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spain to uk through the canals

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  • 21 Dec 2013 20:32
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    Reply # 1462260 on 1233737
    Deleted user
    Hi Nick

    I've been wondering how you got on; great to hear from you again. Well done. Shame you had to park up in France but what a great trip you can look forward to next year.

    Port La Nouvelle is where we entered the canal system when we brought our Sunbird back from the Med, though we turned left for the Midi. Much enjoyed your video which brought back many memories of coasting down there. Lovely evenings and hope you found some good anchorages. Interesting arrangement you have for the outboard  -looks like a sound defensive weapon!

    Let us know all about the trip sometime. David is still looking for articles for the next issue of our magazine :-)
  • 20 Dec 2013 23:22
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    Reply # 1462005 on 1233737
    Anonymous member
    just an update to my initial question, thanks for all the answers and help it really made a big difference. i sailed otter round the spanish and french coasts in the med and entered the french canal system at port nouvelle, then motored north. i ran out of time and daylight hours, and i have parked her in north france, 30 km south of calais, i will resume the journey back to blakeney in early spring.. here is a you tube link to my maiden voyage in her after 2 months work in the boat yard....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKX45u16KI&feature=youtu.be  
    i have got a load of other footage that i might well put up on you tube as well
    Last modified: 21 Dec 2013 20:26 | Deleted user
  • 18 Apr 2013 19:46
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    Reply # 1272204 on 1233737
    Deleted user
    nick johnson wrote:

    hello

    I have bought otter, a junk rig steel 30 ft, she is in spain, and im looking to bring her back to the uk via the canals..i have never done this before...does any one have any tips for me?

    http://otterboat.blogspot.co.uk/

    thanks for any ideas..nick


    Hey Nick

    We are heading the other way at the moment, we might see you somewhere in the middle..

    No useful info to share, but would second the suggestion to have a look at this:

    I guess you know you need a International Certificate of Competence for the French canals? If you have a Dayskipper or better then RYA will send you one for £30. and you also need  a Cevni test? You can do this online: http://www.sailtrain.co.uk/cevni/images/cevni1.htm for about £20

    Best 

    Sam
    Last modified: 18 Apr 2013 19:56 | Deleted user
  • 13 Mar 2013 21:02
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    Reply # 1241993 on 1233737
    Deleted user
    The Rhone was pretty commercial when we did it way back and I would guess it's more so now. Pleased to hear the current is perhaps not so much of a problem.

    Barges can be a problem on any canal as they hold their course, shove water out of the way and the 'vacuum' sucks you in 'til you learn to compensate.

    The Midi as Robert said is very pretty and not one to rush through (you're in a wine region anyway). Barges weren't much of a problem.

    Steel tent pegs and a mallet for mooring work well, depending on boat length. As he said, read the guide and plan ahead - some stretches of the Midi have long gaps between places where you can stop - not a major issue though.
  • 10 Mar 2013 12:22
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    Reply # 1238868 on 1233737
    Anonymous member
      Nick I came through the midi into the med in 2008 , using a guide book called Canaux du midi by Jean MorloT in three languages , one in English it was very good it gives all the imfo  about bridge hights and clearence   and you can get one called ,   Canal du Rhone A Sete .    If you go through the Midi you need some  scrap tyres I found mine in the canal they may leave black marks but they will save the apolstry .  You will go up hill to Toulouse then down hill from there , I was advised not to stay over night in Tolus rough people sleep on the banks and the water gets sludgy  , both flows are max 2nts .   You have to pay a fee at first lock to get a licence depends on your length , horse power , and I think how long you want to stay in the canal , I payed for 2 months think it cost about 50 euros , I had to stay 2 months more but nobody said anything . get two thick iron bars and a hammer  so you can tie up at night ,save some mons , I used tree roots ,  locks stop in the evening and start in the morn. watch out for the french general Holiday .   Before you leave the canal  on your way to Bordoux check the tide on the river it holds up the river and when it ebbs you can get up 6 kts .   As you come into Bordoux before a huge multi arch bridge on the left there is a lock in to the old submarine pens +marina on the left bank, if it is closed you can tie up 1oo mtrs up from the gate , you can get your mast put up there . Its beautiful on the canal allow some time to explore .   Read the guide well before you start . Sorry I can,t give you any imfo on the Rhone but I think its more comercial .            
  • 08 Mar 2013 03:53
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    Reply # 1236779 on 1233737
    Anonymous member
    Hi Nick,

    Going up the Rhone is not much of a problem. Its a wide river and close to the bank you can effectively get out of the current almost completely. The current downstream from each lock can be a problem - just go a bit slower for a mile or two. All the Rhone locks have floating bollards and are easy to manage, even Bollens lock, the deepest in France, at 26 metres. The water comes in from under the boat without any strain on the lines. Its like being in a lift. We went up the Rhone against the current and the Mistral and managed it without a problem. There are interesting towns and places to moor and it is also possible to anchor on side arms or extra wide sections of the river. Its a great experience.

    Rob
  • 07 Mar 2013 07:25
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    Reply # 1235865 on 1235710
    Anonymous member
    nick johnson wrote:
    hello there, and thanks for the advise, I too have read it is a delight of a trip, I guess which ever way I go it is going to be a pretty interesting journey..i have read that Biscay is not a nice place, but I am thinking because of Otters low draft, that I could day sail and coast hop round Portugal and France..good to hear you have done it, were there any long legs, where you could not get into a port?
    Hi Nick,
    I wouldn't advise trying to sail north up the Portuguese coast - in summer there's a high proportion of strong northerly wind - the ' Nortada', the Portuguese Trades. It's nice coming the other way, though! That's why Annie said to go out to the Azores; you get a better chance of fair winds out there, then light winds in the Azores High, then the Westerlies to bring you home. That would be the sailing route.

    North of the Gironde, there are plenty of places to stop, so day sailing is easy, but there's a long stretch of the French coast, from the Spanish border to the Gironde, with only Arcachon for shelter, and the Landes military firing range keeping you offshore. That's why Brian recommended the Canal du Midi route, which has to be the easiest and most enjoyable. And when you're in the Garonne river itself, you're going downhill, whereas with the Rhone route, you're going steeply uphill.
    Last modified: 07 Mar 2013 07:31 | Anonymous member
  • 07 Mar 2013 02:33
    Quote
    Reply # 1235710 on 1234532
    Anonymous member
    Brian Kerslake wrote:Hi Nick

    My wife and I and our two small kids in 1980 took our Sunbird 32 junk from Germany to the south of France via German and French rivers and canals, popping into the Med via the Rhone and Petit Rhone around Agde. You can also exit near Sete.

    We did the reverse trip some years later, that time via the Canal du Midi then up the Brittany coast to cross the Channel to Plymouth. In a shallow draft boat like Otter you could cut the sometimes difficult corner of NW France, entering a canal system at I think Nantes and exiting via the Durance, then cross the Channel via the Channel Islands.

    Whichever route you take you need to check depths and air heights. This site is a good place to start research, and a good reference book is Through the French Canals. If you choose to go up the Rhone, do it in the autumn and if there's been lots of summer rain or if your engine is a bit dubious, expect to need a tow. The Midi can be shallow in the summer but that wouldn't bother Otter. When we went that way the Midi was in drought but we got behind a 5 foot draft French boat (ours was four) and followed her to Bordeaux.

    We've a couple of members with a barge in France - sorry, can't remember who - but if they read this I'm sure they'll be in touch. As far as I know there are no canals linking Spain to the French system.

    ( Don't listen to Annie - a cruise through the French Canals is one of life's 'must do' experiences.)



    hello there, and thanks for the advise, I too have read it is a delight of a trip, I guess which ever way I go it is going to be a pretty interesting journey..i have read that Biscay is not a nice place, but I am thinking because of Otters low draft, that I could day sail and coast hop round Portugal and France..good to hear you have done it, were there any long legs, where you could not get into a port?
  • 07 Mar 2013 02:19
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    Reply # 1235697 on 1234494
    Anonymous member
    Annie Hill wrote:Judging by the blog about Otter, she has already done the trip the other way.  I'd pump her previous owner for info if I were you!  It would be a fun trip, but an even better one, IMHO, would be to sail from the Med to the Azores and back to the UK that way.  After all, she is a sailing boat :-)


    hello there

    yes she has done the trip via Germany, unfortunately the guy who sailed the boat to the med has passed away,  sadly I cant get any info there..

    My heart would dearly love to bring her back by sea, although the Azores are a bit out of my remit so far, ive only done coast hoping...also the boat has not had any sea going attention for about 6 years. I really wanted to get it back to the uk to bring her up to date..who knows what ill work out before the return trip
  • 07 Mar 2013 02:14
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    Reply # 1235695 on 1233843
    Anonymous member
    Paul Thompson wrote:Nick, welcome! Can't give you any advise for your trip as I have never done it (although I hope to do it one day) but I will say, it should be a great trip and we will all be eagerly awaiting your reports of your adventures.

    Otter is a great boat. I remember reading about the original design in PBO. I think that was in the 1980's and I remember thinking that I'd like one. That has not happened but it's still a boat of great interest to me.

    I hope you have a great time and many.many happy miles of sailing.
    thanks for that, im hoping to do some videos and put them up on on you tube of the trip
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