Self drive or crewed barges holidays

[neddy]

How about a relaxing holidays with a difference.

September/October is a good time to drive a barge through the less crowded waterways of UK, France, Italy, Holland, Poland, etc .....

My hired barge will come with a cruise assistant who will teach us to moor, drive and manage the barge, bicycles will be provided as well for shore visits.

French barges are modern type, compared with UK for self drive.

The a week hire for 6 nights with 4 cabins + saloon = AUD$8000 (before 15% discount)

http://www.frenchcanalconnection.com/canal-boats/leboat.html

http://www.leboat.com/


The Inclusions

• Boat Hire and its equipment
• A fully equipped galley (kitchen) with all utensils and appliances
• Towels and linen for all passengers
• A boat handling demonstration
• Technical support
• On-board cruising information
• Lock fees <--------------- This will be fun! If the lockkeeper is not present!
• Hire bikes to explore the canal paths
• provisioned in advance with our Grocery Packs
• Enjoy alfresco dining and cruising thanks to our sundeck cushions and the gas BBQs!
• Wifi

Cruise and gastronomy go together.
Bordeaux to Condom, anyone? 150km to see Condom.

 

[eatshitndie]

you and a few buddies need to have knowledge and experience with barges, house boats, and river boats before doing it yourself. the "driving" part is easy. the 2 most difficult parts are docking at the pier and anchoring at a safe spot in the lake or river. and doing these 2 at night. i have seen too many novices banging their boats with very loud thuds at other boats and piers in the sacramento delta. also, the designated captain needs to be very familiar with the waterways, canals, bridges, junctions, detours, and piers of call to make the trip a wonderful experience for all. otherwise, when your friends lose confidence in you as a designated captain, it's miserable. moreover, to "self-drive" you will need a few of your buddies to assist as crew, for docking, anchoring, and relieving you as captain when you need a break. on the whole, it's a great experience when you run your own boat and have friends enjoy it with you. for me, safety is always on my mind. i'm paranoid about both marked and unmarked sunken obstacles in shallow water, and i require underwater scanner on the boat for both fishing and obstacle detection. i'm always on the lookout for sand banks and river banks too close for comfort. fixed non-retractable bridges with limited clearance have to be identified beforehand, and detours planned around them. i always find either a safe harbor in a secluded spot or a docking pier before dusk, and anchor the boat with both bow and aft anchors (the boat will drift) if not docked. if it's a single anchor, the boat will swing in a big circle. if docked, the boat must be firmly secured with ropes from bow to aft. the unplanned safety hazards are mostly other (stupid) boaters, wannabe stuntmen on jet skis, showoffs on fast boats and water skis, and occasional swimmers in the middle of the waterway.

 

[neddy]

Thanks for the tips.

I have got a pilot guide, and chart-guides are provided.. We will have km by km maps with English information about locks (width, rise, number of chambers), bridges (air draft), depths, towns and villages; and moorings.

Our cruise assistant will be available if we need help. Yes, I will be concerned about docking for lunch (cannot tie the boat to trees, etc), but evening docking should be fine. Remember that we are using modern boats not traditional converted barges.

Some locks are automatic, and we will keep VHF ch 10 on for traffic information. One of us speak French.

 

[neddy]

Crewed barges is another choice, charter or book by cabin.
Explore hidden Europe.

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[heliotrope]

wah interestin. will consider tis fr my nex getaway