European Inland Cruising

[AMG1950]

When I retired in 2016 I bought a boat to cruise the inland waterways of Europe. As I had no boating background it was (and is) quite challenging. I realise most of the people on this site are "proper" sailors who actually go to sea but hope I might benefit with technical and practical information. Of course I will be very pleased to share any information I may have gained over the years.

[TrentePieds]

I would be interested in hearing what waterways you define as "inland waterways of Europe" :-)

Are you talking about the canal system? Are you talking about the Baltic? Are you talking about the Waddenmeer or perhaps the Norfolk Broads? Or the Worcester and Birmingham Canal?

Your boat is IMO a rather nice modern, if Dutch, development of a type cherished by Scowegians ever since the Infernal Combustion Engine became a practical proposition for boat propulsion. Here in Canada, I hear powerboaters moan constantly about the cost of fuel these days, despite the fact that fuel is a good deal cheaper here than it is in Europe. And with Russian supplies now being uncertain — hmmm!

Your boat should be good for, say 9 knots at WOT. There may be merit in holding her down to 6 or 7 knots as I am told by powerboaters here that they now do, given that that can halve the fuel consumption.

What precisely is it you would like to discuss about cruising in Europe? And what, precisely, is it you find challenging?

TrentePieds, FDP (Former Danish Person)

[AMG1950]

Thanks for your interest TrentePieds.
I am talking about the canals and rivers of continental Europe. I believe there are more than 20,000 km of navigable waterway in Europe so I won't need to travel further afield to fill my remaining boating days.
I usually travel at about 5 knots and consume about 3.5 litres of diesel per hour.
The challenging factors for me have varied over time. Initially I had no experience in handling a boat so the challenges were all about how to steer and understand any matters related to manoeuvering in tight spaces. As my skills have improved the challenges have become more to do with boat maintenance and operation. I have no specific mechanical skills and am not a particularly practical person so each issue has to be researched at length to ensure I am confident enough to act. Everything from the maintenance and operation of marine toilets (manual and electric) to problems with decking (I will do a post requesting information on this in the near future) and canvas biminis, electrical systems etc.
Discussion points about cruising in Europe are more general and I would guess are the same for any sort of cruising, whether inland or at sea. Where are the good mooring spots, what facilities are available, where is fuel available on the wharf etc.
I hope this gives you a better idea.

Andrew

[HankOnthewater]

Hi AMG, welcome here.
I was planning to do something similar as yo are doing, cruising the rivers and canals in Europe. About 20 years ago spend 3 months doing that, and vowed to do it again, but for a longer period.
There is also a FB page for such folk: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1605036466378195

[Fore and Aft]

AMG1950 how have the water levels been this year? What sort of costs are involved with canal cruising?
Cheers

[TrentePieds]

Hello again, Andrew :-)!

If you've got maneuvering and general boatmanship well under control, you've obviously got the battle won already!

Giving you specific advice on where to find the "good spots" is clearly more than we can do in this forum - Europe's inland waterways being extensive, as you say yourself.

What I would do, is simply google for names that strike your fancy. This one came right up when I googled "Kiel Canal":

The Kiel Canal

Chase the leads contained in it and you will find many interesting things! The Kiel Canal was built, as I'm sure you know, to enable the ships of Kaiser Wilhelm's navy to transit from the naval base of Wilhelmshafen on the shores of the Northsea across the Schleswig-Holstein isthmus to the port of Kiel on the Baltic in furtherance of the kaiser's ambitions for WWI. You will see that there are may facilities for a little boat such as yours, and walking from the canal to the nearest Kaufmann to replenish your vittles is perfectly possible in many places, as is having a tipple at a Gasthaus

You can, from Brunsbüttel, go up the River Elbe to the stunningly impressive port and city of Hamburg. You can, from Kiel, enter the waters the Danes call the "South Seas", the waters to the south of my native island of Funen, to the south of which you will find little islands of immeasurable natural and architectural charm inhabited by cheerful people who know nothing better than introducing foreigners to what in their minds is very heaven!

Distances are small, and in the summer the weather is utterly benign.

If you wish to go the other way, transit the canals until you enter the River Rhine. From there you can enter the Danube, and you know where THAT will get you :-)!

But before you do that, make sure you read, if you haven't already, Erskine's Riddle of the Sands which is set in the Wattenmeer and the islands off the mouth of the Elbe. The story is wonderful, and you might spend a year or two exploring just exactly what lay behind the story :-)!

As I said, there is far more to tell than we could possibly cover in this forum, so here is a suggestion for you: Why don't you spend the rest of your life developing a "Cruising Guide to the Waterways of Europe"? As a model to get you on the right track, have a look at Waggonner's Cruising Guide that is the standard reference work in these 'ere waters?

Cheers :-)!

TrentePieds

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

..............................


But before you do that, make sure you read, if you haven't already, Erskine's Riddle of the Sands which is set in the Wattenmeer and the islands off the mouth of the Elbe. The story is wonderful, and you might spend a year or two exploring just exactly what lay behind the story :-)!

As I said, there is far more to tell than we could possibly cover in this forum, so here is a suggestion for you: Why don't you spend the rest of your life developing a "Cruising Guide to the Waterways of Europe"? As a model to get you on the right track, have a look at Waggonner's Cruising Guide that is the standard reference work in these 'ere waters?

Cheers :-)!

TrentePieds

Excellent suggestion, great book. Sam Llewellyn wrote a sequel to it, also a good read. I've read them both more than thrice.

[goboatingnow]

You will need an ICC with a Cevni extension and my rights a vhf radio with ATIS

[Adelie]

Welcome.

[athene]

Rather than reinvent the wheel, why not join the UK's Cruising Association? They have a specialist European Inland Waterways Section, which produces a range of 25 guides to the inland waterways of Europe, including the perfect 'starter' guide to them, 'An Introduction to the European Inland Waterways'.

See https://www.theca.org.uk/public/sections/eiw for details.

Gordon Knight
Cruising the European Inland Waterways
https://www.facebook.com/guideseditor

[mcarthur]

We wanted to do the same, bought but covid 19 intervened. Still hope to do it as well. Have a search for the "European great loop" for excitement and big plans - Rhine, over the top, down Danube to Black Sea, thence Med and either up the Rhone or go outside back to the UK. Excitement in the Black Sea right now may be a leetle too much .

The DBA - Dutch Barge Association - is a good source of places and things to see and do, maps, etc.