Consider a new way to see the heart of France. In April, the European river tour company, CroisiEurope, began offering voyages along the Loire. Its brand new Loire Princesse, with very comfortable looking accommodations for about 100, promises travelers views along the river from Saint Nazaire on the Atlantic up to Angers and its famous chateau, a distance of about 150 km or just over 90 miles.
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| Map: Ouest France |
The ship, built in the Saint-Nazaire shipyards, was specially designed to accommodate the often shallow and unpredictable river. It’s 90 meters long by 15 meters wide (about 300 feet by 50 feet), but draws only 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) of water and, rather than propellers, is driven by side paddle wheels. The Loire Princesse may be the first passenger ship on the river since the early steam-powers ships of the mid-19th century, the curiously-named inexplosibles.
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| Photo: Bernard Biger |
But this year, according to an mid-summer article in the Nantes newspaper, Ouest France, the river turned out to be even more unpredictable than CroisiEurope anticipated. An especially dry summer meant a shallower river than anticipated, so much so that several times even the 80 centimeter draft was too much and the ship ran aground. And it was discovered that dealing with the current, when squeezed between bridge footing, required more push than the paddle wheels could manage. The company had to call in tugs for an occasional extra push.
Contacted by Ouest France, environmentalists in the area seemed mildly bemused. Tourism in the river isn’t necessarily a bad thing they said. It could build appreciation for the area's natural beauty. They’re concerned, though, that as the ship's difficulties get resolved that it be the one to adapt to the river and not the reverse. That makes good sense. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to follow how this all works out.
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