Boating Vacations across the canals and rivers of Europe from Le Boat

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The Midi Surprise

Winning a Le Boat canal cruise served up the vacation of a lifetime for one Canadian couple and their friends.

When Ferne Erickson Bretsen returned home to Toronto, Canada, after spending a week in St. Lucia last winter, she discovered a voicemail from Le Boat indicating she’d won a trip to France. She promptly hit delete.

I didn't believe it," she said. "You know how it is. Everyone seems to call saying you’ve won a vacation, and then you find out it costs an arm and a leg to go."

But the Le Boat vacation was legit. While attending the Toronto International Boat Show in January 2011, Bretsen, 73, had stopped by the Le Boat booth because she was curious about canal cruising. She and her boyfriend, Dave Winlo, were considering traveling to France. They were vaguely aware of canal cruising and wanted to know more. "We asked lots of questions. The idea of seeing France from a canal boat had never occurred to us, but it sounded exciting and different," she said.

Bretsen entered the Le Boat France cruise vacation contest at the show. Then she promptly forgot all about it — until a Le Boat rep finally called when she was home and assured her that she’d really won. "When I found out, I was amazed!" she said.

Bretsen and Winlo, who is an avid boater, could have chosen an itinerary in any region of France, but they were drawn to the Canal du Midi, a scenic waterway stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea through the wine country of Southwest France. They booked the 42-foot Royal Classique, which has three spacious cabins. The boat comfortably sleeps six, so they brought along two other couples.

Setting off from the 14th-century town of Castelnaudary on a one-way cruise west to Port Cassafières last October, Bretsen found herself serenely immersed in French culture and the spellbinding beauty of Midi. "The scenery was magnificent," she said, "and we really loved meeting the local people in the towns."

Bretsen said they routinely savored local wines every day at four o’clock, and later enjoyed gourmet meals prepared in the boat’s luxurious kitchen/galley. They dined ashore about half the time. Stops along the way included a winery tour in Ventenac, sightseeing at the ancient fortified city of Carcassonne, and browsing in an open-air market. "The joy of discovery every day, the link with the past, and the camaraderie is what made the vacation so special to us," she said.

As the boat transited the 62 locks along the 97-mile route, dropping 528 feet to sea level, an easygoing sense of peace settled over Bretsen and her companions. "On the canal, you really slow down," she said. "You’re not in a rush like you can be on some other vacations."

The week ended at beautiful Port Cassafières within walking distance of Mediterranean beaches at the edge of France’s superlative Camargue region. A sojourn on foot to the shimmering Med rounded out Bretsen’s adventures.

No longer a newcomer to canal cruising, Bretsen said she’d "go again in a heartbeat!"