Do We Need to Find a Different Route?! ⛵ (Belgium to the Med via the Inland Waterways - Part 5)

[@SailingBritaly]

Thanks for watching & commenting! SUBSCRIBE for more ➜ bit.ly/SBKZbin⛵ Buying a boat? Read our free PDF first & save $$$$ ➜ www.boatbuyingblueprint.com Get your key to our Treasure Chest - a bunch of digital goodies like the recipe to our DIY copper epoxy antifouling paint and lots more here ➜ cutt.ly/TreasureChest Get more by joining our Patreon Crew here ➜ www.patreon.com/SailingBritaly God bless and Fair Winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂

[@ecnaruaL]

I feel like this is quietly the best sailing channel on YT, a genre that has become either hackneyed or mired in product placement. You guys never get above yourselves, have perhaps the best maintenance tutorials and, since you started on this canal journey, really good travelogues too. Well done for keeping it real.

[@SailingBritaly]

That's very kind of you, thank you. 🙏 Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂

[@BaschyGoode]

Regarding your first bridge: when there is a white light over the red light(s) it means that you allowed to pass under the bridge when you safely fit and the red light(s) only appear to vessels which can’t pass under. When there is only one red light it says „bridge is preparing to open“ Two horizontal red lights says „passage forbidden“ and indicates that it will not be opened soon (here you need to call the bridgemaster and when successful they will change the light to one red) In contrast to the above: when there are two red lights on top of each other it says that the unit is permanently closed (i.e. for maintenance)

[@SailingBritaly]

The red light stumped me as I did a CEVNI course (years ago) and this is what I remembered: "Passage through movable bridges may be regulated by the following signals: (a) One or more red lights mean: Passage prohibited" This is copied and pasted from the CEVNI regs. Later in the trip we stopped seeing red lights at bridges, although I'd got used to it by then. Thank you for watching and commenting, Chris 👍

[@Sailing_Antrice]

I have watched you channel with great interest from the start. I want to take my boat through the canals too. So I am very keen to see how you do it. I really appreciate the technical content too. May I ask what your Yacht draws, mine is 1.52 meters and I think that will be too deep for many canals.

[@SailingBritaly]

HI there, glad to hear you find our videos useful. :-) Britaly draws 1.65 in salt water - if we can do this (we can!) so can you! Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂

[@doobybrother21]

about that first railway bridge...on the bridge itself is an orange light. When that's on you are allowed to go under it assuming there's enough space. When the bridge is in operation it will turn off and you have to wait until you get the big green light on shore. VHF 68 until Budabrug in Brussels. Switch to 20 for Budabrug. They will take your information. It's also likely that canals/locks in the centre of France will be closed for winter. Best to plan ahead for that so you can pick a nice spot to wait it out.

[@SailingBritaly]

Hi Michael, thank you for the info. I was seeing a red light at the first bridge and didn't want to 'run' it. We found a place to overwinter in France - the journey continues in the videos. Cheers, Chris :-)

[@johnlawrence7268]

I do it your way Chris, safety first. It's not like you're in a big hurry.

[@SailingBritaly]

Cheers John, the canals are certainly no Autobahn, that's for sure! :-)

[@johnwishart7950]

thank you

[@SailingBritaly]

Thank you John 🙏

[@davidclarke7728]

I suspect the red light is only for vessels that need the bridges raised

[@SailingBritaly]

Hi David, yes that is how we ended up treating the red lights on most bridges (After checking with the waterways personnel). It soon became second nature, but it just felt so wrong at first! Chris, Rossella & Emma :-)

[@faelsinnes]

Thatts Minnie Bannister , from the Goon shows 😅😅😅😅😅

[@shaunbainbridge1584]

Next on the Britaly cooking show, The crisp sarnie.......

[@SailingBritaly]

Yes Shaun, or perhaps a DIY bag of salt & vinegar crisps made by taking some boring continental salted crisps, opening them, squirting in some vinegar, closing the pack and shaking it vigorously. Must be eaten quickly before the sogginess sets in. Brit abroad haute cuisine(!) 😉👍

[@moossem]

You propably know it by now but you can’t rely on the info because it’s always something with “ het hellend vlak van Ronquiere “ .and the proper pronounciation of Charleroi is shallerwa 😂😂. Loved the vid.

[@SailingBritaly]

Thank you for watching & commenting, I got closer to the correct pronunciation after Rossella repeated it about 400,000 times for my pea brain! You may see the boat lift in future videos, but I don't want to ruin any potential surprises. :-) Cheers, Chris (Plus Rossella & Emma)

[@henrirotthier5710]

😂 You passed where I live (Grimbergen). I walk and bike near the canal almost daily

[@SailingBritaly]

Hi Henri, it's a small world for us sailors! Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂

[@henrirotthier5710]

@SailingBritaly yes it is. Our boat is now on the dry in the south of France waiting for us 😉

[@chrisfairbrother9197]

Yes, cautiously and always be polite. You are in a foreign country and cannot speak or understand the language. The last thing you need is to be blazé about these bridges and end up fined for being a danger or hazard. Good call, you are in no rush. Buona fortuna 😊

[@SailingBritaly]

Yes my thoughts exactly. Better safe than sorry. Cheers, Chris 👍

[@Vdh1989]

Im a belgian myself and normally like 80% or so of dutch speakers understand the english language fairly well, so in terms of communication there should be no problem.

[@SailingBritaly]

Hi there, we definitely found that to be the case in the Flemish / Dutch speaking areas of Belgium. Beautiful country! :-) Chris, Rossella & Emma

[@BobEstler]

You you have a fender boat for your boat? Looks like wit would be helpful.

[@koenleekens1419]

It would be "Shar-luh-rwa"

[@SailingBritaly]

👍🙂

[@JonMadsen70]

:)

[@SailingBritaly]

🙂🙂🙂