HOW TO CRUISE RIVERS AND CANALS

Again, locks are used to ease the passage of boats along stretches of river when the water level change is too great.

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These are usually accompanied by a weir and sluices to control the level and flow of the navigable river.

When boating inland, there are some special considerations that you need to take into account and that may affect your choice of vessel. The boat we used for this article was a Delphia 11 Flylounge powered by a single 150hp Yanmar engine. Although this would allow for some coastal work, it was perfect on the river as it gave a tick-over speed of just under 2 knots, with good rudder control and added manoeuvrability from both a bow and stern thruster. Faster sea-going vessels aren't designed to cruise for long periods of time at the inland speed limit of 5-6 knots and may struggle to maintain steerage.

We were blessed with a quiet, sunny autumn day but in the height of the season, dealing with traffic can be complicated, and some inland waterways, especially those with a lot of commercial traffic, have additional rules known as CEVNI regulations.