Cruising the European Canals in a Nordhavn 41
by Nordhavn 16 May 02:27 PDT
Cruising the European Canals in a Nordhavn 41 © Nordhavn
When Jim Leishman was thinking about a new design that would be a suitable replacement for the Nordhavn 40, he considered a chapter Robert Beebe had included in the celebrated power cruising bible Voyaging Under Power.
"Beebe had written about a (CE) Category A-rated boat that could also do canal cruising," Leishman said. "Imagine a leisurely trip down the Rhine followed by a crossing of the Atlantic." The juxtaposition of the two types of boating achievable in a single boat excited Leishman and drove his new vision for a couple's passagemaker.
While Beebe talked about canal runners, offshore vessels custom-built to account for specific draft and height restrictions of most European canals and their bridges, Leishman set out to create a production boat that would let buyers achieve both styles of cruising.
The Nordhavn 41 was an immediate success due to its manageable size, price tag and versatility. Its dual personality as an inland waterway runner and ocean explorer had instant appeal and from the outset there were N41 owners setting out for the Great Loop, America's version of the European river and canal experience. And while more and more buyers have opted to take delivery at the factory in Turkey to launch their cruising itineraries in the Mediterranean, no one had latched onto Leishman's suggestion that the model would be ideally suited for cruising within Europe's inland waterways. Until this past March, that is.
The owners of 4116, Alaskans Thomas and Jan Newman, had researched boats for ten years before choosing the N41 for its features and versatility. They were taken by Leishman's description of a sample European travelogue including the Danube and Rhine rivers that was possible with the N41, before bringing the boat back to the U.S. on its own bottom.
"We had an option on our PAE contract to have the boat delivered to the U.S. but wanted to take delivery at the factory and cruise through the Med," said Tom. So, three years later they took delivery of Meraki in Turkey, the start of a long cruising plan that commenced with getting to know the boat in wide-open waterways. From Turkey they went on to the Greek islands followed by an exploration of much of the Mediterranean, including Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Malta, Italy, France, Spain, and Gibraltar.
Choosing a route
Midway through their two years of Mediterranean travels, they began planning for the next leg of their cruising journey-navigating to northern Europe through the European rivers and canals. "Our initial plan was to go from Turkey via the Black Sea to the Danube and up the Rhine. The N41 can do that route without any modifications." But the start of the Russia-Ukraine war made insurance in the Black Sea unattainable. "After the Black Sea was closed to us, we started looking at the French canals and realized that, with some effort, we could get Meraki across France."
Resolved to find a route through the French canals, the Newmans created a thorough and considered game plan. They started by determining the dimensions of the outside profile of the N41, both above and below the waterline. Fully loaded with fuel and water, Meraki has a 5' (1.5 meter) water draft. For the air draft, Nordhavn Chief of Design Jeff Leishman designed the N41 with a lower profile, including a way to lower the mast with a simple hinge mount at the base. Meraki's air draft is 18' 4.5" (5.60 meter) with the mast up and 15' 3" (4.65 meters) with her mast hinged down. (See chart)
With that profile, any N41 can cruise significantly into France from both the south and the north. The Newmans knew that Meraki could easily cruise from the Mediterranean to Chalon-sur-Saône with her mast up. And once arriving at the Seine River, Meraki could complete the circuit through France, with her mast up, to the English Channel and North Sea.
The tricky part was in the middle - getting from Chalon-sur-Saône to the Seine on the smaller canals. The Newmans researched the heights and widths of the canals and bridges for various routes, and ruled out those they felt were unobtainable, though there were a handful of possible routes where the water and air drafts might work. They chose the Bourbonnaise route, a well-maintained route popular for sailboats and motor boats traveling north to south, from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean. This route had more generous air draft requirements than some others and was a more direct route with fewer locks.
The Bourbonnaise route also has the visa-friendly benefit of being in France the entire way to the English Channel. Other routes were possible though they pass into Germany or Belgium before reaching the sea. The Newmans were experienced in dealing with the Schengen visa, which restricts the amount of time non-EU nationals can stay in the Schengen Area to 90 days within a 180-day period. By taking an all-France route, the Newmans determined they'd be able to extend the time they are able to stay aboard by addressing their time in France separately from the rest of the countries on their itinerary. "We applied for and received a six-month French tourist visa, which meant our time in France is on a non-Schengen visa," Tom said. "This allows us to completely reset our Schengen visa 'clock' even though we'll be in France, a Schengen country, for over three months. When we reach the English Channel and the North Sea, we'll have our full 90 days available to keep cruising in other Schengen countries."
Re-adjusting the boat
The next step was to double check the bridge heights. While the French Canal Authority (VNF) listed a clearance of 3.50 meters for the lowest bridges, the waterways guides stated certain bridges along their route (at peak normal water levels) were as low as 11' 2" (3.40 meters).
"We knew right away we would need to make modifications to the boat in order to transit the French canals," Tom says, although reveals he and Jan took to calling them re-arrangements, because they weren't making any permanent changes to the boat, mostly just moving things around. "It would not be simple but it would be possible to transit through the more restrictive canals in France with some work."
The N41 already starts with a lower profile, including the simple hinge mount to lower the mast. To help them reduce their air draft further, the Newmans disconnected the mast and laid it flat on the boat deck. In addition, they removed the radar antenna, relocated their Starlink antenna, and disconnected the rails on the roof. Their dinghy also needed a new home as it would not be able to ride in its cradle. Tom and Jan built a temporary davit that carries the dinghy securely behind the boat. As Jan expressed on their blog, "We couldn't be tall, but we could be as long as we wanted." They also lowered Meraki by keeping the fuel and water tanks full.
Meraki's height down to 11' ¼" (3.36 meters). In the tightest of situations and this spring's water levels, they "comfortably" passed under bridges with two inches to spare!
They next went to work on safeguarding Meraki against potential issues as they passed through the almost 200 locks along their route. "We wanted to ensure that Meraki was well protected on both sides and the stern, particularly the aft corners and swim platform," wrote Jan. They hung a horizontal plank outside of their fenders on each side to protect Meraki from the concrete lock walls.
They also added "pontoon" (dock) fenders to the aft corners mounted on planks cut to match the curve of the transom. The planks are held on the swim step by using the removable staples to secure them. "These are all things someone handy with tools can manage," Tom asserts. "A drill, a jigsaw and some hand tools are all you need. We designed it to easily come off and on, and not damage the boat. There are no new holes in the boat and we should be able to have her back together for ocean voyaging in a few days." For someone handy like Tom, configuring these fixes was fairly straightforward, although he insists most folks with a few tools could do the same. They plan to undo all of these re-arrangements when they reach the Seine River at Saint-Mammès, restoring Meraki to her full masted height for the remainder of her trip down the Seine to the sea.
Jim Leishman says PAE may take a cue from the Newmans' modifications and work with the yard to establish "clearance-ready" options available to buyers that would make canal cruising more appealing. For instance, PAE might configure a way to simplify the removal and stowage of topside rails and installing a cradle to hold the detached mast.
The journey starts
With the boat adjusted for the canals, the Newmans set off on March 3rd from Le Grau-du-Roi onto the Canal du Rhône á Sète, in southern France, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the French inland waterways. They were armed with research and guidebooks on river currents, places to moor, and information on the locks, which in French are called ecluses. Jan brushed up on her high school French for conversing with the lock-keepers, port captains and locals. They expect crossing France to take just around three months and cover 750 nautical miles, exiting the Seine at La Havre in early June. (See graphic for Route) Along the way they expect to transit through approximately 192 locks, 7 moveable bridges, 3 substantial aqueducts and 10 smaller ones.
The Saint-Gilles Ecluse (their first lock) was narrow and was expected to have just a 6" (15 centimeter) rise, making it a great introduction into navigating the locks. They had observed the lock from above on the bridge and had discussed exactly what they would need to do. However, when they were in the lock, everything was more challenging than anticipated-especially since there was more water than expected with a rise of nearly 6' 5" (2 meters). This caught them off guard, they needed to learn how to manage the lines and to catch bollards out of sight above them. They have since become quite accomplished, going on to pass through over 150 locks so far, and amused by the idea that locks are like snowflakes in that no two locks seem to work the same. INSERT PHOTO
The lifestyle
Has cruising the French canals lived up to the Newmans' expectations? Now two months into their three-month journey, the couple are still loving the lifestyle.
"We've found that canal travel is best at a relaxed pace," said Tom. "The speed on the smaller canals is limited to 8 km/hr (4.3 knots) and the canal authority takes a lunch hour, so travel is limited from 9am to noon and 1-6pm. Traversing locks takes time and in some stretches they are quite frequent - close enough to see from one to the next. The channels between locks are narrow, sinuous, and extremely shallow in places. Constant surveillance is required to steer around vegetation, logs, commercial barges, and other pleasure and rental boats. Unlike at sea, we tend to limit travel to three-to-four hours a day, three-to-four days a week."
Jan says that it's been worth all the planning, the painstaking research that goes into prepping for the canals, the labor that went into modifications, the learning curve for navigating the locks, even the daily cleaning of the strainers and dragging of the keel through the mud. "Despite the effort required to make this trip possible; disassembling the roof, re-rigging the dinghy, fendering the swim step and building fender boards, it is great to take an N41 through the smaller French canals. All that effort has been worth the experience of indulging in the sights and sounds of cruising through the center of France.
"The scenery, which includes vineyards, farms and natural settings, interspersed with mostly small towns and villages, rolls by at a very sedate pace," offers Tom. "Many of the towns along the canal have 'haltes' that can be used free or for around ten Euros a night, often with power and water. This leaves us time to explore wherever we stop and enjoy the French countryside and its many pleasures. If you like spending time close to nature, enjoy history, food and wine, we recommend a trip on the canals."
It's the type of boating Jim Leishman always envisioned would be done on the boat, the kind that's suited to those that like to explore the areas they travel through. "It would be possible to cruise around for five months, going over hundreds of miles of canals through little villages and towns, and getting out to explore every day," Leishman said. "The development of Europe took place in the towns along these waterways. It's pretty spectacular."