ROW YOUR BOAT, GENTLY DOWN THE RIVER…

Sailing conditions

The sailing conditions are ideal on the Saône. The level of water is satisfactory all year round, there are not many locks (3 locks in Rives de Saône), the river is wide and the natural environment is preserved. Sailing is authorised here all year round, except during periods when the water level is very high. The Saône is divided into 2 sections:

• The Petite Saônefrom Corre to Saint-Jean-de-Losne,
• The Grande Saônefrom Saint-Jean-de-Losne to where it meets the Rhône.

Most locks are automatic or semi-automatic. There are lights to regulate the different steps of manoeuvers. Make sure you ask someone to explain to you how the locks work and ask for the guide (please note that locks are closed on 01/05).

In Saint-Jean-de-Losne, go under the bridge to access the Canal de Bourgogne and sail to Dijon through around twenty locks, spread out over approximately thirty kilometres. This small canal allows you to sail from the waters of the Seine and Yonne, to those of the Saône and the Rhône.

On the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, the services are available for two periods in the year: high season (summer-time period) and low season (winter-time period). Sailing is not possible in between these periods. The sailing times vary depending on the period.

Plan for your trip depending on the size of your boat, and the time you would like to take based on the river itinerary calculation available on the website “Voies Navigables de France”. This service also provides real time information about closed sections.
> Download the brochure “Bienvenue sur le réseau des voies navigables de France” where you will find information about the toll fees, regulations and practical information.

Saint-Jean-de-Losne

A historic river town where cargo barges once sailed. Today, there is still a great number of professionals involved in the sale, rental and maintenance of all sorts of boats. You’ll have everything you need to guarantee a pleasant boat trip.

Where can we drop anchor for the night?

• Quai national in Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Electricity connection and water supply (purchase tokens from the machine at Place Jean Bart (opposite the dock)) available for self-service 24 hours a day. Contactless credit card payments only. €3.20 per token for 500 litres of water (35 minutes pumping) or 4 hours of electricity. No sanitary facilities. Automatic launderette in the Casino supermarket car park.
• Pontoon at the Camping des Herlequins in Saint-Jean-de-Losne for boats under 30 metres long and limited to 7 days between the 15th April and 15th October. In the low season, from 16th October to 16th April, mooring is possible by month. Payment for mooring must be paid at the Station d’Avitaillement (refuelling station) or directly with the member of staff who will stop by. Prices depend on the length of the boat and the mooring period.
• Water station (marina) at Blanquart Yachting in Saint-Usage. Mooring along pontoons with boardwalks in a quiet and secure area. Pontoons are equipped with individual water and electricity meters, and an access door with an electronic lock. Free Wi-Fi access and possibility to purchase tokens for showers and to access sanitary facilities (long stays possible). Prices depend on the length of the boat.
  > Go to Blanquart Yachting for more information.

Where can I drop anchor for a long stay?

• Water station (marina) at H2O. Mooring along pontoons with boardwalks with electricity connection and water supply. At the harbour master’s office, you’ll find all the services you need (water, electricity, shower, washing machine, fuel) and a free Wi-Fi connection. There are several options available for mooring your boat at the marina: in the water, on the dry dock in the outdoor shipyard (covered in sheeting or not), or sheltered inside a building.
  > Go to H20 Bateau to find out more

Which shops are there nearby?

The towns of Saint-Jean-de-Losne and Saint-Usage are very close to one another, and have all the shops you could possibly need, including the Casino supermarket in Saint-Jean-de-Losne (500 metres from the Quai National, Intermarché and Lidl in Saint-Usage (2 km from the Quai National). In the town centre of Saint-Jean-de-Losne, there’s a bakery, pharmacies, doctor’s surgeries and a vet.

If you need to get anywhere, you can hire bicycles at the Rives de Saône Tourist Office (200 metres from the Quai National). There is a bus to Dijon that stops in the towns of Losne, Saint-Jean-de-Losne and Saint-Usage (check the timetable) and there’s also a train service (Saint-Jean-de-Losne train station to go to Dijon or Bourg-en-Bresse (check the timetable).

Seurre

The last stop (or the entrance) of the Côte d’Or and the Petite Saône, here you have everything you need, whatever the size of your boat.

Where can we drop anchor for the night?

• River port It is possible to stay overnight here, or for up to a month (water, electricity and waste collection included in the price). Prices depend on the length of the boat, and include electricity and drinking water. Sanitary facilities and the washing machine available for an extra fee at the harbour master’s office (100 metres from the port).
  > Download the 2021 prices

Where can I drop anchor for a long stay?

• Marina in Seurre: Mooring is possible along one of the three pontoons with boardwalks and electricity connections (individual) and water (included in the price). The harbour master will tell you at which pontoon you can moor your boat, depending on the length. Only boats that are less than 18 metres long can come inside the port. Side-by-side mooring is forbidden. There is an electronic lock to prevent unauthorised access to the pontoons, and the boats are monitored by the harbour master’s office. There is an access ramp for people with reduced mobility, to access the harbour master’s office, and an adapted shower.Marina in Lechâtelet: Mooring with a reservation, with electrical connection and individual meter. The port is secured by an access door to the pontoon and electronic lock. The port is monitored all year round by a resident harbour master.
  There is a grocery store 2 km away (Pagny-la-Ville). Bread delivery every day to the dock.
  > Find out more at enginepower.fr.

Which shops are there nearby?

In the town of Seurre you’ll find all the convenience shops (bakery, pharmacy, appliances, clothes, post office, shoe shop, etc.) as well as doctors’ surgeries and a vet, all in the newly renovated town centre. There is a market every Saturday morning from 8am to 1pm, on Rue de la République.

If you need to go further, you can hire a car at the Renault garage (2 km from the dock) or bikes from the Camping de la Plage (on the other side of the river, opposite the harbour master’s office) (you’ll have to cross the bridge over the Saône). From Seurre, you can take the bus to Beaune (See the timetable), or the train to Dijon or Bourg-en-Bresse (see the timetable).

TO REALLY GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR STAY

Where can you find fuel for your boat?

• At the Station Avitailleur (boat refuelling station) in Saint-Jean-de-Losne, you can get diesel and SP 95 petrol 24 hours a day, self-service. Credit card payments cannot exceed €500. Sale of red diesel and badges for drinking water for hotel barges are only available during opening hours
  > Quai Lafayette – Tél. 03.80.29.09.62 – Mail

Do you need assistance in getting going again?

• Atelier Fluvial in Saint-Usage can provide assistance thanks to their various services: Boiler-making, mechanics, carpentry, electricity, interior design, hydraulic systems and custom-made parts.> 17 quai du Canal – Saint-Usage – Tél. 03.80.27.03.00
• Blanquart yachting in Saint-Usage has a ship chandler’s service with assistance in boat maintenance and crane operation, mechanical and electrical problems. You might even give in to the temptation and buy one of their second-hand boats.
  > Quai du Canal de Bourgogne – Saint-Usage – Tél. 03.80.29.11.06
• H2O in Saint-Jean-de-Losne, can offer a range of services at their shipyard and have especially adapted buildings for boat maintenance and bringing boats out of the water / launching them. Today, there are 6 different departments in the workshop: mechanics / hydraulics, carpentry, painting, boiler-making, electricity and cleaning. H2O is also specialised in the sale of boats
  > port de plaisance – Saint-Jean-de-Losne – Tél. 03.80.39.08.10
• Engine power in Pouilly-sur-Saône repairs, maintains, renovates and stores your boat for the winter. They have a breakdown service, available all over France, to repair your boat.
  > 1 route de Chivres – Pouilly-sur-Saône – Tél. 06.66.45.04.22