Name Luciole Port of registry Nevers Launched 1926 Tonnage 163,300 kg Builder Dunkirk | Owner Inland Voyages Ltd Christened Ponctuel Length 35 m Draft 1.07 m | |
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Route Nivernais Canal Auxerre to Clamecy Renamed Palinurus (1966), Luciole (1985) | ||
The Luciole is a converted French barge, or péniche. She was built in 1926. In 1966 she became the first hotel barge on the French canal system. She now operates on the Canal du Nivernais.
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History
The Luciole was constructed in 1926 at the Chantiers de Petite-Synthe in Dunkerque as the mule-drawn vessel Ponctuel. Later equipped with an engine, she carried 180 tons of cargo. In 1966 an Englishman, Richard Parsons, bought her and converted her to become the first hotel-barge plying the rivers and canals of France, under the name Palinurus, carrying 22 passengers. She operated in the Burgundy region, before moving southward to the Canal du Midi and Canal Latéral à la Garonne.
In 1985 she was purchased by the British company Inland Voyages Ltd and brought back to Burgundy. There she was rebuilt, with a raised superstructure, and with the interior remodeled to carry 14 passengers in six double or twin bedded cabins and two single cabins, all with air-conditioning and en-suite bathrooms.
Recent modifications include the lengthening of the vessel from the previous 30.75 metres to 34.75 metres (114 ft).
Current operation
The Luciole is now operated by John and Penny Liley, whose Inland Voyages company, formed in 1976, previously operated the hotel-barge Secunda. John Liley is a noted waterway author, whose book France - the Quiet Way, provides a guide to all inland waterways in France.
The Luciole has a crew of six and operates weekly voyages between Auxerre and the town of Clamecy, a scenic route with restricted dimensions in places, which the boat is specifically designed to pass.