French Canal Depths?

[Montanan]

Reference:

French waterways: Draught, height and beam dimensions.

https://www.french-waterways.com/practicalities/canal-depths/

[Montanan]

Article regarding the implications of the drought on European river cruising.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/europe-drought-river-cruising/index.html

Snipet:

The picture is bleak for all Europe’s rivers.

In France, some parts of the famous Loire river have dried up almost completely. Some canals have also been closed. “I think canals are a no-go,” says Weeden, about the future.

In the UK, the source of the Thames has moved five miles downriver for the first time in history.

And of course there’s the Danube. The situation on Europe’s other prime tourism river is looking blue, too. Emergency dredging is currently taking place on the lower river, in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Although there are “no problems” on the Austrian stretch, authorities told CNN on Friday, the situation in Hungary – perhaps the most famous part of the Danube – is more concerning.

[massnspace]

Thanks to the thoughtful comments.

I am not entirely trusting buying an older swing keel boat in the 35-38 range. Seems like too much underwater force on an older pivoted structure.

Changing times. Risk it and maybe run aground. But see the countryside. Hard call.

We are thinking now to just buy a properly keeled boat and sail around through Gibraltar. Big will continue the thinking

Thanks all

David
Seattle

[skipperpete]

Ovni’s are good. My current boat (Viksund) for the canals is perfect for that role but not an ideal bluewater cruiser so my next boat will probably be an Ovni. Still a shoal draft vessel but with a swing keel in a well proven alloy hull.
The biggest hazard on the canal du midi is not so much the depth, more the endless charter boats driven by less than skillful helmsmen, I had 12 tyres (in addition to my usual 6 fenders ) permanently hanging all round the hull while in the Canal du Midi..... not a good look.

[Va2shp]

I did it in 2020 with a draft of 1,7meter, and twice i rake the bottom, I would not do it gagain with a boat of more than 1,6 and idealy it would be 1,4. Here is the route I took. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...6649999991&z=6

[dan104]

We did the Midi, Height is a real problem (most of the bridges are low and narrow). Mast was actually on the coach roof with rear supports. I have heard of people shipping the mast. Depth was a problem when we overnight-ed along the banks, got stuck in mud more than once(long line and wench got us off).


Lots of locks and they open around 830, close for lunch, and close again around 4. Big commercial's have right of way so you can get to a lock and have to wait.


During summer tons of credit card capt's running rental to contend with and fairly narrow.

[Wolfhound]

Here's a peerless boat for you (make sure you get a bronze Seabreeze) --
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/seabreeze-35-allied

Bon courage,
Wolfhound

[AndreBruijntjes]

Canal du Midi is different alltogether, would-be not try this with a keel boat. North-South route minimum depth 1,5m I am told by the French.

[Montanan]

The continuing worst drought in 2,000 years for Europe is definitely making use of any of the canals a harsh challenge.

If has not rained in France since January 21st, the 27 day duration is the longest of record in winter without rain.

Certainly would not recommend seeking draft data from prior records or from personal past experiences. The situation is dire and drastic.



References:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...pain#xj4y7vzkg


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...b31c6b46a56dd4

[Leee]

Good luck with your upcoming trip. Canal and river levels were very low in 2022 and in all likelihood will be the same or worse in 2023. I know you plan on sailing North to South but my trip was the reverse. If you start early enough in the year you will probably be fine. All depths listed for each canal are accurate enough. I started from Port Ste. Louis du Rhone in June, up the Rhone but the difficulties started when I was not able to go west through Paris on any route due to low water resources. I ended up continuing north on the Rhine and exiting north of Amsterdam. My boat is 15 by 4.5 by 1.35 m. board up. I touched bottom once on mud in a harbour but otherwise it was clear sailing. If water resources are low, you will not be able to access many marinas en route. I would recommend a narrower boat than mine as there wasn't much extra room once fenders and boards were deployed. If you'd like more info, let me know. I would do the trip again in a smaller vessel. We shipped the mast as it would have been too long to be convenient and it allowed for better visibility and no one bonked their head ducking under it. Good vis is important as there is a lot of fast moving traffic at times. I did have to lower the solar arch a few inches and remove the radar and antennae from the arch. Do not have anything other than fenders projecting from the sided of your boat. Have fun.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Wolfhound

Here's a peerless boat for you (make sure you get a bronze Seabreeze) --
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/seabreeze-35-allied

Bon courage,
Wolfhound

They are looking to buy a yacht in Europe.

Pete

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by massnspace

Thanks to the thoughtful comments.

I am not entirely trusting buying an older swing keel boat in the 35-38 range. Seems like too much underwater force on an older pivoted structure.

Changing times. Risk it and maybe run aground. But see the countryside. Hard call.

We are thinking now to just buy a properly keeled boat and sail around through Gibraltar. Big will continue the thinking

Thanks all David

The Jeanneau lift keel mechanism is accessed by removing the saloon table top and can be done in the water. Replacement of the substantial bearing perhaps once a couple of decades event. The moving part weighed 110kg on the 34ft I looked at. Shame the boat was a disaster after being lived aboard because we would have bought it. Fast cruiser racer with Kevlar in the hull to keep the weight down. Turned out to be too expensive to manufacture so dropped on Jeanneau's later versions when they went multi cabin for the charter market.

The sea route from Northern Europe to the Med will be a fascinating mix of countries. You could spend 6 months and still feel you were travelling too quickly. Locals friendly and wild animals don't eat people which is handy. Some countries even snake free. Superb wines and real ales and local pastries likely to be your downfall.

Pete

[SunnySpray]

we did it with Sunny Spray, a 4.45 m wide sailboat with 1.40 m draft. In some locks we had to take the fenders on board because of width. 1.40 m draft was nowhere a problem, although the predicted water levels can change a bit. We sometimes ran aground trying to get ashore. For us height (we have a deck house) was the problem, there are quite a number of tunnels and low bridges and it is no fun touching the roof of a tunnel with cables and lightbulbs dangling. I forgot the max height, but please check beforehand! Advice: there are stretches with dozens of locks one after the other. Take a bike along, and have one person cycling from lock to lock, and pick up your mooring lines. We have done it three times now, every time with a different boat, and find it a lovely experience - provided you can spare the time! No sense rushing through it, besides, at nights locks close and also on sundays and holidays. And as said earlier, study some basic french beforehand, you'll be crossing where few people speak english (not even the younger ones!).

[Montanan]

FYI:

https://www.connexionfrance.com/arti...ow-water-level

some canals are “closed” as these waterways “are much more dependent on the pluviometer”.

“There are areas where we have been obliged to close [the canal] to boats because the draught is insufficient or because there are other water uses which take priority and mean that we cannot take water from the natural environment to maintain the water level.

“This might be for drinking water in Nancy, for example, or for irrigation, or for tourism.”

The canals which have been closed include:

The Vosges canal

A section of the canal between Champagne and Bourgogne

A section of the Meuse canal

“On our canals, we are really trying to save water as much as possible, for example by collecting the lockage to limit water loss.

“There are a certain number of canals which are quite popular with tourist traffic, on which we ask users to move in a group.”

[iGrf]

We arrived in the Mediterranean last week after departing from Antwerp (Belgium) end of last year with a draft of 1.6m. We had the mast on dek with a max height of 3.15m.

We traveled up de scheldt river, canal de St Quentin and took the Canal entre Champagne and Bourgogne. Officially this route should have at least 1.8m of depth and in winter it will even be closer to 2m.

But even in December and January the aquatic vegetation were still and issue, they block locking operations and of course blocked our water inlet multiple times.

But nevertheless we made it through without much hassle.
And I agree that some basic knowledge of French is a big help !

Have a look at our blog for more details or don’t hesitate to send me a message if you have specific questions.

https://sailingelburro.com/2023/02/1...hrough-france/