Swimming in the French canals????

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Juggerknot

Hahaha, yeah. A local kid fell in near the water taxis in Altamira and got the flesh eating bacteria, killed him. I'd run across crocs lined up before I go in that water!

As a kid I used to swim in murky waters full of gators & snakes, polluted waters, zero vis water in the Gulf of Mexico, and thought nothing of it. I now try to execise more caution...since I assume I over drew that account!

Ive seen kids swimming in very polluted waters in many places in Central America. Not gonna join in.

We too are interested in cruising the canals of France, which is why this thread caught my attention. I will not be swimming.

[Good]

Watch out for garter snakes

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Good

Watch out for garter snakes

Is that advice for the ladies here..???

[Richbayle]

I think you will find the title of the post was sailing the french canals

[SimonFirth]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Just look at the bloody water? Why would you even consider it? We have enjoyed the canals many times (midi, Nivernais, a few others, plus the UK).

Think about it? How does the water flow, and from where? High points with water and the rest is downhill all the way, trapped by locks.

Grimy from boat exhausts is more than enough. I could never understand people fishing off the banks - who'd wanna eat that carp?


We canoed on the Lot. Don't bother.

I spent a month on the VNF canals in 2008, Midi, Nivernais, Burgundy, Seine, Loire, Saone.
Don’t bother looking at them, you only have to smell them to know contact with canal water is unsafe.
I think the fishermen are into it for the sport, not the tucker.

[Juggerknot]

I really try and stay out of fresh water as a rule, down here the rivers are pretty bad even in nice countries and the amoeba and MRSA are not on my bucket list. Even growing up in the south I never liked the fresh water between gators, moccasins, snapping turtles... now the beach is a different story.

[ameehan]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Just to be clear the River Lot is just that a river. It’s not a canal even though parts of it are canalised, many French rivers have swimming places and what not.

Many French canals are actually very clean , the MIDI being an exception especially in the summer.

Least you get the wrong impression there are not “ lots “ of dead animals in French canals. No more then any canal.

Travelling by French canal and or French rivers is an enchanting experience , wonderful villages , nice people ( always have your “ bonjours “ ready ) and of course the best food on the planet. What’s not to like.

Your post is titled “swimming in French CANALS”
Two words to finish this ludicrous topic, Weils Disease,

AM

[vrxagjf]

We hired a Le Boat with our German friends in August 2019. This was in northern Germany, so I can't really speak for France. I believe it's illegal to dump anywhere in Germany. This is not surprising to us knowing how particular they are when it comes to pollution (we lived there for 11 years about 20 years back). We used dump stations every time. The route we took used canals to move from lake to lake. You could possibly swim in the canals, but there was usually too much traffic. We stopped every night in one of the lakes. We had no concerns swimming there, nor did our German friends who live there.

[merrydolphin]

I too have sailed much of the world. 90% of the world does not have pump out stations. And quite frankly they are not needed in areas of good tidal flow. The French canals are a pretty enclosed an small volume body of water. I would not swim in them even it they had pump outs and people used them. I is a fact that the VAST majority of water pollution come from ashore and run off. Municipalities boaters are a loose unorganized group that make a very easy target for the real polluters to blame. Again, in an enclosed smaller body of water with very poor circulation, this is when holding and pump out could be called for. But this is very much in the minority. The French canals? Beautiful scenery but….yuk!

[S/V Adeline]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Quite correct. One example, hikers in the US used to advocate drinking from clear mountain streams but that clear mountain stream can be polluted with all sorts of nasty bacteria.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a cold, refreshing drink from a crystal clear mountain stream...then walking another 20-30 yards upstream to find a rotting carcass half submerged. (For our non-US speaking folks, yards are very similar to meters [emoji12])

[Harmen]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

As a kid I used to swim in murky waters full of gators & snakes, polluted waters, zero vis water in the Gulf of Mexico, and thought nothing of it. I now try to execise more caution...since I assume I over drew that account!

Ive seen kids swimming in very polluted waters in many places in Central America. Not gonna join in.

We too are interested in cruising the canals of France, which is why this thread caught my attention. I will not be swimming.

About 15 years ago, my GF at the time decided to visit her family in the very south of Vietnam. While there, she noticed some of her nephews jumping into the local canal and decided to join them. She ended up in emergency at a local hospital with a serious rash all over and fever. A year later she was diagnosed with liver cancer and died after a transplant.
Our high hygienic standards are actually weakening our immune systems through lack of exposure. The nephews are doing fine......

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by Harmen

About 15 years ago, my GF at the time decided to visit her family in the very south of Vietnam. While there, she noticed some of her nephews jumping into the local canal and decided to join them. She ended up in emergency at a local hospital with a serious rash all over and fever. A year later she was diagnosed with liver cancer and died after a transplant.
Our high hygienic standards are actually weakening our immune systems through lack of exposure. The nephews are doing fine......

I'm really sorry to hear that! Was there a clear connection between the rash and the cancer though?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Harmen

About 15 years ago, my GF at the time decided to visit her family in the very south of Vietnam. While there, she noticed some of her nephews jumping into the local canal and decided to join them. She ended up in emergency at a local hospital with a serious rash all over and fever. A year later she was diagnosed with liver cancer and died after a transplant.

Our high hygienic standards are actually weakening our immune systems through lack of exposure. The nephews are doing fine......

Geez, thats a dramatic case! But yes, the kids I've seen swimming in known polluted waters in many places seemed to be doing just fine. Of course there is a lot of variability in individual physiology...some people get exposed to potential carcinogens and have no ill effect, others die.

I used to swim in waters as a kid that I now know were badly polluted. I got the occassional ear infection, but Im otherwise OK (my wife might not agree!).

[Juggerknot]

I used to skateboard behind the mosquito truck when I was a kid, God knows what that'll lead to hahahahaha...YMMV

[Jim Cate]

I suspect this is similar to the "tourist trots" that folks get when cruising Mexican waters. The same water and food has no bad effect upon the locals, whose immune systems are used to the pathogens, but we gringos get sick when we eat or drink the food and water in some places.

You might get away with the exposure, but then again, you might not. Your choice!

Jim