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04-02-2025, 02:22
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 7
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Trawler from Baltic to Med
Is there a feasible route for a 45 displacement trawler together from the Baltic/Northern Europe to the Mediterranean/Black Sea?
I know my air draft is too high for the French canals. And, I’m worried about the current on the Rhine. I cruise at 7 knots but can do 9 at a push.
Any suggestions?
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04-02-2025, 04:54
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#2
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Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Cruising North Sea and Baltic (Summer)
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 35,266
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
There are several different French canal routes. I'd be surprised if you can't find one which works.
Midi Canal is 3.3m. Can you take masts down and fit into that?
If not, then Seine-Scheldt-Saone-Rhone has at least 6m if my memory serves, and is suitable for quite large vessels.
Then as the above poster stated, you can always go the long way around through the Danube and Black Sea.
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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04-02-2025, 07:45
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
French canals is NO GO. Except if your wide is not more then 5 meters and draft not more then 1.80.
Otherwise the only option is the one we did, Danube channel.
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04-02-2025, 07:59
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#4
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Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Cruising North Sea and Baltic (Summer)
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 35,266
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Quote:
Originally Posted by kock
French canals is NO GO. Except if your wide is not more then 5 meters and draft not more then 1.80.
Otherwise the only option is the one we did, Danube channel.
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You're thinking of the Midi Canal. That's not the only route.
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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04-02-2025, 08:03
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 7
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Quote:
Originally Posted by kock
French canals is NO GO. Except if your wide is not more then 5 meters and draft not more then 1.80.
Otherwise the only option is the one we did, Danube channel.
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What is the Danube route?
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04-02-2025, 08:52
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Other channels are also NO GO if your are more wide then 5 meters.
The Danube route is coming from the Netherlands: Rhine, Main, MDK and Danube (Donau).
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04-02-2025, 08:59
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 7
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Thanks. I've heard the Rhine current can be very strong. I'm concerned about being able to make headway in places. Is 7 knots enough?
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04-02-2025, 09:21
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#8
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 31,284
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
The Rhine flows very fast, with a normal water level of 6 to 8 kilometres per hour (roughly 4 to 5 miles per hour) in the area around Cologne and Düsseldorf.
In other areas the flow is 4-5km/hr depending on weather.
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"It is better to die standing proud, than to live a lifetime on ones knees.."
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04-02-2025, 09:30
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,043
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
The Dora Mac, which is/was a displacement Diesel Duck of 51/52 feet, went to the Black see in the 2017 time frame. I was able to find this short article, https://www.passagemaker.com/trawler...gh-over-europe. They had a blog the described the trip. The blog was quite informative. The owners sold Dora Mac years ago. Hopefully, you can find their old blog.
They might have been active on the Trawler Forum. https://www.trawlerforum.com/
They did have to take down their mast.
Traveling to the Black Sea and across it would be an interesting experience given Putin's War.
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04-02-2025, 10:12
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#10
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Caribbean and PNW, used to be San Francisco Bay and California
Boat: Jeanneau 43 DS and Leopard 45
Posts: 532
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
At the risk of slightly hijacking this thread, is there any possibility to have a 25ft beam (7.6m) catamaran to take through any route through the canals in Europe? We would love to do this and obviously the mast needs to come down but wondering about the beam.
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04-02-2025, 10:58
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#11
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Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Cruising North Sea and Baltic (Summer)
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 35,266
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Quote:
Originally Posted by TomIre
What is the Danube route?
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Rhine, Rhine-Main-Danube canal, Danube, Black Sea.
It's suitable for big ships, so ok for whatever pleasure craft.
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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04-02-2025, 11:19
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Arctic Ocean
Boat: Under construction 35' ketch (and +3 smaller)
Posts: 3,001
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
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Yesterday, 00:23
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Australia
Boat: 50' aluminium power cat
Posts: 320
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
I did a Google map of the route but can't seem to share it. See pic attached.
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Yesterday, 00:34
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#14
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Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Cruising North Sea and Baltic (Summer)
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 35,266
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
Quote:
Originally Posted by dannc
. . . Traveling to the Black Sea and across it would be an interesting experience given Putin's War.
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The war will be over soon, we can hope.
If it's not: the Danube Delta is pretty close to the Romanian-Ukrainian border, and there has been some military action near there, so you would want to be careful and be sure that nothing is going on as you come out.
But going South from there towards Istanbul should not be a problem.
Another question is what your insurance company will think about it. Need to check that, too.
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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Yesterday, 00:55
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3
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Re: Trawler from Baltic to Med
We just did this route and it's easy for vessels not higher then 6 meter. We made a documentary on YouTube if you search for Motirboot Pastel you can watch it and ask any question.
Currently we are on the Black Sea and it's safe when heading south.
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