Canal du Centre (Route Bourbonnais)

Information about the 112km Canal du Centre (completed 1792) from Digoin to Chalon-sur-Saone, with 61 ecluses along its length. There is little commercial traffic (there is some) and the canal, which is winding and passes through some thickly wooded countryside has parts that are very beautiful – although the northern/western half is judged the better half.

Basic Information

Approximate minimum depth 1.80m, headroom 3.5m, width 5m. These are the ‘book’ values and may vary according to conditions. Navigating the canal should not present insurmountable difficulties to normal pleasure craft and the Bourbonnais (Seine-Loing-Briare-Loire-Centre canals) it is one of the recommended routes from the Channel to the Mediterranean. It is usually reliably and well supplied with water. This may alter during and after long hot summers – the route is then not as dependable as the eastern (Champagne) route.
Speed limit 8kph. Reckon on 3-4kph overall for a day’s travel including ecluses, or count ecluses and times by half-an-hour each.
Some ‘automatic’ locks recognise the exit of a first boat when there are actually two in the lock, leaving only a short period of time (40 seconds?) for the second to exit before the gates start to close – be on your guard in these circumstances.
Some locks fill right ‘to the brim’ and beyond and this means you must have protection down at the waterline and into the water. Fenders must ‘paddle’ and/or use fender boards to keep from floating up and/or use tyres. See Protection.
Check your engine cooling water filter frequently – weed, leaves and boué in the water and on the bed can get stirred up as you pass and especially as you go up or down in the lock. See Clogged.
VNF sub-division contact telephone number: 03 85 67 90 50 (Montceau les Mines).
Using a pilot-guide book is strongly recommended: Breil Guides or Fluviacarte (Navicarte) Guides.

PK114 Digoin

PdP 03 85 88 97 26 – water, electricity and services

PK102 Paray-le-Monial

Halte with water and electricity, noisy road nearby but attractive historic village with impressive basilica by the canal.

PK85 Palinges

Small Halte

PK81 Genelard

Halte water, electr 03 85 79 20 74

PK65 Montceau-les-Mines

PdP 03 85 69 00 00 – water electricity, services – possibly noisy. A pleasant town, albeit a former (ceased in 1992) coal-mining one.

Note

Locks in this area are deep, with floating bollards, and operated by a pull-cord at the far end of the ecluse. If an accompanying eclusier is not present to pull the cord it can be tricky to bring the boat forward in the lock, pull the cord and then reverse to pick up the (probably single) bollard before the ecluse starts filling and life becomes exciting. Some ecluses fill ‘to the brim’, which makes fendering difficult.

PK61 Blanzy

Halte, water+elect 03 85 68 00 99

PK51 Montchanin

Montchanin Marine- boat mechanic Jeff Renel (at the former Crown Blue Line hire boat base) 06 33 43 20 42. Boatyard harbour.

PK45 Saint-Julien-sur-Dheune

(photo: www.letabatha.net)

PK33 Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune

PdP operated by Locaboat 03 85 98 03 03 – Inner harbour shallow 0.8-1.1m and possibly limited in space. Fairly pleasant village. ‘Au P’tit Kir‘ restaurant by the canal is recommended.