For Sale: Cruise the French canals

[Irish rambler]

Would you like to buy a boat and cruise the French canals through the largest vineyard in the world ?
Our Birchwood 33' (10 metre) centre cockpit aft cabin cruiser is for sale for 59,950 Euro's.
This semi displacement cabin cruiser is very versatile and has a proven safe record of sea cruises, after you have explored the canals you may wish to travel further afield to Spain, Italy, Greece etc.
Her economical Perkins diesel gives very low operating costs as there's no tax free fuel for private boats in Europe, the engine and gearbox carry a 3 month guarantee against mechanical breakdown, canal bank moorings are free, there are no taxes to pay, an annual 240 Euro permit (vignette) is valid for the whole of Europe.
Moorings aren't included but help will be given to find a suitable alternative .
For further technical details and more photo's please contact me.
Thank you for your time reading our advert.

[Macblaze]

Is something like this suitable for year-round cruising? Could it make it to Southern Italy to wait out the winter?

I've been on hire boats in the canals (Le Boat mostly) and wouldn't take them out in a stiff wind.

[Irish rambler]

Hello,
I've cruised this boat up the West of Scotland, Irish sea, Irish Inland waterways and from Ireland/UK/France/Spain/Barcelona and back to France.
I don't know how that stacks up.
For economy of operation it's a semi displacement hull working at displacement speeds.
How the Edmonton Stampede these days, I had great times there, wonderful friendly people.
p.s If you decide to buy it and want it delivered (at cost) to Southern Italy, Greece, Turkey etc. at cost, there's no problem but would advise to go in early spring/summer as the Italians go a bit slap happy in late June/August.

[Macblaze]

It's the Calgary Stampede and they are about 300 km south and our arch rivals But a lot of fun nonetheless.

Here's the situation. We might be able to get a one year sabbatical, July to July, and I want to spend most of it, if not all, on the water. We've done three trips to France's canals (Alscase, Canal de Garonne and Nivernais) and have loved it. But as far as I can tell the system closes down for the winter and I'm not sure I want to spend the cold weather hunkered down in a small boat. And there won't be the money to head off on land.

Last couple of years we have taken up sailing. but no one wants to liveaboard in winter on Canada's west coast (my first choice) and I am not yet sure I am confident enough to trek down the Pacific coast to Mexico. The recent threads on winter in the Mediterranean have convinced me sailing the Med for a year is probably out and of course the Caribbean has hurricane season which I am currently trying to figure out.

Until I saw your post it hadn't occurred to me that 'canal' boats could hit the Med safely. Some of my reading has implied that wintering in Southern Italy might be fun, hence my comment.

If you've got any words of wisdom, I would love to hear them. We truly love seeing France from the Canals and our side trip up the Mosel (on a passenger boat) was truly glorious. Unfortunately a boat purchase is likely to be a March-April thing, but if yours is still available then, it is right in the neighbourhood of what we are looking for.

Bruce

[Irish rambler]

Hi Bruce,
Yep, I was at the Calgary stampede as a young man, maybe my memory is hazy but was there not something similar in Edmonton, I seem to remember it was called the 'Big Foot'.
Most of the 'Le Boat' boats are inland waterways hulls and not suitable for the sea, ours is a semi displacement hull with an 80 hp Perkins working at an economical 7.5 knots.
The canals are closed from Nov until March for maintenance and live aboards have a winter mooring with electric & water so they are nice and cosy, most have an cheap car and tour round, some take cheap winter hotels 'off season' deals in Spain for a couple of weeks.
Like any sea, the Med must be respected as it can blow up rough but the weather forecasters have it pretty much covered so you don't get caught out. Of course the opposite is true for a cruiser to a sailboat in respect of the wind and if you pick good seas and prefer to be down south to the Greek Islands or Turkey.
We'll be happy to answer any questions you have, just drop me an e mail
My name is geoffwoolley and if you add that to rocketmail at yahoo you'll be able contact me direct.

[Irish rambler]

Hello Bruce,
We hope all well for you and yours in the run up to, and including Christmas.
We're doing our future planning for the New Year and I've just received an invitation to be guest of honour at the Irish Inland Waterways Lough Erne Boat Rally in 2015 (I was chairman for 5 years) to attend that means we would have to leave here (Narbonne,France) on the 18th of April at the latest.
As you are aware most private boats are stripped out when sold but if you are genuinely interested in buying our boat and we agree on the price and because of your travel distance from Canada to France we propose to offer our boat with the following work completed to offer you a 'turnkey' purchase.
Lift out and hull anti-fouled, hull polished, anodes renewed, hull inspection for boat insurance, Diesel tanks cleaned and refilled (450 litres), engine serviced, gearbox serviced, batteries checked, stern tube repacked and greased, domestic gas bottles sufficient for a season, freshly laundered bed linen for double bed in aft cabin, full of potable water (450 litres), Shore power lead, water hose, pots pans and cutlery etc, LCD television. 9hp Outboard motor, RIB dinghy (needs very slight repair) complete with oars tank etc. Spare alternator belt, oil and fuel filters.
Transfer of boat registration on the UK Small Ships Register to your name after purchase.
All you would require to start cruising would be to bring your clothes and personal effects, insure the boat, stock with food, purchase charts for your intended cruising area, navigation instruments of your own preference.
My recommendations for cruising from here down to Southern Italy would be to take it slowly and cruise from Narbonne via the canal du Midi to Frontignan then out to sea, the coast from there around to, and down Italy is truly beautiful and well worth exploring slowly.
When we start our days cruise we aim to be moored by 2pm (the land mass heats up, hot air rises and the cool air rushes in from the sea causing a chop), that dies down around 7/8pm should you wish to make a night cruise.
Please feel free to ask any questions however obscure/technical and I will answer them honestly.

[Macblaze]

Hi Geoff,

This starting to sound like the perfect deal for us. Unfortunately we are awaiting acceptance of a sabbatical application and until that is confirmed its all just dreaming.

My plan, if I get my way, would be to spend the late summer in French canal system and then try and find place to winter over that was within a reasonable distance but also gave us access to nearby culture (Italy was just a suggestion someone made—we also have spent some time in Roses in Catalonia and loved it there.). Then we would head back to France and see what we could do in the remaining 4 or 5 months of the sabbatical.

After that we decide if it's worth the regular 3 or 4 weeks vacation we can afford or we sell the boat.

Thanks for all the encouragement.

[ejlindahl]

One of the other things I've heard you'll need is a Captain's License for the canals. Our friends US Coast Guard Captain's License was no good for this. He was a non French speaker but a few weeks study and a little help from a French friend and he passed just fine. Might be a different requirement for coastal Med cruising too, but I wouldn't know.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by ejlindahl

One of the other things I've heard you'll need is a Captain's License for the canals. Our friends US Coast Guard Captain's License was no good for this. He was a non French speaker but a few weeks study and a little help from a French friend and he passed just fine. Might be a different requirement for coastal Med cruising too, but I wouldn't know.

Technically, you need a boating license from your country.

A USCG license is fine except on the canals you need a CENVI endorsement which the USCG doesn't offer that endorsement.

You can avoid the language issue though by going thru the british. I believe the RYA will issue to US citizens and they can add the endorsement.

[Irish rambler]

Hi Bruce, We know Rosas very well as we stay there for a month or so as we cruise up and down the Spanish coast on our holidays, it's a 2 day cruise from port la Robine) by canal then an 8 hour sea journey direct from port la Nouvelle in France to Santa Margarita in Spain, we take a few days and visit the little ports along the coast, moorings in Rosas are hard to find but Santa Margarita marina always has visitors moorings available, a beautiful place and we highly recommend it. I would also recommend Port La Robine as a strategic place to keep the boat if you decide to buy as you would be at able to cruise either up to the Canal a Lateral A Garonne to Bordeaux, the Canal du Midi to Sete & Aigues Mortes (don't miss it), or out to sea towards Monaco, Italy if you choose, alternatively up the river Rhone to central, Northern France, Belgium, Holland etc. even as far as Russia by canal !
As regards the paperwork, as you're a Canadian citizen I can change the registration documents into your name without problems, all you need is a UK address which we can help with. I would recommend you contact the Royal Yachting Association at rya.org where you can get the details of the CEVNI exam and test procedure, it's very simple 'exam' of 20 multiple choice questions. If you have any Canadian certificate of qualification from a day skipper upwards it will suffice as you are technically a 'Boat in Transit.
We have friends from Montreal who keep a cruiser here, they bought a but cheap serviceable car for visiting the cultural sites around of interest to them and for visiting the rest of Europe, Spain is 1 hour, Italy 3 hours by car, they just leave it parked at the marina when they go home until they return.
Don't be afraid to ask any questions and I'll give you an honest answer.


ejlindahl and Valhalla, if you've read this post it will explain the requirements for cruising in France.
For coastal cruising you need a VHF certificate, a certificate of competence ie Day Skipper, Coastal or Offshore, boat insurance, boat registration, for non EU boats you are a 'Boat in transit', keep receipts from marina's etc but if you keep below the radar and don't draw attention to yourself no one seems to bother you.

[rob67]

Irish Rambler, Macblaze
Sorry to jump into the middle of a boat sale, By the way I love your boat Irish Rambler. I've been trying to research French canal boating so I hope you guys don't mind me asking questions? My wife are looking into a boat rental company to cruise the French Canals.
Macblaze how has your experience been with leboat rentals?
We are thinking of a 2 week trip.
Would April May be to early to do the trip?
Which canal systems would you recommend , we hadn't realized how many canal systems there was in France.

Thanks in Advance
Rob

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by rob67

Irish Rambler, Macblaze
Sorry to jump into the middle of a boat sale, By the way I love your boat Irish Rambler. I've been trying to research French canal boating so I hope you guys don't mind me asking questions? My wife are looking into a boat rental company to cruise the French Canals.
Macblaze how has your experience been with leboat rentals?
We are thinking of a 2 week trip.
Would April May be to early to do the trip?
Which canal systems would you recommend , we hadn't realized how many canal systems there was in France.

Thanks in Advance
Rob

Hi Rob,

I like Le Boat. I will admit it's mostly because I like their website which allowed me to match price, boat and location. But we've had great service and I can give you a name/email of a sales agent based out of Florida who has been a lot of help in the process over the years; I even met her at a boat show once and she was just as nice in person.

That said, I've admired the boats from Locaboat, Nicols and France Afloat. The latter are especially nice: steel boats with great woodwork. In the end it comes down to matching what you want, with where you want it and how much you can afford. Personally I "need" a fly bridge and a nice outdoor eating area; the rest was not as important to me. If you are only two, a smaller boat or a bow thruster is helpful although not imperative once you get the hang of the locks.

I also think 10 days is minimum for their suggested 7-day trips. Fork out the extra money for the one-way and take your time. Most places there is a lot of wine to be drunk and you can't rush it Depending on the trip, bikes are also a great addition, but maybe pick the canal and look over the route before you decide. We've gotten them every time but one trip we barely used them.

In order of least to most favourite:
Alsace Lorraine: Hesse to Strasbourg and return. Fewer quaint small towns, fewer off canal excursions, Strasbourg was fabulous and going through the mountains (and the tunnel) was a great experience. Not a wine drinkers paradise however. Great train adventure from Frankfurt and we returned via the Mosel Valley, stopping in Trier for a bunch of days which was worth it in itself.

Canal de Garonne: Montabaun to Le Mas D'Agenais with a side trip to Nerac. It starts out slow but Moissac and Nerac were awesome. Some great wines and Buzet sur Baise has a wine coop that was a great bonus. Take the train to Bordeaux and soak some of that in on the way out. My favourite European city so far.

Canal de Nivernais: Chatel Censoir south to Clamency then we reversed ourselves and headed north with a side trip to Vermenton and ending up in Migennes. We hit Auxerre on Bastille Day and saw some spectacular fireworks right overhead. Tons of great wine. Tons of great side trips: Caves and cave paintings south of Vermenton, the cathedral at Vezalay, Vaubon's Chateau and a trip to a small winery in St Bris le Vineux which was a highlight. We even did some rock climbing on the way. Fairly easy to reach by train from Paris.

I've heard great things about the Canal du Midi although its supposed to be a bit crowded. It's on the list. As well as the Carmague. And the Somme. Sigh. Personally I don't think you can go wrong if you like wine, old churches and buying fresh baguettes every morning. It is one of the best ways to see a culture that I can imagine.

We've always gone in July or August so I can't say about May/June, Even if its not the hottest, I can't imagine it will be unpleasant. There are canal guides available for all the regions which might be helpful (I've gotten them early twice) and the various companies' websites are good for clues on what to see. But don't limit your explorations to just the canal or their suggestions. A 15 minute cab ride can bring a lot of fascinating things within reach.

Geoff will probably know a lot more but it's always hard to answer question like this. So much information...

Just go; I highly recommend it. And if you pick any of the three regions I've been to I will happily expound a great length on what I know.

Bruce

[Irish rambler]

Hi Rob,
As Bruce has said already there is something to suit everyone's taste but there are as always a few factors to take into account. The canals 'open' on the 1st of April until the end of October, that said it's a bit of a misnomer because the canals actually aren't closed unless they are working on a drained section (called a chomage) you just have to give the governing body (the VNF) local office a call 24 hrs before you wish, and where your going to move to as the locks aren't permanently manned from April till Oct.
One of the problems again as Bruce has pointed out, take your time, most people jump on a plane and whizz along at 500 mph, hop on a high speed train at 200 mph followed by a taxi ride at 60, get on a boat and the first comment is usually 'Is this as fast as it goes'! then realize there's no brakes and whack it off the first lock wall.
I try and explain to them to treat it like your first date with a beautiful woman, go very gently and you'll achieve pleasurable results.
You can book direct with Le Boat.com and all the other hire boat company's online, for an overview of France's canals there are many sites of which Eurocanals.com is 1.
There are promotional deals in spring and autumn especially now due to the financial crisis over the last few years so check them out.
The weather down on the canal du Midi ? there's usually some rain in April May and again in late September October apart from occasional thunderstorms which are short lived. French industry seems to shut down in August and the south is very busy as the Parisians decamp to the sun (can get up to 40 degrees Celsius)and August can be very busy especially on the section from Agde to Carcassonne.
The reason for the famous plane trees that line the canal du Midi is to cut down evaporation of the water and their roots anchor the banks.
On July the 14th Bastille day, as Bruce says there are usually grand firework displays and Carcassonne is the best along the Midi.
For the wine connoisseur, each vineyard (Domain) has it's own vintner and produces it's own blend and it's really down to individual taste, if you smoke, have garlic or a strong tasting meal your taste buds will react to each wine differently which is why the French may serve up to 3 or 4 wines per meal to complement the food and as the canal du Midi passes through a massive vineyard which goes from the Rhone valley all the way to Bordeaux you will never be spoilt for choice. My own favourite red is a Faugere (grown in that region)soft, strong and velvety and wonderful with red meat and a Picpoul Pinet, a white crisp and fresh and delicious with oysters, that'll get your taste buds salivating.
You've probably never even heard of these wines before as they would rarely be seen out of the region (the French keep the good ones to themselves).
As we live aboard we have 2 bikes which we use with saddlebags as load carriers when visiting the weekly fruit/veg markets or if we have a major resupply from a nearby supermarket, whether you hire them is a personal choice but they are very handy if you have locks close together as one person goes ahead on the bike to prepare the lock, if you have kids it give them exercise and stops them getting bored.
If you do your research as to where you wish to visit and have any specific questions, don't hesitate to get in touch and I'll help you if I can.

[rob67]

Hi Bruce, Geoff
Thanks for the prompt reply. I've checked tripadvisor and some reviews were quite bad for leboat , so its nice to talk to someone who has used them and is willing to give an honest review.

We were thinking of a 2 week (14 day) rental for the boat and cruise along stopping to see cathedrals ,drink wine and eat baguettes. So if you guys have any recommendations that fit those activities please advise. From what we have read that is pretty much everywhere

We were thinking spring time would suit us better , 40C weather on a canal does not sound like much fun to me. We prefer weather between 20-25c.

We live near the Trent Severn Waterway in Ontario and our preferred boating is slow cruising, we are blessed because we have access to the 1000 Islands , Rideau Canal, Kingston area . All within a half day cruise. Our boat is docked at the mouth of the Trent Severn Waterway and is a nice cruise to Georgian Bay.
Rob

[rob67]

Update

We have narrowed the trip down to a oneway trip starting in Gray and ending in Branges. The waterways are the River Seille and River Saone.

Its rated for 14 days, Have either of you done this trip? Would 14 days be long enough to fully enjoy?
Any recommended stops?

This trip is through leboat .

Thanks Rob