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Boating on the French canals.
So you are thinking of taking your boat across the channel and into the European waterways. What is involved and what extra equipment will you need? These were my thoughts in the later part of 2009. It took me a lot of research and book reading before I believed we could achieve the aim without actually endangering either the boat, ourselves or other people. The following is some ideas that we came up with during our journey, in our 30 foot Seadog ketch called “Seascape”, from Portsmouth to Port du Vaux in middle France, between May and August of 2010.
Things to consider:-
1. Would you be able to live on the boat with your partner, for long periods of time, without wanting kill them? One of our Sons said he thought about buying us a going away present of a set of dueling pistols! 2. Is the boat suitable? For instance some of the canals are very shallow at the edges. If you have bilge keels (like us) you cannot easily get close enough to step ashore. ( a boarding plank is necessary) 3. What is your boat’s draught? None of the canals are deeper than 1.8 metres, and several are less than 1.2 metres, at best (a long dry session can cause these depths to reduce considerably. ) 4. After de-masting the boat, do you get the mast/s transported to your destination, or carry them on board? One way is expensive, the other way inconvenient. Check the internet for haulage companies that can transport masts, there are several. If you intend carrying them with you, think carefully how you can SAFELY do it. On the Seadog Ketch, it is easy . Make up two short, stout props that fit into the tabernacles and have a “T” piece at the top, with two scoops out of it, that will take the mast’s cross section. Adjustable luggage straps will ensure that the masts stay put, even when the boat rocks in a barge’s wash. Some yachts had fitted a length of 2” x 2” timber across the foredeck, sticking out sideways by the width of the boat. This will prevent the bow swinging in a lock and damaging the projecting masts. Just in case attach a plastic bucket over the end, to protect it. Luggage elastics will keep the boom/s and wire rigging attached to the masts and out of your way A useful tip I was given was, prior to dismounting the masts, when releasing the standing rigging, take the pins out and replace them with stout nails. Losing a nail is not a problem, lose a pin and you are in trouble.. 5. REMEMBER the maximum AIR draft to get under bridges is only 3.0 metres.
Things you MUST have:-
1.The skipper must have passed the CEVNI exam (The French Certificate of Competence for waterways)
2.The CEVNI manual (obtained from the RYA) must be kept in reach by the helmsman.
3.A current Insurance policy that covers the boat’s use in France.
4. Proof of legitimate ownership of the boat, bill of sale etc.
5. A current VNF license (from any VNF office in France)(cheaper to buy an annual one).
6. The name of the vessel and the SSR number clearly written on both sides.
7. A VHF radio operators license.
Comfort and peace of mind:-
It can get very hot on the mid and southern canals (we frequently had temperatures of 35-40 degrees), so an electric fan is a real luxury. For the same reason I have included a fridge, although we found it more of an absolute necessity to keep the food fresh and the beer cold. (the motor burnt out on our fridge early on in the trip). The French appear to have an aversion to supplying showers since they are few and far between so a deck shower or similar is worth installing. On the subject of ablutions the rules of the VNF state that all vessels must have a holding tank for “black” water (sewage). Sea toilets that discharge into the waterway, are forbidden. The reality is that pump out stations are rarer than hen’s teeth, consequently none of the boats use or have holding tanks. The only exceptions are the hire boats. They get pumped out in their own yards, at the end of the charter. I took out our sea toilet before we left the UK and installed a chemical loo. Boy did I regret that. The loo was faulty, leaked badly and I never did find a proper place to empty it. I am amazed at the number of people that thought it was okay to swim in the canals.
Boat protection.
Tie as many fenders on your boat as you can find and supplement them with a pair of barge boards. I made mine out of two eight foot long planks, twelve inches wide, by one inch thick. Hang the boards on the outside of the fenders. One of them fits inside an aluminum ladder and makes a very handy boarding plank, when the edge of the canal is too shallow to moor alongside.
Locks. The best, safest and most comfortable way of going up in locks is, whenever possible, to stay at the back of the lock, away from the incoming surge, which will cause the boat to dance around vigorously, banging against the lock walls. Going down in a lock is a very quiet and peaceful event in comparison. It seems that everyone has their own routine in a lock. You will have to find a routine that suits your boat and crew. We had two 12metre long ropes, one attached to the Samson post at the bow and the other to a cleat on the stern, the other ends were left coiled on the side deck, at amidships. My crew refused to take the helm when entering a lock, so I would go in very slowly, stop alongside the ladder, that all locks have and get the crew to hold the boat against it. I would then grab both coils of rope, shin up the ladder and put a loop of the stern line over a bollard adjacent to the stern and drop the end down to the crew. I would then take the bow line and put a loop over a bollard that was ten or fifteen feet in front of the bow and hang on to the rope, taking up the slack as the boat lifts. Going down in a lock is a piece of cake. We would stop alongside a conveniently placed bollard, the crew would put loop of the bow line over it and gently pay out the line as the boat descends. Mean while I had a length of line attached amidships with metal hooks at either end which I would attach alternately to the rungs of the ladder, releasing and reattaching to a lower rung as the boat descended. In many cases the locks were manned by Eclusiers (lock-keepers) who will take your lines for you. In the large commercial locks the Eclusier has to be contacted by VHF radio and requested to open the lock. ( don’t expect to get a favourable response between midday and 13:00hrs- lunchtime). It should be noted that commercial barges take precedence over pleasure boats. They always have to go into the locks first and if there is room you slip in behind them. On one occasion I went in front of a barge and boy did I get a telling off from the lock keeper . (Well I think that is what he was saying, I don’t speak French… probably just as well) I never did it again !
Things we found very useful.
A set of Navicart maps of the waterways, bicycles (riding on the towpath is easy), a large ball of cheap rope ( 25m for £7.99 from Homebase), an extra gas bottle, spare fuel cans (fuel supplies are few and far between- bikes come in useful here), a workshop manual for your engine (we broke down and boy was that useful), a long electrical cable, with both English and French connectors, a long water hose with different tap adaptors, an English/ French dictionary, a pair of long tent pegs (to tie up to when there are no bollards), a hurricane lantern and fuel for it, a picnic table and chairs, a bimini (a sun awning, over the cockpit), sun hats, sun glasses, suntan cream, insect repellant, a hand-held VHF radio, an unlocked mobile phone (use a French SIM card in it, for cheap calls) and finally a large clear sign on the bucket over the front of the mast with your boats draught (add 0.3 meters for comfort) it tells other boats why you cannot hug the edge of the canal.
Impressions
People.
Our trip was a fantastic learning curve, not just about the boat and the waterways but about the diversity of people we met on the water. We met some smashing people from all over the world, including Holland, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, and the UK. As for the French people, they all seemed friendly and sometimes helpful, but I feel that they are, in many ways, behind the rest of Europe with their communication; very few speak any English at all. (Yes I know it’s good manners to speak the host language and we did, but English is the international business language and they should have at least a smattering).
French canals
They are much quieter than we expected, a lot of the small villages are deserted, A great shame. I understand, that although France has much bigger land area than the UK, the population is similar. Half the population live near Paris, a quarter live on the French Riviera and the remainder are spread thinly over rest. A lot of the canal-side factories and warehouses stand empty and I can see in a few years time a lot of the canals will fall into disrepair and silt up. Apparently factions in the French government would like to stop financing the VNF who run the waterways. If that happens then I think that will be the death of the canals. The other side effect of the decline in canal use is that boatyards are few and far between and those that are still operating, concentrate on the commercial barges. If you want work done on a pleasure boat you have to wait a long time( we waited three weeks to get new oil seals fitted to our gearbox)
Facilities:-
French loos:- There are never enough of them, they are usually filthy, lack toilet paper, soap, towels, sink plugs and WC brushes. Telephone coverage is as good (or bad) as in the UK. Orange seems to be the market leader and seemed to have the best coverage. Internet:- Very few places we came across have internet facilities. Pets:- Every village, however small, always seemed to have a pet grooming parlour.
Apart from that we have really enjoyed our time in France and look forward to returning to the boat next year to resume our travels. Good luck with yours.
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