Our Alsace trip started with a literal bang, as the Plan Incline de San-Luis-Arzviller (the massive lift that raises boats 140 meters up a hill) broke down shortly before our departure. This required a change in route, along with a shift in the type of boats, as the breakdown cut off some of the fleet and our original destination. Le Boat’s representative worked very hard to rework things and get the best combination of boats, as well as getting our destination approved. As we need five boats for that trip, it was quite a feat!
One ship made the excursion through the tunnels to view the top of the boat lift; the length of the tunnels and the narrow width led to some minor damage to the rub rails; fortunately it was easily repaired at the next stop. The lock at Rechicourt-le-Chateau was amazing, with a vertical drop of about 50 feet. This combination of canals was more rural than most of our other trips, with smaller towns spread further apart. This made logistics of restaurants and markets a little more complicated than usual. Nonetheless, it was a great trip
