A record store housed on a canal barge sank the night before Record Store Day as it sailed to Manchester. Rubber Ducky Records owner Myles Greenwood lost around 1,000 vinyl records as the 28ft boat went down on the Rochdale Canal on Friday.
Myles, 27, had planned to move the unusual shop to the city for the summer. But disaster struck when a large piece of fabric got wrapped around the rudder in Failsworth, causing it to sink.
"It was such a surreal feeling watching the water come up around my ankles," said Myles. "Then within two minutes it was up to my nipples.
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"Never in a million years did I think it would sink."
Myles came up with the idea to open a shop on a boat as a way of avoiding high rental costs. He bought the delapidated barge from a drag queen in London and completely renovated it.
The store, which specialises in electronic music, opened in Hebden Bridge in October. It was such a success Myles was able to quit his job at a special needs school in Halifax to concentrate on the selling records full-time.
He planned to move to Manchester for the summer, aiming to arrive in the city in time for Record Store Day today (Saturday). But the journey along the Rochdale Canal, which should have taken five or six days, was plagued by problems from the start.
The barge was stranded for around three weeks in Littleborough after the canal was drained for maintenance. Then the engine blew up at Slattocks in Middleton and took a fortnight to repair.
And last night night disaster struck when the boat sank in Failsworth. Myles lost around 1,000 records when it went it down and the barge had to be towed into Manchester by an elderly couple who offered to help.
He's now moored up at Islington Marina in Ancoats and despite everything is determined to make a success of the business. "I wanted to get to Manchester for Record Store Day and I suppose technically I made it, but there's no records on the boat," said Myles.
"But I'm still feeling pretty chipper. The support I've received has been incredible.
"It's hard to feel bad when I am getting bombarded with love and kindness. I'm not wallowing in pity. I'm going do whatever needs to be done and make it better than it was before."
Myles has set up a GoFundMe page to help get the business back on its feet. You can make a donation here.
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