French Canals (Again!..sorry)

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My wife and I are in the planning stage of taking our fin keeled Kelt 850 (Draught 1.62m / 5'4" ) to the Med via the French Canals next spring.The plan at the moment is to get to Le Havre and have the mast lifted off there.I am told that the boat will float about 3" lower in fresh water taking my draught to 5'7".It would appear that the min.depth in the canals is 5'11" /1.78m.
1. Am I likely to reduce my draught significantly by having the mast shipped south by lorry?
2. Is approximately 4" clearance enough?- or am I likely to spend significant periods 'ploughing' my way to the Med?
3. Does anyone have any experience of / opinions re taking a yacht round to Bordeaux and having her lifted out there and taken by lorry to the Med? (As I believe she is too deep draughted for the Canal du Midi)
Any opinions / information would be most welcome.
 
We came down the canal de l'est from Holland and Belgium this year. MAximum authorised draught is 1.8 metres. we officially draw 1.85 and had no serious problems. We dismasted outside Amsterdam (Muiden) built a frame for the mast and had it on top of the deck. Quite useful for keeping the rain off.
Our journey mas most enjoyable and we will return the same way, next year maybe. Maybe.
 
"we officially draw 1.85 and had no serious problems" - can you tell us what kind of problems you did have?

My boat draws 1.90 and I would like to use the canals as a shortcut from Marseiles - can I expect "serious" problems? and if so what will they entail?

Does a draught of 1.90 mean the canal du Midi is an impossible route?
 
Yes canal du midi is impossible. As far as we know the draught there is 1.2 metres. We touched bottom a few times, mainly in the very north of France. Quite often there is a bar at the lower end of the lock where silt is dumped. Not once did we need assistance to get out of trouble, we were however very careful. Danish friends drawing 1.7 went aground daily, but only because they didn't think where they were going. Keep to the towpath side of the canal or where the towpath used to be. Follow the directions from the signs and the "chart". The only time we went deep into the sand was when we strayed off the path. It was however a releif to get to deeper water in the south, St. Jean de Losne southwards. We have friends who went via Paris, their draught 1.6 metres, and then came through the Canal du Centre and Lateral. They had no problems whatsoever with depth.
 
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