To sail by Channels;

unusual vacations

Very few it has in Spain, only some by Castile because orography does not accompany. But Europe is the paradise of the channels and constitutes a form in itself to sail very different from navy. From the south of France it is possible to advance by different channels, all of them connected, to arriving at the main European cities or to even end at the Baltic Sea.

Many fans choose the channels to pass a beautiful week of vacations of charter, combining the beautiful landscapes that cross the countrysides with excursions on foot, to horse or in bicycle. A navigation that does not require previous experience in marine subjects.

Nevertheless it agrees to know a series tricks exclusively related to navigation by channels to be able to approach exclusas successfully or to know like spending the night. In many channels like those of the Midi, the recreation boats advance slowly by their calm friendly waters taking and relative on their covers.

Mainly we do not have to be in a hurry since the speed is limited few knots, but being of vacations it is not problem. At any time we can pause approaching the boat against the border to admire during more time of the surroundings or simply to rest awhile.

When observing in detail these famous “peniches” we verified its little marine characteristics, totally unnecessary to sail by these” rivers” that in many cases do not do more of an average meter and of depth.

Not only the French Midi. The channels important and with more enchantment really are in center of Europe. A framework of rivers and channels that connect the main cities to each other; Paris, Bonn, Amsterdam, Brussels, Colony, D5usseldorf, Luxembourg, and also all the East Europe from Berlin, the Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade,….

When renting, the landlord receives briefing that will last one or two hours explaining the practical handling of the boat and some advice. The handling of the boat is very simple with a steering wheel and a handle to go or reverse gear forwards. When another boat comes front we will do like in highway separating us a little to the right. The speed of these boats is of less than 10 kilometers per hour so that the excess of speed is not necessary to fear much. In the channels the limit is of 6 kilometers per hour and in the rivers up to 14 kilometers per hour. For that reason in one week, the mean range usually is of about 300 Kilometers.

The majority of exclusas is automated and in oldest we will be with the “excluseros” profession unknown in Spain and that little by little also disappears in the countries of Europe. Although the landscape advances very slowly happens slow but inexorable. It is possible to be read, to be chatted, or to be made trips in bicycle while others sail more ahead being some kilometers.

The pneumatic one is also an suitable boat to make the adventure of the channels. Nearly money we will discover Europe from the water. As they are detachable it we can take in the car and discover the zone that desires to us more; The channels of Antwerp, a stroll by the Danube, the environs of the Prague,…

When it more desires or when falling the night to him, we stop the boat and we moored to a border. Nothing else it frees neither the more simple. Although one season ideal does not exist, most of the fans use the summer periods to enjoy these routes. In fact it is during the summer when problems of reserves of boats can be. September is an ideal month, because already there is less people and the time still accompanies.