The European Waterways - A User's Guide
Review Date:
11/04/2005 Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical, 2 nd ed., 2003 £ 14.99 16296
The information given is comprehensive and helpful and the advice is sound. Fifteen chapters cover the cruising areas of Europe and the best times to visit; important things to know and to do before you go; the international rules, signs and signals (CEVNI); cruising the small canals and the rivers. The technology of locks and boathandling techniques in them are explained, as are the process of getting your boat into and through Europe to the Med. Details for five popular ports from Calais to Ostend include directions for entry, harbour plans and the facilities ashore.
Residence abroad (she lives in France) gives the author first-hand local knowledge but Eurocheques (page 49) have been abandoned by the High Street Banks although it is possible to obtain a VISA card denominated in Euros. As a cockpit companion, in close quarter situations or unfamiliar circumstances, diagrams in colour - at least in the Appendix – would have been welcome.
This is a manual for first-time users of continental and british waterways by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable author. She is also editor of a new internet magazine. - JP
