Canl du Midi

[Ray_G]

Has anyone up to date experience of taking the Canal du Midi to the Med? My yacht has 1.75m draft (perhaps even a touch more when fully loaded in cruising trim). Is this too much for the canal? Is it all too much bother and so be better that I stick to my original plan to go the long way round?

 

[romany123]

Ray
A mate of mine went that way this year (he has a 1.85 keel) he said he had no probs

Dave

 

[Guest]

I do not know the canal du Midi all that well, but most canals in France run a bit short of water from end August and are often a bit shallow from then on. Some even close in September (the Canal du Centre last year)

Generally if you run seriously aground, the eclusiers will let in enough water to float you off. They don't like to have the canal blocked

William Cooper

 

[romany123]

Bill
I think it to do with the amount of water they get from the mountains,bad winter lots of water.
Ray have just looked for copy saved from Practical boat owner they did a year or so ago on the canals but cant find it. may be worth getting a back copy.

Dave

 

[Ray_G]

Thanks Dave, will do.

 

[Guest]

I've been both ways in the same boat which has a bit less than 1.5 metres. Touched the bottom a lot and got stuck fast several times - not a problem for the cast iron keel, but after the first time down the bottom leading edge of the rudder was very rounded off! I think that 1.75m is too deep. It maybe possible if you have a powerful engine with a 3 blade prop but you will be ploughing your way along in many places. The size of your boat and the length of mast is also relavent. Ours was 35' and the mast overhung about 5' each end. I would not want to take anything bigger (or longer).

 

[paulrossall]

YM are doing a free chart in May issue out 11th April."Which is the best inland route to the Med? What are the canal depths? What about mast-stepping? All the latest information on the French canals plus Free Planning Chart." It will be an updated version of the information printed approx 2/3 years ago and should be worth waiting for. See also lots and lots of previous comment by doing a search .

 

[colin_jones]

I do not think you will get through in Spring?Summer - without enormous difficulty. Last year, the VNF lifted out a Dutch yacht with 1.80 ??and would not let him pass beyond Topuouse. He was giving other boats a lot of agro.

this year is not a good year. I have a good mate Jean-Marc who is lockkeeper at Viviers near Castelnaudary. he tells me that the feeder lakes are so low that they are apprehensive about being able to keep open all Summer. ( This is very rare) Thery might also cut the opening hours , which would help the Fr 35 hr working week laws. They will certainly make boats group up, which wil lead to dalys.

This pic might alter if there is a lot of rain in Spring.

 

[scarlett]

I was in the CdM at the end of June going west as far as Rubia and the shallowest I found was 1.6m just west of Beziers. I draw 1.5m and could rarely get alongside. Usually my 30 footer is at 45 degrees sticking out stern into the fairway. That would be OK if my mast ddn't poke out another 6 foot! Tricky.

 

[Sea Devil]

The absolute max posted depth for the canal du midi is 1.5m. the bottom in some places has been blasted out of rock so if you go aground you are not pushing mud rather rock!

In times of rain - like at the moment, you might just make it but once summer come in properly the reservoirs will not have sufficient water to make the canal deeper than its charted depth. every year yachts run aground and are obliged to get a crane to lift them out and a lorry to carry them to their destination.

Have a look at my web site for depths etc. the VNF web site (voir navigables de France) has an English version. It gives the current max depth for the canal du midi which is frequently less than the charted 1.5m.

The easy way is up the Rhone and Saone to the canals and the English channel or vv... normally lots of water and no big depth or air height problems as there are in the Midi..