Solvay 101

Solvay 101, registration NY3069F, was built in 1931 at Choisy-le-Roi with a 30 hp Deutz engine.  The information on this page is obtained from Vagus-Vagrant.fr unless otherwise indicated.

Some notes from Sylviane Parent:

Solvay was put up for sale in 1985 by Solvay, when Yvon Clovyn and his wife Liliane were transferred to the factory. Initially, its new owner converted it into a residence, naming it "Fomina" with its home port in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe (54).  In 2012, it left Dombasle for Épernay (51) and it reappeared under the same name in Épernay in 2013. In 2016, it reappeared under a new name, "La France VIP" in Mareuil-sur-Ay (51), as a bed and breakfast.  Since 2017, it can be found under a new name, "Elaudy" in Mareuil-sur-Ay (51), now a private residence. I don't know the name of the current owner.

Solvay 101 on the Meuse at Vilosnes:

Here she is at Dombasle, second to last on the right:

Photo taken in Dombasle, September 1983, from a brochure published by the National Navigation Office - Nancy Regional Navigation Directorate: "Eastern Industrialists: River Transport, Have You Thought of It?". The rear of Solvay 101 is on the left:

In Dombasle around 1985:

Solvays 67, 87, 101, 123 and another one, as yet unidentified, at Dombasle:

Here is Fomina in Dombasle on April 19 2009:

Some more photos from July 28 2012 at Lay-St-Rémy after the Foug tunnel on the Marne-Rhine canal. The mooring area on the right, although quiet and peaceful especially when the fishermen have packed up, always has goats roaming around so we never moored there when we had Buddy.:

A photo from inside the hotel boat:

Two more photos of Fomina. These are when she was at Epernay:

Two more undated photos from Epernay:

A letter written to Vagus-Vagrant.fr:

Hello everyone,

I'm very happy to have found this site because I'm the new owner of the former SOLVAY 101, formerly FOMINA, and now LA FRANCE VIP. A little background: LA is for the feminine form of the barge, and FRANCE is short for my wife Francine. VIP stands for Vacances Insolites en Péniche (Unusual Barge Holidays). Yes, the SOLVAY 101 is now a beautiful barge offering four lovely guest rooms with excellent amenities such as a Jacuzzi, billiards, a library lounge, a TV lounge, etc. We are based in EPERNAY (SNE) at the marina, at the foot of the Champagne DE CASTELLANE tower. We mainly welcome international guests (Belgians, English, Germans, Spaniards, Italians, Americans, and even Australians). To finish decorating our boat, I'm interested in anything related to life on the SOLVAY 101. Greetings to all, and see you soon,

Franck

Photos of La France VIP from November 13 2016 at Mareuil-sur-Äy, one of our favourite moorings:

She was sold in 2017 shortly after the above photos were taken and was renamed Elaudy.  Here she is still at Mareuil-sur-Äy:

Elaudy after a repaint, still at Mareuil-sur-Äy.  This is what she looked like when we saw her there: