The La Renaissance was built in Belgium in 1960 as a spitz barge to carry cargo along the canals of Europe. Her original cargo was grain and iron ore. She presently serves as a luxury hotel barge, owned and operated by European Waterways.
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History
In 1997, the cargo barge was converted to a hotel barge and underwent another refit in 2006. She was purchased by European Waterways in 2007. She was then taken to a shipyard in Belgium for inspection, maintenance, and updating.
Formerly known as the Bonne Humeur, she was rechristened La Renaissance in 2008. She began operations on the canals of western Burgundy and the upper Loire in May, 2008. The barge measures 128 feet long by 17 feet 6 inches wide. She has a top speed of 10 knots, but usually cruises at the canal speed limit of 6 km/h. She is rated at 350 tons capability.
She has a rectangular hull section, bluff bow and a counter hung rudder. She is effectively the largest size vessel which can navigate the Freycinet size locks in France and Belgium. The hull has two wear strips welded outside the chine which mean the hard wear of rubbing against lock walls will be absorbed by this sacrificial steel strip.
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La Renaissance currently has 4 double cabins allowing her to carry up to 8 passengers. She also has separate crew quarters. The crew of five consists of captain and pilot, deck hand and tour guide, master chef, housekeeper, and waiter.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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