- Challenges and highlights of the transfer
- From Lübeck to the Mediterranean: choosing the right route
- 2000 kilometres and around 200 locks
- On your own keel to the Mediterranean: timing and journey duration
- Off to the south: what technology is needed?
- Papers and prices
- From Germany to the Mediterranean: the route
- Alternative routes on your own keel
In view of the recent rainy seasons, many local owners have probably toyed with the idea of sailing their own yacht in the warm southern European summer. Gerburgis and Jürgen Schmidt were no exception: "We wanted to go to the Mediterranean for one or two seasons, and the route there should be part of the destination if possible. Getting to know Belgium and France from the river side inland appealed to us." They also felt that the coast of Brittany and the Bay of Biscay were too unsafe and challenging in spring. After all, they wanted the boat to arrive at its new destination at the start of the season so that they could fully utilise the following summer.
The skipper couple are taking a step-by-step approach: "We transferred our Bavaria 37 from its berth on the Baltic Sea via the canals to our home in Münster in the autumn. This gave us a whole winter to prepare. And we were already part of the way there," says Gerburgis Schmidt. Then the detailed planning began: we looked through guides and canal maps, worked out distances and estimated the number of locks. "In the end, it was just over 2000 kilometres of canal and river travel and a total of 256 locks. The record was 25 locks in one day! But that was the exception. You also quickly get into the routine."
Challenges and highlights of the transfer
The crossing on its own keel was a complete success: "Every section had its charms. But the most beautiful part was the north of France and the section up to Lyon. The Vosges Canal with its lock steps and simply mooring up somewhere to trees or other boats was really quaint!"
At times, the couple are handed a remote control for the locks ahead. Or they have to open and close them themselves. On other sections, a lock keeper cycles for kilometres along the banks of the canal. There are always small, tranquil villages along the waterway. The southern sections of the Saône and Rhône, which everyone who chooses the inland route ultimately has to take, are covered by the Schmidts in rather longer stages. The rivers are very large and the entrances to the harbours, which are designed more for commercial vessels or motorboats, are sometimes very silted up.
However, the couple are also surprised at how sparsely populated some regions in the centre of France are. "The older people there said that many of the young people are moving to the big cities, that there is a real rural exodus." Metropolises like Lyon are therefore a welcome change.
The tunnel passages are also unforgettable: "Some of the tubes were 800 metres long and it was pitch black inside. I would lie on my stomach on the foredeck with a torch and headlamp and illuminate the tunnels," says Gerburgis Schmidt.
From Lübeck to the Mediterranean: choosing the right route
It was clear to the pair that they wanted to avoid the Rhine at all costs with their 29 hp machine. It flows at a speed of four or five knots, so a yacht should be travelling at least seven knots - and still crawling along. On top of that, there is a lot of commercial shipping traffic on the Rhine. This is too stressful for many pleasure boat crews. The Schmidts therefore also opt for the alternative via Holland via the Meuse and onwards via the French Canal de la Meuse. Even if this means a diversion of around 140 kilometres and 40 additional locks.
The dimensions of your own boat are important here. It should not have a draught of more than 1.80 metres. And the superstructure should not protrude more than about 3.50 metres, otherwise it will be tight under some bridges at high water levels. "Our Bavaria only goes down 1.69 metres, and yet we've had slight grounding a few times," report the Schmidts. It can get shallower than the target depth, especially at the edges of smaller canals. The two were travelling in March, very early in the year, when the water levels tend to be high. In dry summers, some canals can also have lower water levels.
Timetables are pointless, ours was cancelled just a few days after the start. In the end, we were on the road for six weeks"
"It was also important to us that it wasn't too crowded on the route. There are a lot of charter boats on the canals in summer," says the skipper. However, setting off so early is also fraught with risk: sometimes individual sections of the canal are closed due to flooding in spring. Or there is a lot of flotsam in the water that can damage the boat.
Construction work and the associated closures of canal sections, bridges or locks regularly play a role in the choice of route. To avoid surprises, the Schmidts buy up-to-date maps for the entire route in winter (shop.delius-klasing.de or hansenautic.de) and study it carefully. For the French and German waterways, you should also consult the internet portals of the respective inland waterway authorities (elwis.de and vnf.fr) consult them. The French also have brochures about the canal network. These contain information, addresses and telephone numbers. Closures are also listed.
2000 kilometres and around 200 locks
As different as the routes are, depending on the starting point of the inland tour, you have to reckon with almost 2000 kilometres and around 200 locks. The only exception is the less frequently used south-east alternative: via the Danube. It is around 2700 kilometres from its source in southern Germany to its mouth in the Black Sea - and at the end close to the border with Ukraine. Due to the war there, this is not the first choice for many people at the moment. This is followed by a further 360 nautical miles through the Black Sea and across the Bosporus, including the Sea of Marmara, before reaching the North Aegean.
Finally, there is the route around the outside, via the North Sea, Atlantic, Bay of Biscay and Gibraltar. This route is not only almost a third longer. The weather is also often a challenge. Stubborn, strong westerly winds off the north coast of France, Belgium and Holland can make the endeavour an ordeal. Sometimes you can be stranded somewhere in a harbour for several days.
This is especially true in the early and late season, but even in summer you are not immune. The Bay of Biscay also demands a 300-mile beat from the crew - or even more distance along the coast. And then there are the recent orcas off Portugal and near Gibraltar, which repeatedly attack the rudders of sailing yachts - a test of nerves for the crew.
On your own keel to the Mediterranean: timing and journey duration
You're always smarter afterwards: "We took six weeks. We wanted to see a lot of the country and its people," says Gerburgis Schmidt. "But in hindsight, we would have liked to have had even more time. And of course we had a timetable, but that was cancelled after just one week," says the sailor.
YACHT has already spoken to crews who have completed the passage in three and a half to four weeks, but they all agreed afterwards that you should take as much time as possible. Otherwise you have to eat up kilometres from morning to night. That's exhausting, especially as you almost always have to steer by hand in the narrow canals.
Some crews split up the transfer. They leave the boat in a marina, return home and continue the journey weeks or months later. This takes longer, but is less strenuous.
The Schmidts set off as early as March. It is still cold at night then, and the on-board heating is indispensable. Some marinas are also still in hibernation and the infrastructure in many places is in pre-season mode. "We always planned to start early in the morning. But at this time of year, many locks and bridges don't open until nine o'clock. We had underestimated that." Even in summer, the opening hours of the hydraulic structures are sometimes not as long as you might think, often only from eight in the morning until half past five in the evening.
In the beautiful but steep Vosges Canal, which is therefore full of locks, there are up to 93 locks over a distance of 123 kilometres. Here, crew members are welcome to help with the sometimes strenuous manual operation of the locks.
Off to the south: what technology is needed?
None of the crews who told us about their canal journey took the laid mast on board. It is simply a huge obstacle, especially when locking. "If we had taken the mast with us, it would definitely have been damaged en route. We preferred to have it delivered to Port Napoléon in France in advance by a haulage company," say the Schmidts.
It goes without saying that a functioning machine is important. It is best to have it carefully serviced by a specialist before starting, including the cooling circuit and exhaust system. Typical wearing parts such as impellers and V-belts also belong in the back box, as do sufficient canisters of diesel. "We had six of them with us. The distance to the next petrol station is often great. Sometimes you have to get supplies at the nearest road petrol station," says Gerburgis Schmidt.
On-board bicycles are very useful for bunkering fuel and provisions. They are also a highly recommended investment for shore excursions. You should take fender boards and two large ball fenders with you for locking. "It is also important to install an alternative radio antenna. Without a radio, communication with lock and bridge keepers is often impossible. And the antenna on the mast has been dismantled."
Papers and prices
An international boating licence or flag certificate, radio licence and an inland navigation licence are mandatory. A vignette is required for the French waterways, which can be purchased online by the day, week or month or for the whole year (vnf.fr). For an eight to eleven metre vessel, it costs around 130 euros per month. Diesel costs around 1,000 euros and the transport of the mast another 1,000 euros. Harbour dues are relatively inexpensive inland, and the boat is often simply moored on the canal bank. Fixed costs of more than 3000 euros are rarely incurred for the route.
Time is almost more important than money. You should definitely invest plenty of it. Then the journey is actually part of the goal.
From Germany to the Mediterranean: the route
The inland route can be roughly divided into individual sections. Where which challenges await the crew and which places are particularly attractive.
The feeders
If you start in the Baltic Sea, you go via the Elbe-Lübeck-, Elbe-Seiten- and Mittelandkanal and then reach the Rhine (740 km). The canals up to this point are rather monotonous. Alternative: via the North Sea and/or via the Staande Mastroute and onwards via the canals south of Amsterdam to the Meuse.
Rhine or Meuse
If you want the shortest route, continue from Duisburg via the fast-flowing, busy Rhine to Koblenz (188 km). The Meuse via the Waal-Maas Canal is the much more pleasant, albeit longer route, which is favoured by crews of smaller boats in particular. It ends in the Moselle after passing the Canal de la Meuse.
The Moselle
At the foot of one of Europe's largest wine-growing regions, the route takes many twists and turns along the German and French sections of the river. The harbours are not always close to towns. The route is around 390 kilometres long and the locks for small pleasure craft are sometimes quite narrow.
France
The tranquil, narrow Canal des Vosges begins near Nancy. Often surrounded by quiet, lonely nature. The section is 123 kilometres long. Due to the many locks, you should allow up to six days for the journey.
Final spurt
Now it's first onto the Saône, then the Rhône. Vineyards and pretty villages can be seen along the banks of the Saône. Near Savoyeaux, the route enters the tunnels. At Épinal, the highest point of the route is reached at 360 metres above sea level. From then on, the route descends. Portsur-Saône and Lyon are highlights. The Rhône, on the other hand, is wide, with a strong pushing current and many commercial vessels. After 765 kilometres, you arrive in Port Napoléon.
Alternative routes on your own keel
The route through Western Europe, i.e. possibly the Netherlands, but definitely Belgium and France, is probably the most frequently used route to the Mediterranean and, of course, depends heavily on the owner's port of departure at the beginning in Germany. However, you almost always end up with around 1700 to 2000 kilometres and around 200 locks. The overview on the right shows roughly what the crews can expect in which section. The artificial waterways in particular can sometimes be monotonous. A sticking point for many crews is the fast-flowing Rhine. Often a no-go for the outward journey against the direction of flow, it can really give the boat wings on the way back. The longer route around the outside only makes sense if the crews are keen on the areas that are tempting there: Normandy, Brittany, England, the Algarve - all beautiful destinations. However, this often costs a lot of time if they are used by tourists, so the round trip can take a long time. Then wintering in Portugal or Galicia can make sense, there are good, professional winter camps there. The route via the Danube is still somewhat more exotic, as it is significantly longer and passes through Eastern Europe, including the estuary at the Ukrainian border, for which Baltic Sea crews first have to make their way to the south-east corner of Germany. Those who choose this route are usually keen to travel by river in often unfamiliar areas. The infrastructure and harbours are not always up to Western European standards, but there is good nautical literature and charts.
