USD $330,000
Victoria is a much loved, elegant historic Dutch barge. She is 23 meter long with a 4.5-meter beam, 1.1 meter draft and 3.1 meter air draft. She has been lovingly and meticulously maintained and had an excellent survey during her haul out in dry dock in May 2022. The wheelhouse and accommodations are spacious, including a full-size kitchen, two en suite bathrooms and generous headroom throughout. Victoria is ready for new owners to step on board and continue cruising the inland waterways of Europe.
History
Victoria’s riveted steel hull was built in Zwartsluis, NL, in 1910. First used as an inland cattle transporter, she was then converted for use as a shrimp fishing boat. The hull was converted by the Sipma Brothers boat builders in Harlingen, NL, in 2001 with a new steel superstructure, cabin top, and side rails added. Barges converted by the Sipma Brothers have a beautiful and distinctive look. The steel workmanship is superb throughout. The first owners of the converted barge spent 18 months at the shipyard working with Dutch carpenters and skilled craftsmen to complete the interior floor plan and finish. The boat is entirely insulated.
Cruising
The present owners have lived on Victoria year-round for seven years, cruising extensively in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. They have taken Victoria from Roanne in Central France, down the Rhone through Lyon and Avignon, across the Canal du Midi to Toulouse and down the Garonne to Bordeaux. They have sailed Victoria to Strasbourg and Nancy, down the Marne and the Seine through Paris, along the Canals des Bourgogne, Loing, Briare and Vosges, the Canal Entre Champagne et Bourgogne and the Canal Lateral de la Loire. They took Victoria up the Oise and the Canal du Nord, along the Somme and the Meuse rivers, all over Belgium, and extensively through the Netherlands, including to Rotterdam, Gouda, Delft, Haarlem, Amsterdam, and as far north as Den Helder and Groningen. They have spent the last four winters on board in Bruges, Belgium.
