Weymouth to calais?...

[Beebe]

Hi,
Currently weymouth a worst sailor, bought a boat, can't sail, barely swim! Want to do French canals next summer. What do I need to be in French waters and how long to France? All info heatedly appreciated.

Donny.

[Hydra]

Welcome to CruisersForum, Beebe
First, learn how to speak and read French!

Then, look at Voies navigables de France

Alain

[atoll]

get your tides right!

better yet hire a delivery skipper like me,gets pretty busy practising dodge the super tanker on that strech,not to mention the overfalls,wind farms,car ferries,other WAFI traffic....................

what sort of boat?

[Beebe]

32ft wooden motor sailor. 3m beam built 65. Teak on oak. I think a one off. Doesn't have a model or make. Built by J and S Dewar Scotland and designed by G.L Watson. How much does that cost and how long would it take?

Donny.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Beebe

32ft wooden motor sailor. 3m beam built 65. Teak on oak. I think a one off. Doesn't have a model or make. Built by J and S Dewar Scotland and designed by G.L Watson. How much does that cost and how long would it take?

Donny.

it is about a 2day sail or motorsail depending on conditions in that size boat.
i charge £150 a day for short trips plus travel expenses .

you will need to get a cevni qualification for the french canals and radio operators licence,both short courses at your local sailing school.

once in calais you will need to drop the mast and support it at the bow and stearn,once in the canals it is very easy,and you can pretty much stop anywhere bankside.

here is a good web site run by a CF member
Canal and River Routes Through France | Aboard in France

cheers alex

[Tellus]

Originally Posted by Beebe

32ft wooden motor sailor. 3m beam

If you got more than 1,60m draft, stay in UK.
Many of french waterways are bad maintained. And keep an eye for bridge clearances, a german couple had bad experiences with its motorboat some years ago.
They wrote a travel guide about, unluckily in german.

A official site Voies navigables de France
but dont trust draft and clearance

[Beebe]

I think the draft is 1.2m and I need to get the mast down to work on so would probs leave in the UK. Thanks for the advice.

[sestina]

Head for Le Harvre, via Cherbourg and then across the Baie de Seine and enter the canals there.

Don't forget your ICC ticket with the CEVNI endorsement required for Europe's inland waterways.