Saint Malo Grand Marée Storm Patricia

[rabbit]

St Malo is at the mouth of the Rance. A magnificent boating area and again behind a dam. As DB says there is a tidal HEP plant there. If you have a shallow enough draft, with mast down you can navigate from St Malo to the Bay of Biscay at Billiers

[Blaze]

If you have a shallow enough draft, with mast down you can navigate from St Malo to the Bay of Biscay at Billiers

That must be interesting !
In the 70s, I went from Bordeaux to Narbonne with a 35ft fin-keeled sloop and in those days you shared the locks with the lock-keeper (I have no idea what it's like today). There was very little traffic but we had to watch our draught in places ...

Yes, behind the barrage is a wonderful place to sail, within the constraints of the tides.

[Nomoss]

If you have a shallow enough draft, with mast down you can navigate from St Malo to the Bay of Biscay at Billiers

That must be interesting !
In the 70s, I went from Bordeaux to Narbonne with a 35ft fin-keeled sloop and in those days you shared the locks with the lock-keeper (I have no idea what it's like today). There was very little traffic but we had to watch our draught in places ...

Yes, behind the barrage is a wonderful place to sail, within the constraints of the tides.

You were lucky to do that before the Canal de la Robine became really neglected.
We went from Bordeaux to Port-la-Nouvelle in 1980 in a bilge keeled 8 ton Hillyard, drawing around 3ft, and found the last part of the Robine below Narbonne very overgrown, shallow, and difficult to navigate.
We returned to P-l-N in 2007 in our fin keeled Challenger 32, drawing 1m60, having been assured by several lock keepers that we could get through, but ran aground on a mud bar at the entrance before even getting in.
Over the next couple of months I cut off 50cm of the lead keel, which, with the reduction in weight, resulted in a draught of just under 1m.
We passed the bar OK, but continually ran aground, especially near the bank when waiting for locks.
So eventually we made it to our planned mooring, and made a few trips down the C du Midi during the years until we sold the boat.

[Blaze]

@Nomoss I'm talking rubbish ! We went through Narbonne - I seem to remember having to catch a switch with the boathook to go through the lock. It was in some sort of tunnel. I remember going through to Port la Nouvelle - you get the first smell of the sea !

It was a really memorable trip, mostly very peaceful. The occasional peniche, a few other boats like us and the odd bath-tub that came from somewhere like Castelnaudary. We never had a problem getting a berth for the night - there didn't seem to be any formalities. We were in an Arthur Robb Lion class sloop, her name was Este Vandora (can't remember how it was spelt). She was a beauty. Whilst shapes have changed for speed, I still love the older styles .....
The draught was about 1m70 and I believe the Canal du Midi was originally dug out at 2m but has silted up since. Goodness knows what it's like now unless they've dredged it ...

[Nomoss]

@Nomoss I'm talking rubbish ! We went through Narbonne - I seem to remember having to catch a switch with the boathook to go through the lock. It was in some sort of tunnel. I remember going through to Port la Nouvelle - you get the first smell of the sea !

It was a really memorable trip, mostly very peaceful. The occasional peniche, a few other boats like us and the odd bath-tub that came from somewhere like Castelnaudary. We never had a problem getting a berth for the night - there didn't seem to be any formalities. We were in an Arthur Robb Lion class sloop, her name was Este Vandora (can't remember how it was spelt). She was a beauty. Whilst shapes have changed for speed, I still love the older styles .....
The draught was about 1m70 and I believe the Canal du Midi was originally dug out at 2m but has silted up since. Goodness knows what it's like now unless they've dredged it ...

VNF have no money to dredge and improve the canal, but apparently plenty is available to create hard surfaced towpaths as "Voies Vertes" for cycles, which are used more by cars.

[Blaze]

VNF have no money to dredge and improve the canal, but apparently plenty is available to create hard surfaced towpaths as "Voies Vertes" for cycles, which are used more by cars.

That's sad. The unmade up towpaths were perfectly cyclable back then and I never saw a car on them. I wouldn't like to go back .... It's probably yet another thing that's been ruined by tourism : tarted up to encourage tourism and consequently the original attraction has been ruined.

[rabbit]

@Nomoss Ah an 8ton Hillyard. A lovely boat and I always lusted after one. Such a shame when their yard in Littlehampton was destroyed by fire.