The ''Luciole'' is a converted French barge, or '' péniche''. She was built in 1926. In 1966 she became the first

hotel barge A hotel barge (fr. ''péniche hôtel'') is a barge that has been built or converted to serve as a hotel or other kind of lodging. Hotel barges are generally found on rivers and canals in Europe, and may be used for river cruises or permanently moo ...

on the French canal system. She now operates on the

Canal du Nivernais The Canal du Nivernais links the Loire with the Seine, following approximately the course of the river Yonne in a south to north direction. It first climbs northeast and north to cross the Morvan watershed, then roughly follows the course of the ...

and River Yonne, her home mooring is in

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

History

The ''Luciole'' was constructed in 1926 at the Chantiers de

Petite-Synthe Petite-Synthe (; vls, Klein-Sinten, lang) is a former commune of the Nord ''département'' in northern France. The commune of Saint-Pol-sur-Mer was created in 1877, by its territory being detached from Petite-Synthe. In 1971 the commune of Dunker ...

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 Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

region, before moving southward to the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

and

Canal Latéral à la Garonne Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow und ...

. 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 remodelled to carry 12 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). In 2020 a new 3 phase generator with cooling and propeller shaft was installed in the engine room, this was done in a shipyard in Paris.

Current operation

The ''Luciole'' is now operated by John, Penny & Will Liley, whose Inland Voyages Ltd company, formed in 1976, previously operated the hotel-barge ''Secunda''. John Liley is a noted waterway author, whose book ''France - the Quiet Way'',{{cite book, last1=Liley, first1=John, title=France, the quiet way, date=1975, publisher=Stanford Maritime, location=London, isbn=0540071404, url-access=registration, url=https://archive.org/details/francequietway0000lile provides a guide to all inland waterways in France. The ''Luciole'' operates weekly voyages between

and the town of Clamecy, a scenic route on the Canal du Nivernais and River Seine, passing through 36 locks - these have restricted dimensions, which the boat is specifically designed to pass. There is a crew of 6 including a captain, deckhand, tour guide, chef and hosts.

Interior

The barge is split between 2 decks, with 8 en-suite cabins on the lower deck and a galley, saloon and sundeck on the upper deck. At the rear is a large engine room and crew quarters.

References

External links

*
Luciole
' on the owner's website

Gallery

File:Luciole in Lock.JPG, A tight fit for ''Luciole'' in a Nivernais lock File:Luciole bollard.JPG, Ship's bollard File:Luciole rudder gear.JPG, ''Lucioles rudder gear 1926 ships Ships built in France Barges of France Hotel barges