Waterways to the Mediterranean in a sailboat?

Can you sail on Europe’s rivers and canals to the Mediterranean in a sailboat? That’s only possible with a flat-bottomed motorboat, isn’t it?

No, that’s nonsense!

“When you sail into France, you will be asked about your draft. If it is larger than 1.6 m, you will not be allowed to enter, ”I have heard someone say…

Yes, it is true that this is currently the case on the Canal de la Meuse from Belgium into France, but it is certainly not the whole of France that is like this.

One of my recommended routes from Northern Europe is the Rhine, Moselle and Canal des Vosges and it still works. Here you will meet the lowest water on the Canal des Vosges in France, and it is at least 1.80 m.

When I sailed there in October last year, I measured the depth with my own echo sounder all the way. The depth is alright, and at least 1,80 m. But do not cut off the corners – stay in the middle of the canal if the draft is a challenge.

And of course there are other routes than the ones I recommend.

At VNF ​​(Voies Navigables de France – the company that manages the French canals) you can read more about planned canal closures, for example for repairs and maintenance. You can also read about extraordinary changes, such as depth on the Canal de la Meuse.

(Note, that sometimes VNF’s website can only be accessed from France, so if you want to access it outside of France, you may need to use a VPN. Sometimes the web site works, other times not).

So can you sail to the Mediterranean with a sailboat on Europe’s rivers and canals? Yes, you can, as long as your draft is below 1,80 m!