The Cruising Association (CA) is pleased to announce that new and updated, full colour print and digital editions of the Cruising Association's six main European Inland Waterways Cruising Guides, covering Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands have been published for 2023.
Complementing the cruising guides, a series of sixteen new and updated, full colour guides to moorings on France’s inland waterways have been published, all under the auspices of the CA's European Inland Waterways Section (EIWS).
Julian Dussek, CA Section Secretary of the EIWS, commented. "These guides are invaluable, and I would not cruise on the inland waterways of Europe without the relevant one. They are packed with information, contain really useful colour illustrations and are bang up to date with reports compiled from CA members. The information is not restricted to basic facts, including personal comments such as approach to pontoons in a particular marina or where the shower jetons may be obtained in another."
CA members using the digital editions of the cruising guides can also access the most up-to-date information on locations across the inland waterways via the hyperlinks direct to the CA's exclusive to members CAptain's Mate app, which was recently voted as the 'Equipment Innovation of the Year’ at the 2022 British Yachting Awards.
About the Cruising Guides
The guides are written from expert first-hand experience:
- Cruising the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium (edited by Gordon Knight) - described as their 'Bible' by those planning passage to/from the Mediterranean, this guide is packed with information on routes, preparations, supplies, equipment, licences, documents, useful addresses, books and websites, and lists around 250 mooring places.
- Through France via the Inland Waterways (edited by Gordon Knight) - aimed at moderate draught (up to 1.8m), this guide contains the information and preparations required to transit any of the four principal routes to the Med, including equipment, licences, documentation, sources of navigation, managing locks, supplies, moorings and more, along with 100+ hyperlinks to port/marina/boatyard and other websites.
- Through the Netherlands via the Standing Mast Routes (by CA members Andy Mulholland and James Littlewood and edited by Gordon Knight) - provides detailed navigation information on 14 different transit routes in the Netherlands, spanning nearly 1,000kms of waterways from Vlissingen near the Belgian border to Delfzijl close to the German border.
- 50 Great Cruising Routes in the Netherlands (by CA members Andy and Gwen Mulholland and edited by Gordon Knight) - presents 50 cruising routes across the Netherlands, with detailed information and step-by-step navigation details, bridge and lock, moorings and facilities, along with sources of information on every aspect of Netherlands cruising.
- Cruising the River Moselle/Mosel (by CA members Andy and Gwen Mulholland and edited by Gordon Knight) - covering the 394kms of the river from Neuves-Maisons in France through Luxembourg and Germany, to join the Rhine at Koblenz, this guide includes step-by-step navigation details for the river, including distances, bridge heights, lock dimensions and VHF channels, descriptions of moorings and facilities, and information on visitor attractions enroute.
- The German Rhine (written by CA members Dr Roger Edgar and Rob Thomas and edited by Gordon Knight) - covers about 725km, from the start of the navigable reach of the river at Rheinfelden to Nijmegen, just inside the Dutch border. Covering hazards and highlights, the guide includes a detailed list of mooring points, fuel stations, ports and harbours, useful websites and sources of commercially published information.
About the Mooring Guides
Spanning both rivers and canals, the comprehensive EIWS mooring guides cover the Canal du Centre, Canal du Loing and Canal de Briare, Canal Entre Champagne et Bourgogne, Canal Latéral à la Loire, Canal Latéral à la Marne, the River Marne, the Upper Moselle, Canal du Rhône au Rhin, Canal du Rhône au Rhin (Nord) and Canal de Colmar, Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est), Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Ouest), Petite Saône, Canal de la Sarre and River Saar, Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne, Canal de l’Oise à l’Aisne and Canal Latéral à l’Aisne and River Aisne.
Details are provided on all the marinas, haltes and other mooring points along the waterways, together with information on facilities, shopping and nearby attractions. Each mooring point is illustrated by a colour photo, making the current guides the only detailed pictorial reference available for cruising on the French rivers and canals.
Where to Buy
All guides are available in A4 size full colour print or PDF digital format via the Cruising Association's online shop. CA members can download the guides free of charge in PDF format.
For further information on all the CA's inland waterways publications, you can visit the European Inland Waterways Section webpage.
The EIWS Cruising Guides also include a 25% discount offer on the first year's CA membership to anyone purchasing one of the guides up until 31 December 2023.
17 January 2023