Discover Europe on this fully equipped Aquanaut

Daniel and Elsbeth made many, unforgettable trips through Europe with their Aquanaut European Voyager 1300. In bright sunshine, biting cold or stormy weather; the very fully equipped L'Arc-en-Ciel always proved to be a loyal travel companion. The two are now saying goodbye to their perfectly maintained yacht, which has all the nautical facilities you need along the way. The ship is ready for many new voyages through Europe.

The Aquanaut was built in 2013 specifically for the discovery of Europe's waterways. "For the next 12 years, we travelled all over Europe, visiting the vast majority of the waterways between Paris and Szczecin, Chalons sur Saône and the Kattegat," says Daniel.

The ship was converted for France to a minimum height of 3.28 m (mast down). "We achieved this by removing the windscreens on the upper deck. We could enjoy the unobstructed view. In all the years that followed, we kept the windows in the large storage area under the cockpit, where they are still today."

23,353 km through the water

In total, they spent 1,463 days on the L'Arc-en-Ciel (French for 'rainbow'). "We were usually on the ship between 100 and 200 days a year. During these stays, we made sailing trips on 720 days. The good engine ran for 2,982 hours without failures and pushed our ship 23,353 km through the water. We controlled many meters of height in locks from 1909. We discovered beautiful landscapes, culturally rich cities and met a wide variety of people."

During 50 hours of engine testing, the ship was extensively tested. Daniel: "We got to know it thoroughly on the Dutch seas. We enjoyed staying in magical places. After the tests, we started our first big trip, which took us up the Meuse to Maastricht and then via Belgium and France to Compiègne and the Somme to Amiens. Later we traveled back to Sneek via Brussels."

Trip to Paris

The second voyage took them through Burgundy to Paris. "Paris is representative of other major cities that we have visited and explored. Our ship is designed in such a way that we can live in one place for a long time. We stayed in Paris, in Berlin for more than a month and several times, even three months, in Amsterdam and Cologne, Lübeck and Stralsund for a month."

On their way to Paris, they had to deal with terrible weather. It rained incessantly. "We moored at a reservoir and stayed there until the weather improved. Fortunately, the ship is perfectly built for bad weather. There is no hatch that can drip or form condensation. Even in the cold, you can stay dry and comfortable in the well-insulated ship."

Trip to the Baltic Sea

In 2016, the voyage went to the Baltic Sea. "We reached the Ems near Haren via small canals, after which we went 'up the mountain', as it were, towards the Wet Triangle. From there we followed the Mittelland Canal eastwards and sailed further towards Lübeck via the Elbe-Lateral Canal and the Elbe-Lübeck Canal."

There the journey continued over salt water. "We crossed the western Baltic Sea, passed Copenhagen and sailed into the Kattegat. Later we descended south again via the Little Belt, back towards Lübeck."

Rhine and Moselle

In 2017, the IJssel, the Rhine and the Moselle were their sailing area. "Both the ship and we faced new challenges. On the one hand, there was the heavy traffic on the largest inland waterway in Europe, on the other hand, there were the strong currents. They always asked for a different way of sailing uphill and downhill."

They tried not to think too much about what would happen if the engine failed. "That's exactly why we made sure that everything was well maintained and checked."

Wandeltochten vanaf het jacht

Besides sailing, walking was the couple's second great passion. "During our voyages, we took both very long and shorter walks and explorations from the ship," says Daniel. "We did that when we stayed in a beautiful place for several days or during a travel break."

The two also talk about their experiences at the French border near Givet. "The conditions change there and it took some getting used to the narrow French locks. The canals are narrower and the bridges deep (3.40 - 3.50 m). The L'Arc-en-Ciel can easily navigate the vast majority of French waterways. The tunnel at the top of the Canal de Bourgogne (only 5 cm of free space, due to the bend of the tunnel) and the Canal de Midi with its round bridges are not passable."

The two are less enthusiastic about the port of Reims. "Unfortunately, this one is very noisy because of a highway that runs along it. But the mighty cathedral and its museum kept us busy for days. We were able to rest later in the quiet countryside on the Aisne."

Many beautiful encounters

It was not only architectural monuments that occupied them during their travels through Europe. They also enjoyed the many encounters with people and their history. "Many contacts remained or even became friendships," Daniel explains.

They also had numerous meetings with professional skippers, with whom they maintained good contacts. "They also sent us photos of our ship. For example, a professional captain on the Seine always moored us at the locks. In locks we could moor next to him and have a lovely chat. On the Canal du Nord we sailed with a family that was on its way to Belgium on two cargo ships with grain. And during our three trips to Lübeck, we always met the same skippers and moored with them on the same piers."

Last trip

Their very last journey took the two across the Rhine, Moselle and Marne-Rhine Canal to the cultural cities of Trier, Metz and Strasbourg. "We were visited by our young families, who often visited us. They also wanted to say goodbye to the ship. The L'Arc-en-Ciel can also receive guests. We can easily go out with a group of 6 people. The many accommodations on board offer plenty of space for many great experiences."

Learn more

Daniel and Elsbeth had L'Arc-en-Ciel built for the time after their retirement. They spent wonderful years on it. If you want to take such a trip through Europe or are looking for a ship on which you can live safely and comfortably, the L'Arc-en-Ciel offers endless possibilities for exciting new experiences.

For more information and photos about this Aquanaut, visit: https://jachtmakelaardij4beaufort.nl/en/second-hand-yachts/aquanaut-european-voyager-1300-1