/ 
There are those who go out to sea for a few weeks each year. And then there are those for whom the boat has become a home as much as a place of learning.
For the past three years, Nicolas has been living aboard the Versan in Chalon-sur-Saône. Every summer, he leaves his mooring to head for the Mediterranean, before returning to his home port via the Rhône and the Saône. It?s a round trip that takes him from coastal anchorages to locks, from sailing to motoring upriver.
Once again this year, the race will start on July 21, 2026. The route heads to the French Riviera, followed by a return leg that requires a change in strategy?and sometimes in configuration?without changing boats.
Ten Years Aboard the Versan
Built in 1970, Versan is an 11.75-meter AMEL Euros 39. This ketch is one of the brand?s earliest models: the Euros 39, AMEL?s first ketch, was produced between 1966 and 1972.
Nicolas is the boat's third owner. But for the past three years, the boat has been much more than just a place he returns to for vacation: it's his home.
Every summer, he sails down to the Mediterranean, then heads back up to Chalon-sur-Saône at the end of the season. The journey has become a tradition, but it?s never quite the same. Conditions change, as do circumstances, and each trip helps him get to know his boat better.
On July 21, Versan set out once again for the sea.
The Mediterranean: Between Stopovers and the Summer Rush
La Ciotat, Porquerolles, La Napoule, and then Antibes, where the Versan stops for three days: Nicolas rediscovers the landscapes of the French Riviera, but also the summer crowds that leave little room for improvisation.
In Porquerolles, in Langoustier Bay, the water temperature has reached 28 °C. While this is a pleasant temperature for swimming, it?s not all good news. This unusual heat serves as a reminder that the marine environment, too, is feeling the effects of climate change.
Another observation, one that?s more immediately apparent from the bridge: the anchorages are even more crowded than in previous years. Boats are concentrated in the same areas, and the question of choosing an anchorage isn?t just about available space. Anchors and their chains can damage Posidonia seagrass beds, which are essential to the balance of the Mediterranean ecosystem. Around Porquerolles, managing anchorage areas is therefore a major challenge in balancing recreational boating with the preservation of the seabed.
As he passes Brégançon, the scenery changes. Nicolas encounters several military vessels at sea. The highly visible security presence leads him to believe that the presidential couple is at the fort. It?s a unique moment during a coastal cruise where recreational boaters, military activities, and other uses share the same body of water.
When I ask him to describe the Mediterranean in one word, Nicolas answers without hesitation: ?ever-changing.? He?s thinking of the weather, which can be unpredictable at times, but also of the number of boats and how people behave at sea. The coast remains appealing, but in the middle of summer, sailing also means dealing with heavy traffic and behavior that isn?t always considerate.
In Antibes, the autopilot decides to stop
Versan stays in Antibes for three days. That's where the autopilot breaks down. Nicolas decides to fix the problem right there and has the equipment repaired before setting sail again.
On a boat built in 1970, which he captains and maintains himself, knowing his equipment well is just as important as knowing where to find a solution when something breaks down.
Then comes the return trip: you have to switch boats... without actually switching them
After crossing the Mediterranean, Nicolas arrived in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. To continue up the river, the Versan had to be demasted. After several weeks of sailing, the boat is now traveling up the Rhône under engine power, with both masts secured on the deck.
The change isn't just about the propulsion system. Now we have to watch the clearance under bridges, stay in the channel, deal with the current and commercial traffic, and prepare for lock passages.
The dimensions of the structures give a sense of what awaits recreational boaters: on the Rhône, the locks open to recreational boating are generally 190 meters long and 12 meters wide. The lock at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône is an exception, measuring 135 meters long by 19 meters wide. Between Lyon and the Arles plateau, the navigable channel is at least 60 meters wide.
After the Mediterranean anchorages, attention now turns to infrastructure, distances, and maneuvers that need to be planned for.
Locks: Another Lesson in Maneuvering
On the Rhône, the locks require constant attention. You have to enter the lock chamber, position the boat, tie it up, and then guide it through the entire change in water level.
The bollards are floating: they rise and fall with the water level in the lock chamber. The mooring lines must be monitored from the beginning to the end of the maneuver. It is not enough to simply tie up and wait.
Nicolas emphasizes one very specific point: the mooring lines must be ready before entering the lock. Once the gates are closed, there?s no time left to look for a line or figure out how to get organized.
The Rhône has 13 locks open to recreational boaters, which are also used by commercial vessels. The two types of vessels share the same waterway, despite having very different restrictions and size limits.
In Bollène, the difference in scale is particularly striking: the lock has a head of 23 meters, the highest in France.
As he travels upstream, Nicolas passes through the 13 locks on the Rhône, then three more on the Saône. The pace is now dictated by the locks, traffic, and navigation conditions, much more so than by the desire to extend a stopover or choose an anchorage.
AIS and VHF also play a key role in this environment shared with professionals. Traveling upriver requires planning ahead, staying alert, and preparing maneuvers before arriving at the location.
The next step: never coming back
These trips back and forth between Chalon-sur-Saône and the Mediterranean are paving the way for a more ambitious project. Nicolas plans to set out with Versan for several years to explore the Mediterranean in a different way, taking the time to linger wherever he pleases.
Each summer voyage allows him to get to know the coast and his boat better. Each trip upriver along the Rhône and the Saône helps him master another sailing environment. All of these experiences contribute to his original project.
The annual journey might then take a different turn: instead of heading to the sea before returning to Chalon, it would mean setting sail for several years.
?There?s something almost mystical about the joy of sailing under sail and the connection with your sailboat?it lets you forget your worries and feel completely happy out on the water.? Nicolas.
