Canal du Midi - Air Draught

Excuse me for breathing.

At first I found your question very unclear.

Secondly when I replied again I shared my friends experience.
From this you could learn that if your air draught is more than 14m you will most certainly have to took your mast down. If it's less, you might be all right.

So who put that bee in your bonnet?
 
If your second message was a genuine attempt to be helpful, I sincerely apologise. Sorry I didn't read it that way.

However, all it said in effect was that the clearance was something less than 14 metres, which covers rather a large range and can probably be said about almost any inland waterway in the world not taking substantial commercial vessels.

My assumption was that the clearance would be somewhere between, say, 2 and 4 metres, a difference which happens to make a profound difference for my boat.

Thanks Bykergramps. That looks just about do-able. I'll check out your website.
 
That's alright - confusion on both sides I guess.

Hadn't really give it much thought as Guapa's draught (keel) is 2.1m - so no go for us anyway.
All I knew was hat my friend (similar size to your boat) had to take his mast down most of the way.

Glad you got the info you required in the end.
 
The minimum air height for the canal du midi is 3 metres. That is the height in the centre of the bridges not the sides. Many bridges are arches with a minimum width of 5.5 metres. Given the curve the air height at the sides is greatly reduced from the 3 metres at the sides.

The Canal du Midi is so beautiful and delightful a waterway that if you have the draft and air height it is a must. Given it only takes 10 days from Sete to Bordeaux it knocks beating to windward up the Portuguese coast into a cocked hat.

Michael
 
Guapa friend\'s Etap 32

Hi Guapa

I have an Etap 32 i and plan to vist the Canal du Midi this summer. Do you know if your friend's boat is the 'i' model or the subsequent 'S' model new in 2001 till present. They have different drafts avaialble on the S model; shoal and deep. It is of interest because the 'i' model is between them.

Or pm me for them to get in touch. I would be interested in their experience.

Ta
 
I have been thro, the Midi twice, the min bridge is an arch and the height in the middle is 9 ft., if going W to E you can get the mast down at the club in bordeau just above the motorway bridge, south bank. going the other way Sete is best, or Port St Louis. First time I went thro in 8 days, second time I spent the winter, 3 months going thro, wonderful way to winter, passed one other boat (in 93). Hows things in Peel?, I used to sail there a lot when I was H.M. in Kirkcudbright, S.W. Scotland
 
It's mast down all the way - Sete to Pauillac (free bottle of better wine if mast up or down at Pauillac!). Although the Capestang bridge is noted as "lowest" we felt that Carcassonne appeared lower...we reckoned we had 2.8m to radar arch so had removed the scanner. Also Carcassonne has a least depth marker of 0.5m, of unknown position to the eclusier, which was somewhat worrying as we'd already bumped over many roots with a nominal water draft of 1.42m no doubt increased as a result of books and wine...At that time April/May 2005 "gauranteed" water draft was 1.5m and not always in the middle - maybe the bridge at Carcassonne was "lower" - the eclusier did say he'd let more water in...In any case it's an outstanding trip - best made in someone else's vessel, preferable draft c.1m with lots of time and fenders - since the "holiday" drivers need no expertise, their entering locks broadside and minimal attention to lines is not unusual. Eclusiers occasionally let the water in at maximum bore and appear to have scant understanding of the impact of the resulting current on keelboats...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
My boat trip hopefully in May Around Scotland
2 3
Replies
57
Views
1K
lustyd
lustyd

Share this page

Top