La Serenissima

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I'm not sure where the idea came from. When Eileen asked me later, I couldn't really say. Maybe I read about it on a boating forum. In any case, the idea stuck in the back of my mind. Even though I'm more sail than power, the idea of visiting Venice by boat just seemed so perfect.

I started searching the web and found Locaboat Holidays, a company that charters canal boats all over Northern Europe. And they also have a base in Chioggia at the bottom of the Venice lagoon. I sent some emails to see what they had available during Laura's school holidays. Easter would be late this year, so the weather should be just about perfect for us. Not too hot, not too cold. Well, in theory anyway...

A Penichette 1020 FB

Locaboat is a French company that charters canal boats, but they also build their own boats they call "Penichettes". It means "little barge" and is patterned after the barges that were used to transport goods all over Europe through the rivers and canal systems during the last century. So they look traditional and sturdy but not very sexy! Perfect for Amsterdam or Brugge, but in the stylish land of Armani and Ferrari we would stick out like sore thumbs. Time to swallow my pride. They had a two cabin 33 footer which would suit us perfectly, available for our dates.

A little more research showed that the base in Italy is run by a company called Rendezvous Fantasia which is an unusual name to say the least. But they have been doing this for a long time and I couldn't find anyone who had anything bad to say about them. You might be able to get a boat a bit cheaper by going through them directly, but I prefered to deal with a French company so we went through Locaboat.

We sent off a deposit and they sent back some very good documentation, including a chart of the lagoon that RVF edited themselves. I'm not sure if it's available separately, but anyone navigating the Venice lagoon would do well to get a copy of: "Navigar Più Facile. Laguna Veneta; Chioggia, Jesolo, Treviso".

They also sent several possible itineraries which I spent many evenings studying. Eventually I came up with a plan that would hopefully be easy, relaxing, and interesting. I wanted to visit as much of the lagoon as possible, not spend too much time motoring each day, and have a day or two in Venice. A tall order for one week! I also prefer to get as far as possible from base on the first day or two and then be able to slowly work our way back. That way you are not too far from base if the weather turns bad at the end of your holiday. Of course this has to be balanced with the fact that you usually arrive completely exhausted after the final crazy-busy-panicky days at work and the long voyage. It also takes a bit of time for us to get used to being on a boat again. Finally, I wanted to start slowly in the quieter more remote parts of the lagoon, moving in a crescendo towards the grande finale of Piazza San Marco.

Of course a carefully planned itinerary can then be rendered impossible due to bad weather, mechanical problems, illness, or a hundred other known and unknown knowns. So you have to remain flexible and be prepared to wing it if necessary. 

The departure date is creeping closer. By coincidence, there are several Venetian-themed art exhibitions in Paris this winter. We visit the Canaletto - Guardi exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André. We buy a Venice calendar that goes up on our kitchen wall. I order several books on Venice. Julianna sends us a first edition of "Venice" by James Morris that she found in a second-hand bookshop in Ennis. The anticipation is really building!

The weekend before we leave, Laura is in the final of the Concours Musical de France. She's playing Valse Favorite by Mozart. She is cool as a cucumber as usual and plays beautifully, but forgets to play a reprise. Darn. Even with that she gets a Premier Prix and we are very proud.

The boat's inventory doesn't include binoculars and I can't go boating without, so I ordered a pair of Fujinons. They arrive just in time, so we are all set. Up half the night packing as usual, then off to bed for a few hours sleep before our early start tomorrow.