Channel to the Med. What Charts / guides needed?

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jessica

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I am planning a trip from LeHavre through Paris to the Med.
Reading the various literature on the subject, it would seem that I need to spend a small fortune on charts and pilot guides.
What is the minimum necessary info.? I think I just need to know when the next lock is, where I might stop for the night, where there is a village to buy my wine or fuel etc.
I am proposing to get the Navicarte up to Paris and the book "Inland Waterways of France".
Is this sufficient information to complete the trip?
I would also welcome any advice on whether to carry my mast (31ft. sailing boat with rather long mast) or to have it transported. Opinions on this seem to differ.
 
When we planned a similar trip, we pretty well bought every chart and pilot going. In hindsight, we could have saved a fair bit and just bought the excellent Navicarte series. You could get away with one book - like the one by David Edwards May - but I wasn't particularly impressed with its accuracy.

The Navicartes are fairly detailed and will certainly give you all the information you need. I don't think that they are particularly expensive either. An any case, after boating in the UK, you're going to find the whole canal experience very inexpensive.

I think you are going to want more information than just when the next lock or town is coming up. For example, it's useful to know in advance the height of locks, so that you know what ropes to get ready and whether they are automatic or manually operated etc.

Michael Briant, who posts on here under the name of his boat - Eloise I think - has a website full of information on the subject.
www.michaelbriant.com

We carried our mast on our boat, which is the same length as yours. It has never got in the way and provides a useful support for an awning over the cockpit.
 
Get Navicarte book one. This will get you to Paris. If you look on the back cover you will see a map of all the canals and the Navicarte volume that covers each section. I recomend that you get all the books necessary to cover the whole of the route.

Volume 1 gets you from Le Havre to Paris.
Vols 10 and 16 gets you from Chalon sur Saone to the Med.

Between these two you need to decide which route you are going to take. Volumes 2 and 6 or 3 and 8 etc.

Don't forget that you must have your ICC with the CEVNI endorsement from the RYA. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Is bloc marine better as well as cheaper would you say? I just did a quick search of bloc marine in Google because I don't recall seeing the publication for sale out there. The blurb for it, under the heading of 'Language' says "Multilingue". How good is the English translation - or would I be better off brushing up my French? I want to buy an up to date pilot this summer and I might put bloc marine on my shopping list.
 
Blocmarine is only about a tenner. The translations are limited but since lots of the info is tabular, you don't need French to understand it. Not sure how much help it would be in the canals. I think TCM must be thinking of going around, as he does.
 
We did this trip last year. With the benefit of hindsight we would purchase the Navicartes for the rivers and rely upon the "Inland Waterways" book by David wossisname for the canals.

Mast on deck allows you to change your plans as to where you emerge from the inland system and provides a tent/shade basis. Take your mast down at Le Havre rather than Rouen because the Rouen fellows can be a little heavy handed.
 
Our experience coming northbound, was that opposite direction travellers were only too happy to sell/exchange charts and books once they were surplus to their requirements. Perhaps consider just getting what you need to get started?
 
\"livree de Bord\"

livre de bord might be the name. Anyway, its the std "almanac" thing like we have macmillans so they have livre de bord (which mite be sponsored or otherwise called Bloc Marine, not sure) cept there's is 20euros instead of a gazillion pounds.

I wdve thort that with thos two, you got mostly what you need in terms of boaty info. the hardback pilot books are often much more out of date regading phone numebrs and so on and far more expensive.
 
Re: \"livree de Bord\"

I haven't seen my boat, which is wintering on the Saone, since November! I'm hoping it's still there when I get back - or this whole pilot book thing might be academic! Thanks for info - I had wondered if they might have a similar almanac type book.
 
We went through France a year ago. Navicartes are both indispensible and infuriating. They are the best available, and you need a good guide because even in bigger rivers you'll want to know where the shallows are, etc. But they're not especially up to date, and they contain errors. We spotted at least one photo used for two different bridges, and indications of bridge supports, and the correct span to take, in the book that were different from reality on the water.

Information on this, and lots of other waterways stuff, photos etc. on our website.

Hope you enjoy France. We really did.
 
Re: \"Livre de Bord\"

I think the Bloc Marine LdeB covers some canals. Cost for 2005 edition is €21.01 - I bought one last week for SamiLymington, a poster on Mobochat. You could PM him to ask what it contains, he has a copy with him right now. I dont, ours is on the boat
 
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