Canal du Midi

[MJP1]

In two weeks I plan to to go through the Canal du Midi from the Atlantic to the Med. My boat draws 1,5 meters and I wonder if someone did it this year and can give me some advice.

Where is it best to lay the mast?
Is it possible with 1,5 meters?
How much time should I calculate for the trip?
Are there any other important things to know?

Mat

 

[TonyBri]

I appreciate its not this year and that there are plenty of experts on this site but we did the Midi in late autumn 2004, starting at Port St Louis on the Rhone, then through the Camargue to Sete where you join the Midi itself, finally emerging from the Canal Lateral a Garonne into the River Garonne. We chose to ship the mast by road rather than have it cluttering up the deck or smacking locks/bridges and unstepped it in Port St Louis then stepped it in Royan at the mouth of the Garonne - all went very smoothly, there are a number of guys who run this transport service. If you dont mind leaving the dates flexible it seems quite cheap - you only really care about the unstep/step dates so doesn't really matter what day they do in between. The benefit of not having the mast in the way was great from line handling in locks etc. and it also helps to lighten the boat (which is offset by the fresh water). We also took the opportunity to reseal the chain plates which had started to leak and to check the rigging.

The boat (now sold) was a Bavaria 34 with 1.35m draft and we only just got through in October although I would say the water level was down by as much as 10cm. Be prepared to run for miles with 0.0m on the depth guage and smack the odd tree root on the canal bed. Also, the action of emptying the locks deposits a hump of silt about 50m downstream - we ran aground frequently - the solution is to wave at the helpful lock keeper and they sluice down a bit more water. The canals are slightly V-shaped with the deepest water in the middle - with your draft you'll not be able to get to the bank side at the highest pounds. We had to land some mug to run between locks and catch warps - a cheap bike would have been nice and easier on the legs. Frequently you may have to approach the bankside at 90 degrees to get someone ashore over the bow. When mooring up, make sure you have a plank to reach the bank. Some boats put a big sign on the front of their boat with the draft on it in the (vain?) hope that other users get out of the way. Overall though the locking procedure becomes very easy with practice.

Key other tips
- make sure that when you are sharing the lock with rented cruisers that you go in last as many are skippered by people of little or no skill. We started up Fonserane staircase in the middle of a fleet of cruisers and the lockkeeprs held us back to last position to prevent damage to our boat.
- total trip was 4 weeks and we got through less than a week before the chomages (sp? = shut for maintenance) started. We could have done it a bit quicker but could also have spent a very pleasant year doing it.
- fees weren't exhorbitant; French lock keepers very helpful if you are in your own boat but dont expect them to do too much to help you with line handling
- in the Lateral a Garonne, they use automated locks with a pole suspended across the river; give it half a twist and it usually starts the sequence just fine but sometimes it gets stuck in which case you can call a phone number or go ashore to the lock and press the help button.
- the various guide books (e.g. Guide Vagnon) are excellent.

In 04 we did advise one lad with 1m60 draft not to go through. Wonder if he made it.

 

[Grehan]

Briefly, 'cos I'm running out of battery. Our friends (ChasRoberts of this parish) entered from the Atlantic. What they wrote to us was . . .

"Paulliac was very good for demasting - they use their fixed crane at high slack water (also you have to enter the marina at slack water) - all very efficient and relatively as painless as these things can be!!
The reports we had of Bordeaux were basically don't bother! The only place to stop are in locked basins and apparently not visitor friendly and you have to hire a crane for any mast work. So we motored on through (under a very hairumscarum bridge with strong eddies the other side!). There is a suitable marina just about 5km south - Begles. There is a very strong current running, but secure enough on the inside. We actually moored outside as we were only there for one night. But it's safe enough to leave the boat for a land visit back to Bordeaux and also has a huge shopping centre & Carefour more or less alongside! Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to take a visit back to Bordeaux but it did look beautiful."
Speaking to them recently they also said that the journey up the River Garonne (to Castets where one gets into the Garonne Canal) was fairly hairy. Strong tides/currents that go from ebb to flood in a twinkling.

There seems to be a fair amount of water (and also weed!!) in the Garonne/Midi at the moment and you ought to be able to get through with 1.5m. You may not find it easy going everywhere, so don't quote me / blame me.

Concur with TonyBri's comments. Except about Guides Vagnon (green cover) - not good IMHO. Editions de Briel (A4 blue cover) much better, even the good old (narrow format) Navicartes.

Good places to re-mast include the ubiquitous Naval/Navy Service at Port St Louis and also Chantier Alemand (sorry about any spelling typos don't have time to check) on the Herault near Agde (recommended by us and much less mosquitos!).

Lots of other stuff on the Grehan website. PM me for any specific quuestions and
Bon Voyage.

[we've just done the Midi east to west, currently on the Garonne]

 

[Sea Devil]

Where is it best to lay the mast?
Is it possible with 1,5 meters?
How much time should I calculate for the trip?
Are there any other important things to know?

You have had lots of very good advice and if you need details of lorry company to collect your mast - store it and bring it down to the med for you vist the lorry option on my site - You might find it cheaper to dismast in Royan as it is a lot closer to all the lorry companies than the other side of the Gironde...

Frankly at 1.5 you will need luck and and a really good rainfall... Impossible to predict of course... I have hit solid things with a cat drawing .75 in the middle... don't forget the Canal du Midi is carved out of solid rock in places so it is not a question of 'pushing mud'.... If you telephone the VNF who mainily speak english at either Bordeaux or Sete they will tell you what the latest depth situation is - Frankly I suspect you might not make it but - It was raining today here in France not far from Bordeaux.

I have done the trip twice in 10 days but that was delivery speed not cruising... I have spent 3 weeks doing it as well..

Without doubt it is the most lovely canal in France but the others are deeper

regards

Michael