 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (November 2017) |
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| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Grand Cru |
| Owner | Elegant Waterways Ltd |
| Port of registry | Lyon |
| Route | River Doubs, River Saône and Canal du Centre |
| Acquired | 2017 (new build) |
| Status | In service 2018 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Commercial passenger vessel 'Freycinet' type |
| Tonnage | 250 tonnes |
| Length | 39.00 m (127.95 ft) |
| Beam | 5.05 m (16.6 ft) |
| Height | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Draught | 1.40 m (4.6 ft) |
| Speed | cruising speed 11km/h (in open waters) |
| Capacity | 8 passengers |
| Crew | 5 crew |
Grand Cru is a hotel barge operating from 2018 on the Canal du Centre and the river Saône in Burgundy. It joins a fleet of around 50 former working barges (péniches) that offer luxury cruises on the inland waterways of Europe, mostly in France. A few hundred working barges of these dimensions remain, but traffic has disappeared on most of the waterways in central and southern France, which makes hotel barges like Grand Cru part of the canal landscape, perpetuating the tradition of the boatmen (mariniers) who carried 220-tonne loads of freight throughout the waterways of France, Belgium and the Netherlands[1].
History
editUnlike most other hotel barges, Grand Cru is a new build. The barge joins two others already operated by the same owner, based in USA: Prospérité and Rendez-vous.
Hotel Barge
editGrand Cru has four rooms with ensuite bathrooms and vanity rooms. The itinerary includes some of the famous vineyards in Burgundy, and associated heritage such as the Hospices de Beaune[2]
External links
edit- Directory of hotel barges offering cruises in France
- Grand Cru (and Prospérité and Rendez-vous) on the owner's website
- Grand Cru on french-waterways.com
- Hotel barge regulations
References
edit- ^ Le Sueur, Bernard (2004). Mariniers: Tome 1, Histoire et mémoire de la batellerie artisanale. Douarnenez: Chasse-Marée Glénat. ISBN 2914208510.
- ^ "Description of hotel barge Grand Cru".