French canals,du centre, lateral a la Loire, de briare

[kalindi]

Is anyone travelling along this route at the moment, we are due to enter at Chalon sure Saone in a couple of days and have heard that the water levels are very low. We need 1.7m which I know is pushing it a bit but if the water levels is very low then we will probably have to think again.

 

[Sea Devil]

more info here - the VNF - French waterways authorities try hard to maintain depths for the commercial traffic using the waterways - more info here http://www.michaelbriant.com/sn3.htm and go to the vnf site at http://www.vnf.fr/vnf/faq.vnf?lang=en&action=byType&type=missions for updates in English

 

[Andy and Lyn]

Oh dear!
I'm in the Canal du Midi. Heading NW but "stuck" between Carca and Castel! Having a rethink....

 

[kalindi]

Well we are due to enter the canal system on Wednesday at Chalon sur Saone. Thanks Paw Paw I have worked through the vnf website and no notices about low water. So unless we hear to the contrary at Chalon we will go for it.
Andy and Lyn I hope you find a good solution

 

[hoped4]

We are doing the opposite, currently on the Lateral a la Loire between Briare and Nevers heading south. We only need 1m but have seen no signs of low water or heard anything. E.G. - Yesterday some of the lock gates at the upper level were full to the brim when going through, so there appears no shortage of water here. But I suppose it could be different at different sections? I had wondered about water supply myself as we have seen so little rain since we came in to France in early May.

 

[kalindi]

That really is good news, hopefully we will pass on route so lookout for Swiftnick a tradewind 33 with the mast on deck

 

[blampied]

Over the last month We have been traveling along Canal du Midi heading west.
We draw 1.2 m and have had no problems with depth.
Canal Must have been dredged, as Depth is far better than it was 2 years ago when we regally hit the bottom.
We're currently lifted out of the water at Castelsarrasin having the bow thruster repaired, after it died.
Were hoping for no more delays,
Expect to be back in by middle of the week, hedding for Bordeaux then hopefully up the Bay of Biscay while summer weather is still good.

 

[blampied]

Christophe at Castelsarrasin Fluviel boat yard.
His direct line 0623845689

 

[Grehan]

Yes I think that water levels and reserves are generally ok at the moment. More or less this time last year we were stuck in Auxonne for weeks because of floods (Auxonne is a great place to be stuck I hasten to add). Current BBC news is about Record Rainfall in Paris http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40554842.
If history repeats itself, by later in the year in 2016 the northern Saone/Canal des Vosges was short of water, levels were down and boats were having problems . . .

 

[kalindi]

Well, at 1.7m draft, we made it through the canal system and are now moored up in Paris. We bounced over a couple of patches but really only ploughed through in a couple of places where i was too ambitious in trying to reach the bank. I dont think that the water levels could have been any higher as most of the lock gates were overflowing.