Canal boat self charter and wine country

If you go to Tripadvisor, pick the tab More, then pick forums, and then type in France canal boats, you will get to some first hand stories of people who have done the canal boat thing. Good luck, hope it all works out.

Or you can just lurk around here until somebody spots your question. Regarding the routes and neglecting the wine business: I'd rank Burgundy after Brittany and Languedoc as far as routes in France, but well above the Canal du Midi. The routes in Italy that I've noticed are only around Venice - - not a starter for me. Tops of all are narrowboats in the UK followed by the Caledonian Canal - - probably not much wine, however. The best way to pick a route is to look at the number of potential stops - - you can hit some going and the rest coming, rather than having to repeat yourself. You can always find something interesting to eat. I wouldn't focus on wineries since they are all are pretty much alike. Regarding the boats: Look carefully at the plans - - "sleeps five" with two couples means somebody's sleeping on the kitchen table. Use soft-sided (wadable) luggage, storage room is scarce. Get a boat with an inside steering station - - simply covered steering won't do when the rains come. You'll get both mooring lines and stakes - - use the stakes along the banks when there's no rings/cleats/bollards. The boats are goverened down to three or hour knots, a lock takes about twenty minutes, so figure in an hour you can make two miles plus a lock, two locks and a mile, etc. Locks may be unattended or have a keeper - - you'll learn all about them in the one-hour orientation course. The battery isolation switch doesn't always work - - run the engine for fifteen or twenty minutes before you turn in for the night - - and fire it up before people start using electricty in the morning.

Regarding the trip: Take grub for breakfasts and at least a couple of lunches, you might not be near a stopping place at meal time. Get your stocks laid in before you get to the marina or else it's going to like shopping at a 7-Eleven. Have something for supper in case it's raining. Take a rain jacket and hat. Skip the bikes, they just get in the way and you'll only use them once at most. Figure on stopping early so you get a good spot. You're not allowed to operate the boats at night. Regarding pitfalls: Not many. The dumbest I ever saw was an idiot that filled the holding tank thinking it was the water tank. If you fall in, stand up - - the water probably isn't that deep. If somebody else falls in, chop the engine so they don't get chewed up trying to get back aboard. The boats are simple, when I had kids of the age, the seven and eight year olds could run the boat while the parents walked the tow paths. Regarding the companies: I've used Locaboat several times in several countries so obviously have nothing bad to say about them. I've read about LeBoat a good bit and they seem equally good.

Canal du Midi is great for wine and scenery, although I've only done it walking. Burgundy may be even better. We had thought about doing a barge, but after friends of ours did a week along the Canal du Midi in the rain we decided against it. Instead we simply rent houses and walk along the canals when possible.

The problem with Midi is that, in high season, it's wall-to-wall bumper boats. You can't even find a place to tie up for the night that's not way the hell and gone.

I had a feeling that's the case, Ed. We've only been there in April and October, when there haven't been swarms of boats or people.

I need to fess up that I've never been on the Midi in a rental boat. But, I did help a friend move a sailboat (masts unstepped and cradled) through the whole Gironde/Lateral/Midi system from Bordeaux to Narbonne. We poked, and by the time we hit Casteinaudry it was late May or early June and starting to get pretty jammed up. By Carcassone you could barely manuever. It got worse the further east you went.