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calin1967 · 09-12-2016, 04:00

Hello,

I plan (dream) about sailing a 30 feet sailboat in April, from Gothenburg to Danube. I haven't found much info regarding the first leg - I see three options:

1. Gothenburg - North Sea (west of Denmark) and up on the Rhine
2. Gothenburg - Copenhagen - Kiel Canal - Cuxhaven then coastal to Amsterdam and up on the Rhine
3. Gothenburg - Lubeck and further on the channels - Luneburg - Wolksburg - Hanover - Minden - Munster - Duisburg and up on the Rhine

Any advice regarding those options/weather & sea in that period?

Thanks a lot,

Calin

valhalla360 · 09-12-2016, 06:32

I won't claim to be an expert but having researched a similar trip and having done a similar trip on the Mississippi.

Up the Rhine in a 30' sailboat at best will be a major challenge.

Instead it's further but go around to France and then thru the canal system. If you go from Nancy to Strassborg, you can run downriver to Frankfurt and then the Main River.

Now if your boat is fast and has a long range, it's a different matter.

calin1967 · 09-12-2016, 07:37

I am also concerned about going upriver Rhine, especially in the gorges - Koblenz to Bingen, but that part is not so long, and if you keep close to the shore, the current is not so strong. Also there is the hitchhiking option - I've never seen a barge captain to refuse a drink...

valhalla360 · 09-12-2016, 09:12

I've heard of people getting drug up by a barge but the forces required to go 2-3kts over hull speed are massive. Way more than I would want to stress the boat with.

woodenboats · 09-12-2016, 11:52

I'd sail the boat to Germany and truck it the rest of the way. Going up the Rhine is No Fun.

calin1967 · 10-12-2016, 01:25

The price for trucking a boat wider than 255 cm is way to big. And I can admit that motoring up Rhine would be difficult, but by no means it is not fun - think only about the landscape with castles...

woodenboats · 10-12-2016, 09:16

You will be far too busy staying clear of commercial traffic and still maintaining that 0.6 knots of speed over ground to admire Loreley rock. In a powerboat - yes. In a sailboat - only when I get paid.

valhalla360 · 10-12-2016, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by calin1967

The price for trucking a boat wider than 255 cm is way to big. And I can admit that motoring up Rhine would be difficult, but by no means it is not fun - think only about the landscape with castles...

What is the price? I've trucked a 14' beam boat a couple times in the USA and yes there is a cost but by the time you pay for fuel, marinas, etc... I suspect it's not much of a difference.

As far as motoring up the Rhine, we've done 220 miles down bound on the Mississippi (along with the Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Tombigbee and Hudson Rivers). A major river like the Mississippi or Rhine with commercial traffic and currents, you are focused not enjoying. On the slower rivers, you can enjoy more. Up bound on a boat that might do 7kts at full throttle and make 1-2kts headway, it would get old real quick.

While you can play the insides of the bends to get out of the worst of the current, it's not as simple as you suggest. The insides are often shallow and have obstructions. Also commercial traffic has priority. You get out of their way and they often come down bound as surprising speeds taking up the space that they need often forcing you to a side you don't necessarily want.

Then there is the issue at 1-2kts, you may only have a 15-20mile range during a daylight hours. Will you be able to make it to a viable anchorage or marina before dark. A fast flowing river with debris (including tree trunks) is not a great place to cruise after dark.

I'm not saying it can't be done but why? There is a much better option out there.

calin1967 · 11-12-2016, 01:06

I assume that the price for transport would be somewhere around 10 000 euro which is out of the question for me. I am not so fond about marinas. I always prefer to anchor or tie the painter from a tree in a quiet place for the night.
I heard that it is forbidden to navigate after dark. From my experience, if you have a reasonable moon, there is not so hard to see the floating debris. But I motor a lot on Danube and I tend to extrapolate the conditions to Rhine. What are the differences? What is the speed of the current in the gorges?

HeikkiR · 11-12-2016, 23:31

I dont have personal experience but had studied how to reach Danube from Baltic Sea and more relaxed and interesting but also slower way would be to go through Dutch, Belgium and northern France canal system and back to Rhein, then go downstream Rhein to reach River Main.
You would need more powerful boat to go upstream Rhein and its waste of fuel anyway.

meatservo · 12-12-2016, 00:44

Done the trip a few times in the late eighties in a Cobra Gunship, but has nothing to do with sailing except to offer the scenery is exceptional...

meatservo

calin1967 · 12-12-2016, 02:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatservo

Done the trip a few times in the late eighties in a Cobra Gunship, but has nothing to do with sailing except to offer the scenery is exceptional...

meatservo

How strong was the current?