Many Catalacs have past through the French Canal systems over the years, many just to gain passage to the Mediterranean others to enjoy the French country side and the French way of life, moving leisurely from lock to lock, canal to canal.

This article is really just to help those of you that are contemplating a journey like this and to give you links to information from those that have gone before.

There are a number of important things to consider and we will try to go through them 1 by 1.

I suppose that first we must consider the boat and is she up to the journey ? The main item being the engine/s, as you will need reliability to get you safely to your destination, so make sure that they have been well serviced and are ready for the job ahead. Check and service your steering and rudders.

Check your batteries, have you sufficient battery power ? at least 3 batteries and replace any that are probably 5 or 6 years old, you are going to be using your engines quite a lot, which should keep them well charged.

Check your Mast, cable connections, Tabernacle Bolt, Stays and shroud fittings and bottle screws, also 2 x A frames to support the mast when lowered and you may need to set up an aerial for your VHF Radio if you have not got a handheld, and make sure that you have the tools that you may need to do these jobs.

Next is the Documentation that you need to get sorted out, starting with Passports and EHIC which replaced the E111, health document.

Have you passed your Cevni qualification to obtain an International certificate to operate a pleasure craft. Obtainable through the RYA and also your own certificate of competence if you have one. www.rya.org.uk/

A certificate of registry for the boat, again the SSR (small ships register) is available from the RYA.

Proof of vessels VAT status ? this can be a problem for a lot of owners and more information can be found out from the RYA. Perhaps a Bill of Sale will help ? not often asked for but could be.

Ships radio Licence and Operators licence, and your Insurance document. Note: have you notified your insurance company what you plan on doing.

You should have a Log Book, that you enter crew details in, including name, passport numbers and boat movements.

It can be quite a decision deciding where to enter the canal system, there is a lot of information on the net so have a good look before buying your books and charts. 3 things to consider at this stage, is the canal system you are going to enter and the facilities available for lowering the mast ( crane hire can vary a lot price wise ) Check the planned route for "Chomages" this is for lock and river repair and maintenance. Available through www.vnf.fr this is in French but is fairly strait forward, a good language conversion site is http://uk.babelfish.yahoo.com if needed and of course you will need to obtain your "Vignette" or boat licence, if you look at the vnf site you will find an owners section that will lead you to Boating Tariffs to select what type of licence you will need, I believe that you now have to buy a licence for use on consecutive days. These can be purchased by post or by internet or on arrival in France.

Right I hope you are still with me, as I am now going to cover a few things that may be helpful on route.

Fuel may or may not be a problem but you should carry a Good size & strength container and a trolley to carry it on.

A good pair of Binoculars are very helpful when approaching the locks. 4 car tyres are very useful for in Tunnels or mooring but should have a cover on them and they should not be used in Locks. Calor Gas can some times be a problem, it depends on the type of cylinder you use, the small camping gaz is usually available but if you are going to be in France for some time it is probably worth considering changing to a French type with their regulator and fittings. Garages that are able to top up Calor Gas cylinders are very few and far between.

The other thing is Water, Carry a good strong & Clean Container that can be carried on your trolley also have a good length of hose and various clips and fittings that you may need to connect to a tap, there is usually a tap at each lock but you wont be very popular if you keep a lock open and other boats are waiting to come in, also water in France is often not as good as in the UK ! it’s a good idea to check before you fill, have a glass container fill with water, Look, Smell and Taste, if in doubt, leave it till you can try somewhere else, also have some sterilising tablets or powder that you can mix up and add to your tank/s and its always best that if its for human consumption boil it first.

Chandleries shown on the charts are not always very good and you will be unable to get what you want, so you may want to set up a postal link with the uk, this does still work fairly well.

Have fun and enjoy. Bob Freeman 8m "Think Again"

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