Living afloat

The story of the Luxe Motor MS Watergeus and how to convert a Dutch barge into a houseboat

Santa Maria, a nice day trip on the canal...

The Santa Maria is a 1905 built passenger ship that was lengthened around 20 years ago. She got a whole new upper structure and a 5 cylinder IVECO engine. She daily makes trips with passengers on the Canal du Midi between Béziers and Colombiers.

Arriving at her berth just in front of the locks

I was aboard the ship on 26th August 2008 making a trip from Béziers to Colombiers and back. It was an enjoyable trip with a friendly crew and a good explanation of the captain.

A simple but very practical interior

A simple but very practical interior

Moored in Colombiers

The trip took around 5 hours, with a break of one hour and a halve. We sailed from Béziers to Colombiers. There we went through a tunnel, made a turn and sailed back to Colombiers. Colombiers has a little yacht harbour and a few restaurants. You could chose to eat aboard the ship or to visit the harbour. I went into the harbour to take picture of the several house boats.

The tunnel we sailed through

Ant two o'clock in the afternoon we set sail to Béziers, where we had to pass the nine locks. A very nice experience. Down the locks, we disembarked and went back home.

The Santa Maria on one of the locks

For people who don't have a ship in the environment and would love to sail on Canal Du Midi, the Santa Maria is a perfect choice!

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