seabite
New Member
i am thinking of takin my 25 ft yacht through canal du midi next spring to the med. i have a 6hp inboard engine does any one know if this engine is powerful enough ie againct any currents etc
canal du midi
- Thread starter seabite
- Start date
EdWingfield
Well-Known Member
I made it years ago in a Contessa 26 with an RCA Dolphin inboard. (Hp???)
Had to anchor in the Gironde out of the channel for a tide, ebb sluiced by at a rate of knots but good holding.
I Remember that the trip from Bordeaux to the start of the Canal took some doing against the winter spate. Had to keep in close to the bank for the slacker water.
Once in the canal no probs.
Oh, one prob, now I come to think of it; as you approach the automatic locks you come to a tube suspended by wire across the canal. Give it a twist and the lock sequence will begin. It took us half an hour to figure it out despite repeated yelling in Francais from the bankside - duuh!
Had to anchor in the Gironde out of the channel for a tide, ebb sluiced by at a rate of knots but good holding.
I Remember that the trip from Bordeaux to the start of the Canal took some doing against the winter spate. Had to keep in close to the bank for the slacker water.
Once in the canal no probs.
Oh, one prob, now I come to think of it; as you approach the automatic locks you come to a tube suspended by wire across the canal. Give it a twist and the lock sequence will begin. It took us half an hour to figure it out despite repeated yelling in Francais from the bankside - duuh!
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
I did the circular trip - Seine Rhone Midi - twice on a 7.5 Yanmar. The engine did get a bit hot on the Midi as the canal water was warm and the air temp was in the high 80's.
Bat21
Well-Known Member
The problem you will have is getting up the Girrond to Castets, the flow is rather impressive and you don't get much lift from the incoming tide. Other than that, and getting petrol, it is a fantastic trip, but take your time. 24+ locks per day has been known to cause mutiny! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
tillergirl
Well-Known Member
Sybarite
Well-Known Member
What's your draft? At present 1m25 is about the limit. However this may change over the winter.
John
John
Sea Devil
Well-Known Member
In the Canal du Midi which starts at Castets-en Dorthe and then goes all the way to Sete there really are no currents worth speaking of. Coming into the locks you have the problem that if it's been raining at the high end of the lock there is a stream of water going into the lock bypass system and at the bottom of the lock there is a stream of water coming out... Because of all the 'hire boats' using the canals with 'no experience whatsoever drivers' the canal authorities have done their best to minimise these cross currents. Should not be a problem for you.
The harder part is getting into the Gironde Estuary near Royan. Absolutely essential to work the tide, follow the channel and be prepared for it to be quite lumpy. Going with the tide is the only option for you.
From Royan to Bordeaux once again this is a very powerful and fast flowing river estuary buoyed like the Thames estuary. Again you have to work the tide - no option and the only problem you could have would be turning up against the current to go alongside... I think you could expect to see up to 4 knots of current - more if it's been raining.... However as it is a long day from Royan to Bordeaux you will be arriving near HW so the current will have dropped off a lot -
From Bordeaux to Castets-en Dorthe where there is the sea lock into the Canal System it is again a pretty fast flowing bit of river (great going through Bordeaux!)
Again you have to work the tide and again it is a day's run.. There are yacht friendly pontoons to wait on outside the sea lock and as you are going up against the current of the river with the tide there should be fairly slack water when you arrive.
Once into the canal system - apart from cross currents near the locks - it is lovely. Without any doubt at all the Canal du Midi is the most lovely canal in France, breathtakingly beautiful..
Michael
The harder part is getting into the Gironde Estuary near Royan. Absolutely essential to work the tide, follow the channel and be prepared for it to be quite lumpy. Going with the tide is the only option for you.
From Royan to Bordeaux once again this is a very powerful and fast flowing river estuary buoyed like the Thames estuary. Again you have to work the tide - no option and the only problem you could have would be turning up against the current to go alongside... I think you could expect to see up to 4 knots of current - more if it's been raining.... However as it is a long day from Royan to Bordeaux you will be arriving near HW so the current will have dropped off a lot -
From Bordeaux to Castets-en Dorthe where there is the sea lock into the Canal System it is again a pretty fast flowing bit of river (great going through Bordeaux!)
Again you have to work the tide and again it is a day's run.. There are yacht friendly pontoons to wait on outside the sea lock and as you are going up against the current of the river with the tide there should be fairly slack water when you arrive.
Once into the canal system - apart from cross currents near the locks - it is lovely. Without any doubt at all the Canal du Midi is the most lovely canal in France, breathtakingly beautiful..
Michael
