Chesapeake Flotillas - The Canals of Alsace-Lorraine, France in 2016

Voyager avec moi à la pays de France

Exploring the canals of Alsace-Lorraine, France

with Capt. Rob

September 10-17, 2016

Canal Boat Cruising with Chesapeake Flotillas and LeBoat

COMPLETE TRIP INFORMATION

THIS TRIP IS SOLD-OUT

Accepting Wait-list reservations only

Dates	Itinerary	Boats	Cost
Reservations	Payment	Cancellations	Payment Options
Flight Information	Pre-trip Meeting	FAQs

Trip Dates:

The trip dates are September 10-17, 2016. We currently plan to board the boats Saturday afternoon. Some of you will no doubt want to arrange to be in France for some time before or after the trip...or both! Sailing dates would be the 11th through the 18th. This will be a one-way charter starting from the town of Hesse. We will work our way south and east to end our adventure in Boofzheim. You MUST have a current passport with at least 6 months before it expires.

Float Plan - Itinerary of where we will cruise

I have never been to France. The thought of exploring small and lesser known towns and villages is exciting! We will board the boats in Hesse and then head generally east through Strasbourg and ending in Boofzheim. The following list of towns is only a suggestion based on the many possibilities. They are listed in no particular order. I can easily imagine that our stops and overnights will be decided by consensus on the fly! In all cases, we will be secured alongside somewhere each night^[1].

The map below shows a high-level view of our proposed route. If you want to see more details, you can view Google maps by clicking here.

Hesse Our starting point...location of the LeBoat charter base. Google Maps Navionics Chart

Niderviller Known for its history in making porcelain.

Arzviller Have your cameras ready as we traverse the famous boatlift here. Google Maps Navionics Chart

Lutzelbourg The name means "little castle". Google Maps Navionics Chart

Saverne The town of the unicorn. Google Maps Navionics Chart

Hochfelden Visit the Meteor Brewery for a tour...or just a taste of French ale with a German influence.

The Brumath Forest We will spend a night here in the forest before we head to Strasbourg. Google Maps Navionics Chart

Strasbourg a UNESCO World Heritage Site but a vibrant and dynamic city nonetheless. Google Maps Navionics Chart

Obenheim We might be there in time for the dance party at the Village Festival!

After we return our boat, you may well wish to see other parts of France and Europe. However you decide to wrap up your vacation, the choice is yours.

Here are maps of France and the Alsace region of France. Lorraine is just to west as shown.

You can click here for more information
on France.

You can click here for more information
on Alsace-Lorraine.

Click here for French tourism information.

I will update this page as new information becomes available. If you are on my mailing list, you will be notified of all updates on this trip as well as my domestic offerings. If you would like to be on my mailing list, contact me.

The Boat:

Once I have received all 9 deposits, I will reserve a 48-foot canal boat for our trip. There may be limited availability so the earlier I can reserve a boat, the better we will be. Click the link below for layout and equipment details of a representative boat.

Click Grand Classique to see the layout. The page includes photos, a virtual tour of the boat, and list of features and amenities.

There are many other models which can accommodate similar sized groups and smaller. Interested skippers should contact me for pricing information on other boats.

Cost:

The cost of this trip is $1600 per person. The price assumes double occupancy in the cabins and includes the boat, provisioning, an experienced and/or licensed captain, damage waiver insurance, refueling, limited travel insurance, and on-board WiFi for the week. It assumes 9 crew plus your skipper for a total of 10 people on board.

If I add additional boats to the trip, they MAY not all be the same model in which case the price per person for people on those boats may vary. However, I have tried to price the trip to avoid or at least minimize any variation in price as a function of boat selection.

The price does not include airfare, meals eaten ashore, personal alcoholic beverages, land-based lodging, individual travel insurance, or other incidentals.

Reservations:

A deposit of at least $500 will reserve your berth or a place on the wait-list. Depending on where we are in the payment schedule, the required minimum first payment may be more than just the deposit. Please read and understand the payment schedule and the cancellation policy below. If you are wait-listed, the cancellation policy does not apply while you are on the wait-list. I need at least 9 committed people to make this trip viable. Qualified skippers interested in reserving an entire boat may contact me. Note that you will be primarily responsible for finding your own crew. The cancellation policy published here applies to everyone on any boat in this flotilla.

Payment Schedule:

Given the trip price and including an initial deposit of $500, there will be a total of six (6) payments spaced approximately 3 months apart. Before sending your deposit, please read and understand the cancellation policy. It is understood that receipt of your deposit means that you understand and agree to the cancellation policy as posted. If you have not already made a reservation with me, please include with your payment your name, address, preferred telephone number, email address, and an indication of whether you will be travelling with someone else. For information on payment options, click here.

The cost of this trip includes limited individual travel insurance. However, I always recommend that participants consider purchasing their own travel insurance policy. Please see the FAQ question on travel insurance for more information.

Due on or before March 1, 2015	$500
Due on or before June 1, 2015	$220
Due on or before September 1, 2015	$220
Due on or before December 1, 2015	$220
Due on or before March 1, 2016	$220
* FINAL PAYMENT * Due on or before June 1, 2016	$220 or balance due

Please note that if your first payment falls after the due date for the deposit or any subsequent payment, your first payment must be at LEAST in the amount of the total of all payments due up to the date of your payment. For example, if your first payment is made after September 1, 2015, your payment must be at least $940. This will be the case whether you are a confirmed participant or being placed on the wait list. If you are wait-listed, and you have paid by check, your check will NOT be deposited until you are confirmed. If you have paid by credit or debit card and you are wait-listed, you will be refunded your payment on request OR after the June 1, 2016 if you are not confirmed as a participant before then, whichever comes first. No further payments from wait-listed crew will be necessary until you are confirmed as a participant at which time the balance of the total amount due at that time will be required to reserve your berth.

Cancellation Policy:

Charter companies have very strict policies regarding cancellations. There are significant financial penalties for cancelling a charter boat. The following cancellation policy is provided to help avoid that situation. In the event you must cancel, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can try to find a replacement or confirm someone from the waiting list, if any. If you are on the wait-list, the cancellation policy does not apply. If I can find no replacement within 2 weeks for someone who must cancel their reservation, the following cancellation fees will be assessed. I STRONGLY recommend that you purchase your own travel insurance to protect your investment in this trip. Check the FAQ section for information on travel insurance underwriters.

I reserve the right to update this cancellation policy up until the time that I begin accepting deposits.

If you cancel:
On or before 06/01/2015	$300
06/02/2015 to 08/31/2015 inclusive	$600
09/01/2015 to 10/31/2015 inclusive	$800
anytime after 11/1/2015	All monies paid to date

Payment Options:

You have three options for paying for your trip. I will describe each method below.

Payment Options	Information
Credit or Debit Card Online	This is your best option for getting your reservation or payment in most expeditiously. You may use this link to pay online. My online "store" gives you the options of paying the minimum deposit, paying for the entire trip, or paying for the deposit and some number of the recurring $220 payments. If you wish to reserve after the initial offering, you may wish to call prior to making an online payment to determine if there a wait-list. If so, you may wish to make a payment by check instead so as not to commit funds until necessary. Even though the online store makes reference to shipping, nothing will be shipped to you. This is how I can collect your contact information. Your commemorative T-Shirts will be delivered at the pre-trip meeting. However, please note that when entering your address, the leftmost field on the city-state-zip line, is actually the ZIP Code field. If you enter your ZIP Code there, the system will automatically populate the city and state fields based on the ZIP code that you provide. If you do not enter the ZIP code as described, you may experience some trouble completing the rest of the form. My online store is operated by the company I use to process credit card payments. I do NOT keep or in any way save your credit or debit card information. I do keep your contact information for obvious reasons. So please be sure to provide your complete information including email address and phone number. If you pay for more than one person, use the Notes feature to supply that person's name and contact information, if it is different from your own.
Credit or Debit Card by phone	This is your second best option for getting your reservation or payment quickly. If you call me, I can tell you if there are open berths or if there is a wait-list. If you choose to make a payment, I will enter your credit or debit card information into my terminal. I can tell you immediately if it was approved and you will get a receipt via your choice of email or SMS. I am available by phone generally from 8AM to 9PM. My phone number is 908.672.3609. Additionally, using this method you can pay any amount you like as long as it is equal to or greater than the minimum amount due at the time of your call. For example, if the minimum payment due is the $500 deposit, you may optionally elect to pay $600 (or some other amount) when paying by phone. I do NOT keep or in any way save your credit information. I will keep your contact information for obvious reasons. I particularly need your email address and phone number.
Check or Money Order	You may mail your payments as checks or money orders made payable to "Chesapeake Flotillas". Your reservation will be recorded when your check is received. Address the envelope to Chesapeake Flotillas 487 E Main St Somerville, NJ 08876-3128 My suggestion is use the online store interface to make your deposit and then you can pay the recurring payments by check if you like. In this way, you can submit your reservation in a more timely way. When mailing your deposit, please include your full contact information including address, preferred phone number, and an email address. If making payment for more than one person, please include full contact information for each person covered by the payment. Please, for the sake of your own information privacy, do NOT mail or email your credit or debit card information to me. If you want to use a credit or debit card, refer to the two sections immediately above.

Flight Information:

You should consider making your airline reservations as early as practical. Economic pressures will make airfares volatile. The flight information below is for those coming out of Northern New Jersey. Direct flights to Paris - Charles DeGaulle are generally available from all major international airports. Do your due diligence. It may be less expensive to fly into Frankfurt, Germany (airport code FRA) than to fly to Paris (CDG) and nonstops may be more expensive than changing planes along the way.

We will board the boat(s) in Hesse. Once in Paris or Frankfurt, take the train to Sarrebourg where you can get a taxi to the LeBoat base. Depending on everyone's travel plans, we may be able to arrange one or more taxis as a group. At the end of the trip, we can take a taxi to Strasbourg and then a train to wherever your next destination may be. Currently train fare is about $100 each way. The train ride is about 2-1/2 hours from Paris and 4 hours from Frankfurt.

Dates	Projected Newark Flight information based September 2015 schedule
Eastbound	United 8838 Departing EWR at 6:00 pm 09/09/2016 arriving FRA at 7:45 am (next day)
Westbound	United 8839 Departing FRA at 1:20 pm 09/18/2016 arriving EWR at 3:45 pm
The current listed airfare according to Expedia is $835.00. This flight schedule is provided as an example and for information. Flight schedules and fares may change by the time of your booking.

If you wish to investigate reserving a hotel room or other accommodation during our trip, I recommend using Booking.com. Some of us have used that site to arrange for housing in the past. We have found some lovely accommodations at VERY reasonable rates.

Pre-Trip Meeting

THe pre-trip meeting was held online. A recording of the meeting is available online. You are also able to download the recording, the PowerPoint presentation, and some documents that were discussed. Click here to get to the Pretrip Information page.

Contact:

Should you have any questions Rob can be reached via email or call him at:

Rob: 908.672.3609

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is a deposit needed so early?

We are benefiting from an early charter discount that is more significant than if we had booked at this time next year. Charter companies do not hold boats without a deposit. We all benefit by booking this early in terms of savings. In addition, the payments have been spread out to make each payment more convenient.

Will I be guaranteed a berth?

Deposit checks will be recorded in the order in which they are received. In other words, it is first come first served with respect to a billet on this trip.

What if there are too many crew for berths?

A wait list will be created if this were to occur. Should the wait list approximate a full boat then I may attempt to locate a qualified skipper to captain another vessel.

If I have to drop out of the trip will I get my money back?

I am creating an installment plan like I have done with my previous trips. The deposit will be conditionally refundable up to a certain date. After that date you will lose a specified portion of what you have already paid if there is no wait-list. You are encouraged to purchase your own trip cancellation insurance. There is generally a 14-day window after paying your deposit to purchase travel insurance in order to qualify for coverage on pre-existing medical conditions. The cost of travel insurance is estimated at $150 to $300 primarily depending on the age of the traveller.

I can suggest three providers whose products and premiums all appear comparable.

Allianz http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com 1.866.884.3556

TravelGard http://www.travelguard.com 1.800.826.4919

Travel Insured http://www.travelinsured.com 1.800.243.3174

My indentifying these three potential insurers does not constitute an endorsement. They are listed merely as a convenience for my clients. I receive no benefit whatsoever if you choose to purchase coverage from one of them. You should purchase coverage from an insurer with whom you feel comfortable but do, please for your own protection, purchase some form of travel insurance.

How do I get to the charter base from where I live?

Whether you choose to fly into Paris or another city, take a train to Sarrebourg, France. I will work with the charter company to arrange for everyone to be picked up from the arrival train station. Understand the schedules and book early!

Will my cellphone work where we will be?

AT&T and T-Mobile work overseas. However, you will need to call them to turn on that capability or obtain an international SIM card. Verizon CDMA phones may not work in Europe but I understand Verizon may supply GSM compatible phones if requested. I have no experience with or knowledge of other service providers. Regardless of your provider, take care with your calling and data plan as roaming rates are exorbitant.

What are the sleeping arrangements and how are they decided?

There are 5 double cabins on the boat. Two are pilot cabins with bunk beds. Two cabins have twin beds that can be pushed together if desired. One cabin has a single double bed. There are three heads. See the section on the boat above for line drawings and details. Everyone should expect to share a cabin with one other person. I will make every effort to bunk singles with their own gender but I cannot absolutely guarantee that will always be the case. It will necessarily depend on who signs up. If it is a significant concern for you, your best option is to bring a bed friend! I plan to bunk in the cabin closest to the helm station unless other arrangements are indicated.

What will we eat?

The cost of provisioning the boat for the week is included in the price of the trip. For this trip, we plan to make use of the local restaurants and cafes for our dinners since the plan is to be in a town or village each night. This will give you the most complete exposure to life and cuisine in France! It is possible that there may be one night that we dine aboard but that will not significantly affect our provisioning budget. My first and second mates will be responsible for procuring groceries and supplies. The second mate will also manage the galley during the trip. That does NOT mean one or two people should do all the galley work for the whole week. These volunteers will be more like galley supervisors than galley slaves! The week's menu will be roughly determined before we leave the states. If you have unique requirements or special dietary needs, you may need to take full ownership for those needs. We are going to explore, relax, laugh, and cruise, not to make overly elaborate meals. There will be restaurants for that!

What if my boss (mother, spouse, etc...) decides I can't go after I have paid?

To put it simply, that is why you should buy trip insurance. Boats are expensive to charter and it is costly to cancel a trip. Therefore, we have established an individual cancellation policy with a progressive cost structure. You may wish to coordinate your trip deposit with your purchase of travel insurance to maximize insurance benefits. Check with Rob before sending in your initial deposit and/or purchasing a travel insurance policy.

I have wanted to explore the French countryside for a long time. Come feel the wonder with me.

Click here for information about current sailing opportunities.

[1] Itinerary suggestions mentioned here are only an example of what is possible. There are many potential stops and diversions. The final choice will be made based on ambient conditions including crew interest and advice from the charter company.

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