Discover history and adventure on the world’s best man-made canals

CRUISE The GREAT CANALS

Exclusive ChartersJoin our cruises along Europe’s iconic rivers

Rock the Boat Music cruises to get your feet tapping

ISSUE 46 SUMMER 2015/16

PRESENTED WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF:

from the

bridge

Iconic Panama Canal is one for the bucket list

canalsThe world’s best man-made canals provide snapshots of history and

present enticing challenges to even the most serious of cruise guests.

WORDS: RODERICK EIME

The Great

Cruise Region Focus | FROM THE BRIDGE

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Long before there were tarmac highways and semi-trailers, there were canals. The great maritime civilisations built

them to carry freight and even military equipment. These man-made rivers created new passages where none existed to speed transit and populate new lands and colonies. You might even say some canals helped create new civilisations.

People first used rivers to transport stuff from inland to the coast, but not all rivers went in the right direction or joined up with other rivers to make a convenient waterway, so industrious societies began the backbreaking work of digging these channels, usually by manual labour and rudimentary tools.

The oldest and longest canal is in China, joining Beijing with Hangzhou, almost 1800km to its south. The ancient engineering feat took 1000-years to complete and is now 1000-years-old. Not surprisingly, the Grand Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage site despite being in constant use to this day.

Canals are all over Europe and the UK, particularly France, Belgium and Holland, where you can navigate your own barge for a unique type of vacation. And while you can take a day cruise on China’s Grand Canal at various locations, there are other canals you can sail the entire length of to complete a unique journey in its own right. >

Corinth CanalGreece Length: 6.4km Completed: 1893 Corinth is an artificial waterway that occupied the minds of ancient engineers and often thwarted them in their efforts.

While Emperor Nero and 6000 slaves began the digging in 67 AD, the final cutting of the Corinth Peninsula was only completed in 1893—sharply separating the region of Peloponnese, where mythical hero Hercules fought the monstrous Nemean lion, from mainland Greece. But at only a little more than 20m deep, few modern ships are able to traverse the shallow canal. So the Corinth Canal is now used mainly for the entertainment of cruise guests and limited to the smallest ships.

The experience is exhilarating, as the sheer limestone walls of the canal extend beyond 60m above the waterline.

Europa CanalMiddle Europe Length: 171km Completed: 1992 The major rivers of Europe have long been an important thoroughfare for trade and many attempts to join the Rhine/Main and Danube Rivers have been attempted.

Egypt’s Suez Canal is lined by desert

China’s Grand Canal took 1000 years to build

VISITING CRUISE LINES

Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines, G Adventures, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, Lindblad Expeditions—National Geographic, MSC Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Europe & World Voyages, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Saga Cruises, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea, Swan Hellenic Cruises, Voyages to Antiquity, Voyages of Discovery, Windstar Cruises.

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Cruise Region Focus | FROM THE BRIDGE

*Fares are per person, in US dollars, valid for new bookings, based on lowest available double occupancy accommodation and include all savings, port charges, government taxes, surcharges, fees and on board gratuities. Prices are correct at 15 November 2015 and valid for a limited time. All fares are capacity controlled and subject to availability, may not be combined with other offers and may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Fares may not include Personal Charges, Optional Facilities and Services Fees as defined in the Terms and Conditions of the Guest Ticket Contract. ^FREE Unlimited Shore Excursion reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and number of shore excursions are subject to availability. Restrictions apply and cancellations received 36 hours prior to shore excursion start date may incur penalties. Regent Seven Seas Cruises reserves the right to correct errors or omissions and to change any and all fares or promotional offers at any time. Complete terms and conditions can be found in the Guest Ticket Contract at www.RSSC.com. Ships’ Registry: Bahamas ©2013 Regent Seven Seas Cruises®. Agents may charge service fees and or fees for card payments. which vary. #Qantas Frequent Flyer members receive one point for every $1.50 spent on Cruiseco holidays. Points are not awarded on port charges, government fees, on board gratuities and air taxes. Qantas Frequent Flyer complimentary membership is non-transferable and not available with any other offer. To be eligible you must have made final payment on your package arrangements. Offer may be withdrawn at any time.

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AQABASUEZ CANAL

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DUBAI

SALALAH

JERUSALEM (HAIFA)

MUSCAT

RHODES

KHASAB

BARCELONA

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LONDON (SOUTHHAMPTON)

MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENTS FLAVOURS OF NORTHERN EUROPE

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Dubai to Barcelona London to Dublin

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Construction was interrupted by World Wars and various political and environmental hurdles, so the current channel only opened to traffic in 1992 after 30 years of work costing more than two billion euro. It is now possible to sail modern and luxurious river boats between the North and Black Seas. Much of the expense went into environmental work, so the scenery created is quite stunning and contains significant opportunities for viewing wildlife, particularly birds.

The canal includes 16 locks in total and, interestingly, the highest point on earth that can currently be reached by ship—406m above sea level—is between the Hilpoltstein and Bachhausen locks.

Suez Canal Egypt Length: 193km Completed: 1869 The concept of a connecting waterway between the Mediterranean and the Red Seas goes back to the ancient Egyptians. Napoleon kept the idea alive, but it wasn’t until 1859 when the first picks were swung in earnest.

Ten years later, the first ships passed through and now the canal sees around fifty ships every day.

It’s an historical moment for any dedicated cruiser to transit the Suez Canal, knowing that it’s been a site of intense political significance for centuries.

It is literally cruising through the desert with vast expanses of sand in both directions and the colourful gardens and mosques of Port Said to either greet or farewell you.

Panama CanalRepublic of Panama Length: 77km Completed: 1914 Along with the Suez, the Panama Canal is perhaps the most famous of them all and cruising along its course is a necessary bucket-list adventure.

The canal cuts nearly 13,000km from the journey between New York and San Francisco while avoiding the hazardous passage around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. The French began construction in 1881 but gave up in 1894 after some 20,000 workers died, mostly from tropical diseases.

You might be surprised to learn that the men responsible for this failed build were the same men who built the Suez and the Eiffel Tower—quite the scandal at the time.

The Americans took over and completed it in 1914 and now the 8–10hr transit through three massive locks is a must-do for serious cruisers, if only for the historical significance.

For 100 years, the width of ships has been governed by the width of the canal and only now is the famous artificial waterway being expanded to cope with more and larger vessels.

The expansion project should be completed soon and includes a new, larger and more impressive set of locks. n

Much of the expense went into environmental work, so the scenery created is quite stunning and contains significant opportunities for viewing wildlife, particularly birds.

Narrow Corinth Canal can only be cruised by small ships

Cruise between the North and Black Seas via the Europa Canal

Enjoy the grandeur of the Panama Canal

The Suez Canal Bridge links the continents of Africa and Eurasia

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