mcamirand wrote:
Hi group,

I've just reread Weston Martyr's "The 200# Millionaire". It's got me
dreaming about cruising the inland waterways of Europe.
Thing is, the story was written in the 1930s. It claims that you can
get pretty much everywhere in France and central Europe through inland
waterways, even all the way to Budapest, Prague, etc. Is this still
true? Are these inland canals still in operation or have they been
abandoned in the last 70 years? If there are still as many
possibilities as Martyr talked about, what kind of draft is
acceptable?

Anyone done it?

Regards,
-Maxime Camirand

The ultimate inland voyage is the Rhine-Main-Danube. The two massive rivers
are now joined by canal, and you can enter the Rhine at Rotterdam and exit
the Danube Delta into the Black Sea. I believe you need care in your choice
of vessel as the Rhine flows North and needs a vessel with ample power to
make headway. Allow about 6 months for the trip and also vast amounts of
patience as the rivers flow through Eastern European countries where
officialdom reigns supreme!

I also knew a guy some years ago who sailed his boat from Ireland to
Marseilles and entered the French canal system, thence heading north to
Brest and back to Ireland. Not the sort of journey you could complete in a
2-week vacation! The main problems with taking a sea-going vessel into the
canals are concerned with unstepping and re-stepping the mast.

Having recently passed thru the Kiel canal (Nordsee Kanal) east-to-west, I
can advise that it can be done in a day! (about70 miles). This is because
the absence of locks (one at each end only) and the width of the canal
allows a fast passage to be made, particularly if you don't mind sharing
your space with a 30,000 ton cargo vessel! I can also advise that the River
Elbe is similar to the M1 motorway in UK , or Route 66 in the US!

Dennis.