Tag Archives: canals

Back to Canaling

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Our first experience on the French Canals began in April, 2017 on our brand new sailboat “Ice Floe deux”. We bought her in Cherbourg. Cherbourg is situated in the north of France on the English Channel.

This depicts the extensive canals and waterways of Europe. The arrow in this photo between France and England points to Cherbourg and the arrow on the Mediterranean coast points to Nice (approximately).

On this voyage we passed through beautiful villages, vineyards of great distinction, the very heart of Paris, Lyon, and many other cities. Our trip on the canals ended in Nice, on the Mediterranean coast. The trip took 3 weeks.

We flew through 189 locks, and crossed 2 aqueducts as we bisected France from North to South following a brisk itinerary that involved joining guests and family at specific locations.

There are quite a few Blogs on this site detailing this amazing journey. We knew we must come back. This time, we would immerse ourselves in all France has to offer at a snail’s pace.

Speaking of Snails…

Snails, we have concluded, thrive in France – with little to no sense of boundaries.

They sneak in through your windows (we have put up screens)
Snails find their way to planters on the boat deck (we gently send them back to land).

It is well known that many snails are eaten in France prepared as escargot. I cannot personally verify that the small garden snails we have been entertained with are eaten, but I do see some reference to that in my reading.

The snails we have been observing are most active in the rainy season. They are known to display a very interesting behavior during very dry and hot weather. We saw this shortly after we arrived. It did not rain for a solid month and temperatures were a stifling high 90s and low 100s.

During hot, dry spells, this is a photo of snails “aestivating” – having climbed up a tree or stalk, they cover the opening to their shells with a thin membrane, and remain dormant until weather conditions improve.

We have also seen larger snails that appear to have partially buried themselves in the soil.

These, and many more interesting things await our discovery as we canal our way through the miles and miles of French canals.

Introducing our canal boat, “Detour”

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What’s in a name

We chose the name “Detour” for our canal boat for two reasons. The first, and most obvious, is the role she played in our decision to sell our home. The second reason is that the word “detour”, means the same thing, and is spelled the same way, in English and in French.

She resembles the canal boats that served for decades as the primary means of transporting goods. She was built in 2017 and was rented to vacationers until she became ours. She is a massive steel boat and requires a gentle hand for steering.

Before canal boats were motorized, they were pulled along by horses. The horses strode on wide paths each side of the canals. These paths, called towpaths, have been beautifully maintained for centuries. They serve as recreational paths for pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riders. They are also off-road paths that connect towns and villages. Duhkxy loves to accompany us on long walks we take each day.

Detour came with four bicycles. We returned our rental car some time ago and are now peddling for provisions and sightseeing. Duhkxy can not accompany us yet, but a trailer for him is on order. It will be interesting to see how he likes it.

We are moored, to date, on the Canal Midi at La Port Robine. There are a number of boats here that serve as permanent, stationary, residences. Sections designated as “Long Stay”, have quite a few unoccupied boats that appear to have stayed for very long times. We have found it to be the same in most boatyards and marinas.

We have been here for about 5 weeks. So far, Detour has only been out for one short spin to pick up a couch. We’ve had a lot of cleaning and shopping to do (dishes, linens, furniture) and lots, lots more. It’s all coming together. If the last few purchases arrive when promised, we should be on our way in early August.