A readable and practical how-to guide to taking your boat through the French canals to the fabulous cruising grounds of the Mediterranean.
 
The inland waterway route to the Mediterranean has long been popular, and for good reason: the alternatives are sailing to France and loading your boat onto the back of a lorry, or four days hard sailing non-stop across the notorious Bay of Biscay followed by a lengthy cruise down the Atlantic coasts of Portugal and Spain.
 
Crossing the Channel, motoring through some of the most iconic parts of France and popping out the other side is the obvious and far more enticing way to get your boat from Northern waters to the Mediterranean, and it's something many sailors dream of doing. Illustrated with photos and sketches, this practical guide recounts the author’s experiences doing just this, with advice and useful tips woven throughout.
 
The book is divided into sections covering:
 
- The dream: choosing a boat, preparations and route planning
- Home Waters: Irish Sea, Bristol Channel, Cornwall and the South Coast, the English Channel and Northern France
- Inland Waterways: mast unstepping, Tidal Seine and Paris, Marne-Champagne, Saone and Rhone to Port Napoleon and mast restepping
- Sailing the Med: Southern France and Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Straits of Messina, Southern Italy to Greece
- The debrief: summary of lessons learned, sources of information and notes on bureaucracy
 
Each chapter includes beautiful watercolour maps and helpful boxes highlight useful tips and tricks, making this both an enjoyable adventure yarn as well as a practical reference for any dreamers preparing to cast off their lines.