It
is in God's own country - Kerala who can boast of
the West Coast Canal, also known as "The Third
National Waterway" (NW-III). It has a total
length of 205 kms from Kollam in the south to
Kottapuram in the north (Click here to view map)
along with the Champakkara Canal and the
Udyogamandal Canal and is lined with breath-taking
beauty of ancient Chinese fishing nets, water
lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic
homes, ancient temples, mosques and synagogues,
Ayurveda treatment centers and coconut groves on
either sides of the Waterway. The NW-III forms part
of an intricate network of forty-four rivers and
their tributaries.
The National Geographic Traveler famously listed
Kerala as one of the " 50 places of a
lifetime" among its millennium destinations.
Magazines like Cosmopolitan and Travel & Leisure
have referred to Kerala as "one of the ten love
nests in India" and "a paradise to have
the best breakfast in the world".
Realising this opportunity for tourism as well as
transportation, the Government of India approved and
implemented the Inland Water Policy in which the
National Waterway III) is a part. The National
Waterway III has been developed into a navigable
channel of 38/32m. width and 2m. depths with
full-fledged terminal facilities at over eleven
locations and 24 hrs. Navigational aids. Countless
lakes, lagoons, canals, estuaries and deltas of
forty- four rivers make up the 205 km National
Waterway III. The NW-III runs almost in parallel to
the major State and National Roadways enabling
yachters an opportunity to even visit the inland
villages, cities and towns while their Yachts are
safely anchored at any of the eleven terminals.
Quaint ferries, canoes and large country crafts can
be seen moving smoothly along, carrying cargo,
children to school and people to work.
Yachters would also be interested to see kerala's
traditional yachts or kettuvalams (houseboats) as
they are locally called, made out Jack wood planks
joined together with coir rope and coated with black
resin made from boiled cashew nut shells
The West Coast Canal covers five districts of Kerala
- Trichur, Ernamkulam, Kottayam, Allepey and Quilon.
The NW-III or West Coast Canal's depth is being
maintained with nominal maintenance dredging every 4
years as sediment load is low and water level
fluctuations are limited to only tidal variations.
An easy way of accessing the National Waterway III
for yachters is by navigating to the harbour city of
Kochi or Cochin, also known as the queen of the
Arabian Sea located at 9 deg 58 min. Kochi port has
all the facilities one would expect from a full
fledged international port, some of them are:
A
Yacht parking zone
All
weather port
'Walk
in' berthing priority
24
hours pilotage
Bunkering
& Water services
Single
window facility for customs, inmmigration &
port health clearance, foreign exchange
facilities and tourist information.
Kochi
is also the commercial capital and the most
cosmopolitan capital of Kerala. Kochi is the landing
point for all visitors visiting Kerala and was a
major center of commerce and trade with the Arabs,
Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and the British in the
past. With one of the finest natural harbours in the
world and strategically located on the East-West sea
trade route from Europe to Australia, this harbour
city can help replenish your yacht for essential
supplies, stocks and even repairs. The city of Kochi
offers her visitors plenty of sites to visit and
enjoy. The port was developed to international
standards by Sir Robert Bristow against far too many
odds and was also called by the British Raj as the
" Jewel in the Crown of the Queen of the
Arabian Sea."
The approximate voyage time through the West Coast
Canal from Kochi to Kollam takes around a day
(voyage time is based on day navigation only
considering that the vessel will cover about 100 Km
per day on an average).
From Kochi, Yachters can visit a host of unrivalled
and mystic destinations such as the ancient Jewish
Synagogue, St. Francis Basilica- where Vasco da Gama
(the Portuguese Navigator) was buried, the Dutch
Palace, Bolghatty Palace, Backwater Resorts,
Athirapally waterfalls, Ayurveda (the science of
life) treatment centers and different
architecturally elegant temples. It is also a
Shoppers paradise catering to traditional
handicrafts, Oriental clothing, leather goods,
spices and antiques. The palaces, museums and Art
Galleries will also be of interest to kochi's
guests.
The city also prides in being the only international
internet gateway in South Asia for the South
Africa Far East (SAFE) project for high speed
internet access and communications, therefore
communication facilities here are very much up to
international standards.
The ancient Phoenicians and Romans were enchanted by
the clear backwaters of Kerala and it is perhaps the
Romans who referred to Alleppey in Kerala as
"The Venice of the East". The final
destination on the NW-III, Kollam or Quilon enables
yachters to access the Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary,
the tea gardens and hill station - Munnar and the
Kovalam beach, all within a few hours reach from
here. Yachters on the NW-III can savor tender
coconut, sweet coconut toddy and hot and spicy
feasts from numerable resorts and hotels that dot
the banks of the waterway. You can even stay at the
ancestral houses or tharavads as they are known in
Kerala and experience traditional Kerala hospitality
and Ayurveda massages which help rejuvenate your
body from several days of tireless sailing plus
enjoy having traditional spicy feasts. Kappa
(tapioca) and Karimeen (local fresh water fish)
washed down with tender coconuts are the favorites.
During the months of August/September comes Onam,
the annual harvest festival. A festive period which
plays host to several events like the exhilarating
snake boat races (held on the second Saturday of
August), kathakali and mohiniyattam dances and many
more cultural events. Sailing through the National
Waterway III you can see many rare migratory birds
at the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary at Kottayam. The
National Waterway III opens at Kochi with the
Vembanad lake, the largest backwater stretch in
Kerala and towards the south - the Ahtamudi lake
covers a major portion of Kollam. The northern
sector of the National Waterway-III covers the
southern tip of Malabar, the spice garden of India.
Famous festivals like the thrissur pooram (in
April/May), the oldest Mosque in India at
Kodungallur and the Guruvayoor temple are some of
the landmarks easily accessible to yachters from
Kottapuram.
The Government of India and the Kerala State
Government has given top priority in the further
development of the National Water Way-III (The West
Coast Canal) guaranteeing an all around facilities
and navigational aids to the sailors and Yachting
adventurers.
