Boating New Zealand — February 2018

50 Boating New Zealand

...Suitably supplied

we headed off

down the coast

for 25nm before

entering Canal de

la Robine at Port la

Nouvelle.

beauty, history and culture of France, and while this trip was

necessarily quick because it was a delivery, you could spend

months exploring this area. The ability to moor on the tow path

is a huge plus, because you can sidle up to the towpath, drive a

couple of stakes into the ground and moor there for the night,

enjoying the countryside while sipping a tasty Bordeaux wine on

the aft deck.

The only things spoiling this bucolic picture are the

chartered canal boats, of which there are many in the Canal

du Midi. While the skipper of a private vessel on the canals is

required to hold an ICC certificate endorsed for inland waters,

this does not apply to the chartered vessels, which are called

‘bumper boats’ for obvious reasons.

As far as I can tell, the instructions to those renting

the boats is, ‘this is the throttle and the pointy end goes

Bordered by

three seas and six

countries, France

is criss-crossed by

scores of rivers. The

country’s history

and culture – and

its economic

development – are

inextricably linked

with them.

Over the centuries

weirs and locks

were added – as

well as man-made

canals – to create a

network spanning

thousands of

kilometres.

The country has a

very diverse culture

and there are few

better ways of

exploring it than in

a boat.

THE CANALS