Help just brought a small boat.

[viva]

As an alternative...Get her up to the Charente. It does not have the same rules as most of the Canals/Rivers and is navigable to Angouleme, though your keel might limit you to somewhere past Cognac.QUOTE]
Oh and your mast might be an issue on the first bridge you come to. Come on - the Charente above Saint Savien is no place for a yacht

 

[Mark G]

But are you (out of interest - I know it doesn't apply to the OP) saying that one doesn't need CEVNI and/or ICC with an outboard of less than 6hp (given there is no other form of propulsion)..?

From what I can make out from the extremely complex rules, you would not need CEVNI and/or ICC for any boat with an outboard of less than 6hp.

 

[DownWest]

As an alternative...Get her up to the Charente. It does not have the same rules as most of the Canals/Rivers and is navigable to Angouleme, though your keel might limit you to somewhere past Cognac.QUOTE]
Oh and your mast might be an issue on the first bridge you come to. Come on - the Charente above Saint Savien is no place for a yacht

You missed the point: I mentioned raising the mast to access the sea for sailing. Commercial traffic stops at Tonnay Charente, a bit below the first low bridge. St Savinien is a few km up the river and I am not reccommending sailing on the river. Part of the original posts was the idea that he has a base in France for holidays, the info I am giving is in that vein. Funnily enough, there is a fully rigged 40ft boat at Taillebourge, can't imagine why. As I said before, lots of the boats used on the river are sailing boats without their rigs. And a lot of fun is had by the owners. Nobody I have met has had any hassle about permis/other licences. Or even seen a 'river policeman'. Your milage may very.

 

[Mark G]

Nobody I have met has had any hassle about permis/other licences. Or even seen a 'river policeman'.

The VNF map shows the Charente as a “Voies navigable – non VNF”, so it is likely not to be policed like other rivers that are controlled by VNF.

 

[viva]

The VNF map shows the Charente as a “Voies navigable – non VNF”, so it is likely not to be policed like other rivers that are controlled by VNF.

Whether the river is policed or not is irrelevant. We are trying to provide advice to a novice and it is better that he knows the law rather than the likelihood of being caught. There may no be a lot of policing visible on the river, as is the case in most of France I have sailed, that is until you have an accident when the lack of the appropriate certificates is likely to cost you dear as well as invalidating insurance.

 

[DownWest]

Whether the river is policed or not is irrelevant. We are trying to provide advice to a novice and it is better that he knows the law rather than the likelihood of being caught. There may no be a lot of policing visible on the river, as is the case in most of France I have sailed, that is until you have an accident when the lack of the appropriate certificates is likely to cost you dear as well as invalidating insurance.

The OP seems to have bought a boat in an area which may not be ideal for his ideas. I suggested an alternative. He doesn't have to flout the rules, putting an outboard on the back could avoid a few. Esp. as I wonder if the installed diesel is servicable due to its age/spares availability. On the river, getting a permis would not be too difficult. In the mean time he could enjoy things while getting organised. Most people appear not to bother. Not a defence,just what happens.

 

[Ru88ell]

I took my previous boat there for a fortnight a couple of years ago. It's a stunning location to sail. Here's my video

 

[Mark G]

I've took my previous boat there for a fortnight a couple of years ago. It's a stunning location to sail. Here's my video

Super video. Looks like you had a wonderful time. Where on the lake did you moor the boat?

 

[Greenheart]

Very nice video, but wasn't it maddening to have a great little boat which you weren't allowed to spend a night aboard, on the lake? Or, is the rule not very strictly enforced?

 

[Ru88ell]

We stayed in a 'chalet' at the La Rive complex. It has a small lagoon with finger pontoons.

Had I kept Zephyr I would definitely have taken her back, but lived aboard for a few weeks. The launch sites were free, and I could have stayed on said La Rive finger pontoon un-noticed, and helped myself to their facilities. I'm sure I could have done the same with other locations around the lake. I did see a police launch, and it came over to me one day just to wave and shout nice comments about the boat. Had the bothered to check they would have noticed that I hadn't even bothered to buy a permit.