What can you do on a boat when it rains?

Rain or fog… the weather’s taking a dive? Aboard your self-drive boat, bad weather doesn’t mean a bad holiday. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Lounging on the deck of your canal barge in your swimsuit and sunglasses – that’s the stuff dreams are made of. But in Brittany, or Ireland, or Holland, or even on the Canal du Midi in autumn, nobody is safe from the occasional shower or stretch of dull weather! One thing to note is that these days, all Locaboat boats can be driven without getting wet. The cockpit may be inside (as is the case on the Pénichettes Classiques^® and Terrasses models), or outside but protected by a roof that can be closed to keep off the rain (as is the case for the Linssen models). Or you may have a double cockpit, inside and outside (as is the case on Pénichettes Flying Bridge^® models). So you don’t need to get those yellow oilskins out: you can drive along happily without feeling a single drop of rain. It’s true that in bad weather you can’t dive in, or go for long cycle rides along the towpaths, but it gives you a good opportunity to visit the museums, go to the local cinema, or stay on the boat and rediscover the pleasures of a nice cup of tea, making pancakes, and having long conversations. There are fair-weather sailors who like to set the world to rights, or have a communal sing-song, or meditate. You start looking back over the past together, and remembering why you’re there, still together, after all these years. Isn’t that a lovely way to strengthen the bonds of love and friendship? Another nice thing you can do is to play board games.  It doesn’t matter if you forgot to bring a pack of playing cards: you can buy cards at every Locaboat base. Then the shower stops… and the sun comes out. Go on, poke your nose outside. There’s a wonderful fresh earthy smell, of leaves, and nature. Breathe deeply. You can relax; here’s the sunshine after the rain.