Carefree Through 1001 French Locks

This book begins with an outline of the history and geography of inland navigation, starting with a broad view and then narrowing to focus on the rivers and canals of France. An overview of canal types is followed by an examination of the various styles of locks found in France and their different modes of operation. A section touches on some of the many types of boat that have worked these waterways through the centuries and how they were used. This is followed by a look at the variety of current vessels suitable for cruising in France, such as modern motor cruisers, replicas of classic barge designs and converted ex-commercial barges.

A large section gives hands-on detail of and insights into the search for, and the selection of a classic Dutch barge in the Netherlands. There are many details on making an offer, commissioning a survey, contracting the purchase, doing a major refit and then taking the barge southward into France.

The meat of the book is in the sections dealing with actually cruising through the inland waterways of France. Here will be found both overviews and details on the broad variety of cruising waters. Much of the detail in this four hundred page section is taken from our cruising logs, condensed, edited and illustrated with photos we have shot along the way. The intent of this narrative is to give the reader a flavour of what it is like cruising these waters and it is by no means meant as a definitive guide, but rather as sketches of some of the things that are possible.