Potentially Catastrophic Canal Du Midi bid

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Major Catastrophe

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After reading the article in MBM, provided with much thanks to Polyanna, about the nutters who took an inflatable tender all the way to the Black Sea, I am minded to take a 3.8m tender and 'do' part of the Canal Du Midi next summer for a couple of weeks, camping canal side and using hotel restaurants en route. (Did you spot the French there?)

Imagine it, one driving and the other reading a book as the French countryside slowly goes past, but without having to clean a floating caravan and we find something else to do if it rains. Take folding bike and keep the car within a few k, moving it up every night.

So, questions:

Do I need to get my CEVNI for a tender and outboard?

Will I have to haul out at every lock?

I think that just about covers it!!! Unless the learned forum comes up with summit.
 
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No idea of the answers to your questions but I look forward to reading your account of the inland "voyage".

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I have already created an appropriate Word document in anticipation.
 
Rather you than me. With no shelter you'll fry in the Med sun. In fact if you put a couple of inches of vegetable oil in the bottom of the tender, you could saute (blimey, another French word) yourself. Then, for sure, you'll stick a tent pole thru the rubber tube by accident. Sounds like a bad idea to me. What's wrong with renting one of those naff hire cruisers?
 
Au contraire, I think it will be fun in September and don't forget, I am used to proper Australian sun and anyway, there is often plenty of shade on the Du Midi.

I hate holiday hire cruisers with a passion. This will be more like touring on a Solex motorised bicycle compared with a motor home.

Anyway, if we don't like one area, we deflate, throw it in the car, and try elsewhere.
 
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So, questions:

Do I need to get my CEVNI for a tender and outboard?

CEVNI--- C hris's E xcelent V enture N ow I t's gotta happen!

Will I have to haul out at every lock?

Portage practice could be arranged at Dinorwic Marina no doubt.
Folding and unfolding of cycles.
Advice on stowage/ weight distribution.
I can see lots of advice being proffered /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif


I believe the Midi is a little short of water in some spots.
Maybe some shallow water practice/ experience might be in order.
Trip to Conwy marina perhaps? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif



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Vous savez ce qu'ils disent. Les chiens fou et les Australiens sortir dans le soleil de midi
 
Major,

I say go for it! It will be a fascinating trip. Just get a Dinghy with wheels on it so you can pull it out and take it with you to the camp site. It will be incredible...but uncomfortable!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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Vous savez ce qu'ils disent. Les chiens fou et les Australiens sortir dans le soleil de midi

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Mad maybe, but not Australian.

So, no one knows if I need CEVNI or if it is possible to negotiate locks.
 
There is a major flaw with your idea er major.
One person gets to drive the car with the tent, stove (for a cuppa) pots and pans sleeping bags, gear et all while the other gets to drive the dinghy therefore only taking in 50% of the canal therefore 1/2 hatched plan. It would be better to enjoy the sights/sounds/smells of the canal together in harmony so travel light take 2 sets of clothes, one to wear while the other is drying, get a bit of tapaulin so you can bivvie up the tender each night and forget the car with all the gear and crap? Or take 2 dinghys one for the gear/crap the other for the adventurers?
 
This from the RYA web site

Certificate of competence: No certificate of competence required on a UK registered boat in French coastal waters. ICC required on French inland waters unless the boat is less than 5m in length and is not capable of more than 11 knots (20kph). For vessels over 24m in length the ICC is not sufficient.

Now, as regards the CEVNI endorsement, as it is associated with the ICC, I would assume (and here I duck for cover) that if you need the ICC then you would also need the CEVNI endorsement.

Otherwise no. I imagine you would still have to carry a copy of the CEVNI rules (sensible anyway as it is easy to forget some of the more obscure signals).

As regards VNF toll charges this from the VNF site,

The toll must be paid by every pleasure boat owner (law of 29/10/90, article 124 – decree of 20/08/91 articles 2, 3 and 5, amended by decree n° 2004-1425 of 23 December 2004 – decision of the Vnf Board of Directors of 03/10/2007. Exemptions are granted to boats measuring 5 metres or less in length and which are fitted with an engine less than 9.9 Hp (i.e. 7.29 Kw), as well as all boats used by certain public services (decree of 26/12/96). The toll is payable each time that the boat sails on navigable waterways run by Vnf, subject to the legislation in force, and it provides the payer the right to normal use of the public river domain.

Cheers

Tom
 
Thanks Tom, I was just reading up on the tolls, but the English version of the VNF site's pdf doesn't load properly.

It seems every website on the net has a different story to tell, some say you do need a licence, some say you don't and one says it is okay as long as there is no bunk on board.

TargaLout, The idea is to move the car up as and when. I can use the folding bike to ride into town and get bus or taxi back to the car, especially as the idea is not to travel every inch, but to spend a couple of days on the canal with night in a hotel restaurant or camping, and then a day sight seeing and what have you, before returning to the canal, but not necessary at the place we left off.

It's a holiday, with a bit of adventure thrown in. I am not one for toasting by the side of a pool for a fortnight.

Last year, we went cycle riding along the Loire, but in actual fact we only used the bikes on five days as there was so much to see and do But those days were great. Bikes, wine, cheese, pate and al fresco picnics on the banks of the river miles from anywhere.
 
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Try this

https://www.vnf.fr/vignettesVNF/pages/Images/en/tarifs_en.pdf

Works for me !!

Tom

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No, it crashes while downloading.

Ah! It doesn't like Firefox. Opens in IE okay. Thanks.

Seems it is toll exempt, so I just need to sort out the ICC and CEVNI question. I have my ICC, but as you are finding, there seems to be many different interpretations of the rules.

Thinking of using a 3.8m inflatable with 6 hp four stroke.
 
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