Q. I am thinking of buying a cruiser with the idea of cruising the erne/shannon waterway what is the maximum height of a boat which will pass under all the bridges on the entire route as i am looking at a number of flybridges.

A. The airdraft of the Shannon Erne Waterway is 3.2m over a width of 3.0m.
Areas(s) : Shannon Erne Waterway Navigation Cruising

Q. Can you tell me how many craft use the Shannon-Erne Waterway in a year?

A. Whilst it is not possible to indicate the total number of craft that use the waterway (as boats may be launched at slipways and taken out locally without being recorded) Waterways Ireland does keep a record of the boat passages at the locks at each end of the waterway. The Shannon – Erne Waterway has a total of 16 navigation locks along its length and they are numbered from east to west. The boat count figure represents the total number of boats passing through the lock in both directions in a year. So if a boat were to pass through the system from the Shannon to the Erne and make a return trip later then the boat would be counted initially at Lock 16 and again at Lock 1 and on the return leg at Lock 1 and then at Lock 16 i.e. twice at each end. The overall estimation of boat activity is made more complex in that some boats make partial journeys and some make one-way trips. However we can say that in the 14 seasons that have passed since the Shannon – Erne Waterway was opened to navigation in 1994 there have been an average of 3163 passages recorded annually at Lock 1 (Co. Fermanagh) and 2600 passages recorded annually at Lock 16 (Co. Leitrim).
Areas(s) : Shannon Erne Waterway

Q. Is there a sat navigation map available for the shannon / erne waterway

A. Navionics have produced a sat navigation map for the Shannon Erne Waterway. You can get further information from Navionics UK by emailing sales@navionics.co.uk or by telephone - 0044 1752204735.
Areas(s) : General Shannon Erne Waterway Navigation