Photo: Press Association Images/AP

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