CANAL JOURNEYS
Roger Harper is a retired engineer
who learned to sail at the age of four
and has owned a dozen different sail
and power vessels in the UK and
France. He now spends eight months
of the year aboard his bespoke
designed and built 50ft motoryacht in
the French inland waterways.ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dinghy and outboard motor
We have hardly used ours since arriving in
France. On the canals it’s just something
else to clutter up the boat and a
temptation to local thieves: my Zodiac and
outboard were stolen from inside a marina
last year! However, for coastal cruising
they are essential, so mine stays on
board, deflated and in its bag, with its
motor in a locker with a decent lock.Biminis and covers
Get a bimini for the French canals: a full
deck-covering sunshade that can be used
all the time, even when motoring. I know
they can be a pain when sailing, but so is
sunburn. Make sure it stops the sun from
shining under it in late evening or early
morning; trying to navigate directly into
the sun can be very tiring. In the evening,
direct rays creeping under a badly-fitted
bimini quite spoil a gin and tonic. Make
sure it is well fastened to your boat as the
slightest breeze can make it act like a sail.Gas
Gas containers vary from one country to
the next. We had two UK containers and
when they ran out we changed to French
ones, which were far better for boat use,
being plastic and much lighter to carry, full
or empty. They leave no rust marks and
the type we were using had a clear panel
so you could see how much was left.Water hoses
You can never have too much hose: we
currently carry 2 x 50m lengths and a
couple of shorter ones and on occasion
have had to use them all. I have plenty of
joiners or couplings and numerous different
tap connections; it seems every tap you
meet is different to the last. I also carry a
short length of soft hose and a couple of
hose clips for getting water from a
damaged tap into my tank. In the absence
of hose clips, a bit of wire tightly wrapped
around the hose on the tap will do.PLANNING AND
PAPERWORK
Boat repairs abroad
Ensure that every person who comes onto
your boat to do any kind of work comes
with recommendations; preferably from
people you know and trust.
It is amazing how many so-called
‘marine engineers’ don’t really know
boats. They may be good engineers, or
carpenters, but without proper marine
knowledge and experience they can do
more harm than good.
One owner wanted to re-arrange his
galley and a port captain’s assistant
recommended a guy who produced some
well-prepared plans. The owner went home
to the UK while the work was carried out
and when he returned he found his galley
superbly fitted out – but with chipboard
and plastic units from the local DIY
superstore... totally unsuitable for a boat.
Another wanted a new shower fitting.
Again, what looked like a super job with
no complaints... until a few weeks later
when the new shower failed to empty. The
owner checked the shower pump to find it
was completely clogged with sawdust and
wood shavings, as were the nearest two
bilge pumps. It seemed the guy had
cleaned the area by simply sweeping all the
mess into the bilges. Months later various
pumps were still picking up sawdust.Cruising paperwork
Paperwork varies from country to country,
so make sure to check what you need
before you leave. An International
Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft
(ICC) is often the minimum.Health insurance
No matter how young or old you are,
accidents happen and so do illnesses so
you must be prepared for these. Although
basic health care is offered in the
European Community on an exchange
basis – Brexit depending – it is far from
our equivalent care in the UK. Only a
percentage of health bills are covered and
you can still end up with a big bill.Stowage aboard
There’s never enough stowage on a boat.
So use what little you have wisely. Plan
stowage very carefully, and no matter how
busy make a list of every stowage area
and its contents, it will later save hours of
going through every locker looking for that
item ‘you know is on board somewhere’.Q Permission Unless it’s an
emergency, never go on board
a boat without the owner’s or
skipper’s consent. Always knock
on the side of the boat and ask:
“Permission to come aboard.”
If no reply, go away.
Q Facilities Toilets on boats are
so often a topic of conversation
and always seem to have their
problems. So never ask to use
the toilet on someone else’s boat
if you can avoid it.
Q Shoes I always take my shoes
off when going onto someone
else’s boat. So, unless told
otherwise, I suggest you likewise.DO’S AND DON’TS
Entering a lock on the Canal Latéral à la
Garonne near Castets en Dorthe, GirondeA Newbridge 26 yacht
with mast down passing
into a lock on Canal du
Midi in Southern FranceAndrewDuke/AlamyPe
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