Canal Boats

Picture 1 & 2: Canal boats on the Siene
Picture 3: Elegant canal boat on the Siene in Paris.

Canal boats come in an incredible variety of designs, shapes and sizes. They can be as elegant as a beautifully preserved Trumpy, look at home in a Florida marina, or be as plain as an old Clorox bottle. The one we rented was closer in appearance to the later. But all canal boats have the same things in common: they are narrow and low. The width of locks and bridge clearance determines the maximum of these. On the Nivernais Canal where we were there were several bridges with a clearance no greater than 3.3 meters. Some of the locks were no more than 10-12 feet wide. The length of the boat will also determine which locks it can pass through. The elegant boat in picture 3 would never fit in some of the locks we passed through.

Our boat was a 21 year old Traditional 1135. I can't find a picture of it. This is an old style European canal boat. It was only 35' long with a center "living area" or salon. It had a small stateroom, and smaller head (toilet and shower) both back and front. Just right for two couples. It also had a small gallery with a refrigerator that never got colder than 55 degrees, just perfect for wine. It had a sliding cabin top that allowed the front half of the living area to be opened to the air. With the windshield dropped it was a great warm weather boat. We picked it up in the village of Migennes on the Burgundy (Bourgogne) canal where it joins the Nivernais Canal and the Yonne River. This is about 160 kilometers (95 miles or so) SSW of Paris. I'll post our itinerary next.