Training as a CGN captain
Employees who are taken on with a trade of use to the company are given two weeks' induction training before joining the crew.

Regardless of their trade, all employees at the dockyard then sail for one year as a boatman, and conclude this period with an examination to become a ticket inspector, 2nd class.

After one or two years in this position, ticket inspectors may take an examination to become ticket inspector, 1st class (sub-helmsman), and then helmsman after a further period of the same duration and an internal examination.

The OFT (Federal Transport Office) offers examinations for pilots, then captains, and lastly steam ship captains.

Ten to 12 years of sailing are required before reaching the position of captain.
   
The captain has overall responsibility for ensuring that his or her vessel is operating correctly, including equipment, crew, safety, restaurant, etc. Each vessel must be placed under the authority of a captain.

Training as a CGN captain
Employees who are taken on with a trade of use to the company are given two weeks' induction training before joining the crew.

Regardless of their trade, all employees at the dockyard then sail for one year as a boatman, and conclude this period with an examination to become a ticket inspector, 2nd class.

After one or two years in this position, ticket inspectors may take an examination to become ticket inspector, 1st class (sub-helmsman), and then helmsman after a further period of the same duration and an internal examination.

The OFT (Federal Transport Office) offers examinations for pilots, then captains, and lastly steam ship captains.

Ten to 12 years of sailing are required before reaching the position of captain.
   
The captain has overall responsibility for ensuring that his or her vessel is operating correctly, including equipment, crew, safety, restaurant, etc. Each vessel must be placed under the authority of a captain.
Captain's corner

Training as a CGN captain
Employees who are taken on with a trade of use to the company are given two weeks' induction training before joining the crew.

Regardless of their trade, all employees at the dockyard then sail for one year as a boatman, and conclude this period with an examination to become a ticket inspector, 2nd class.

After one or two years in this position, ticket inspectors may take an examination to become ticket inspector, 1st class (sub-helmsman), and then helmsman after a further period of the same duration and an internal examination.

The OFT (Federal Transport Office) offers examinations for pilots, then captains, and lastly steam ship captains.

Ten to 12 years of sailing are required before reaching the position of captain.
   
The captain has overall responsibility for ensuring that his or her vessel is operating correctly, including equipment, crew, safety, restaurant, etc. Each vessel must be placed under the authority of a captain.

Since the 'Guillaume Tell' became the first mechanically propelled vessel on Lake Geneva in 1823, the load capacity, displacement and size of the vessels that operate here have increased regularly. At the same time, the motive power of the steam engines also increased in step with advances made in this area.

Maximum size and capacity were achieved at the beginning of the 20th Century ('La Suisse', 70 metres, 1,500 passengers). The required power was an indicated 1400 hp.

Heating was provided by coal. Particular ports - Lausanne, Geneva and Le Bouveret - therefore had to be supplied with coal, which was extremely heavy work. All crew members had to help carry the coal on their backs. While the vessel was under way, teams of stokers fed the furnaces using shovels.

With regard to comfort, the vessels were originally "bare deck", with only movable, and later fixed, tents to protect the passengers. Later came the "demi-salons" ('Winkelried II', 1871), areas offering greater comfort at the stern of the vessel, and finally the twin-deck saloon ship ('Mont-Blanc II', 1875).

Alternatives to steam propulsion became available on the following dates:

• 1905, the 'Venoge', a screw-propelled sightseeing boat driven by a diesel engine. This was the first boat to be fitted with a Sulzer diesel engine. This boat is still in service.
• 1935, 'Genève', conversion of steam propulsion to diesel electric propulsion (a diesel engine drives a generator which in turn drives two electric engines that power the paddle wheels via a reducing gear). This vessel can still be seen at anchor in Geneva.
• 1960, 'Col-Vert', the first screw-propelled, diesel-engined passenger vessel ordered by CGN. This boat is still in service.

The steam ships were originally built in various locations, but later only in Switzerland (Escher Wyss until 1892 (Major Davel)) and then by Sulzer Frères alone until the last steam ship, 'Le Rhône II', was ordered in 1927.

At the turn of the 20th century, the general architecture of the boats was practically fixed. There was an "Escher Wyss style" and a "Sulzer style". The operator specified the desired capacity, the degree of luxury of the interior fittings and the required speed.

The very interesting history of the development of steam propulsion is a story in itself in technical terms. The first engines used were single-cylinder, rocker-arm units fed by very low-pressure boilers.

These were followed by:

• Low-pressure oscillating cylinder units, with higher-pressure units later.
• Oscillating cylinder units using the Woolf system.
• Compounding fixed-cylinder units (double expansion, steam).
• The "classic" units, with superheated steam, as can still be seen today. These can be broken down into oblique axis, compound superheated steam, and Gooch distribution system.

Boating on Lake Geneva in the 21 st century

It is certain that, if it had not been for conversion from coal firing to oil firing (heavy oil originally, now light oil), there would no longer be any steam ships in service today.

CGN continues to run five steam ships: three with "classic" systems as described above and two with individual systems.

The 'Rhône' (1927), as a final attempt at modernisation, has a compound system with single-seat (Diesel type) valves to distribute the steam, which are driven by oil-pressure-operated servomotors. The engineers operate the units with a single lever, and a central lubrication system distributes the oil to the required points. For this reason, the crankshaft cranks are covered with a lid.

The 'Montreux' (1904), originally steam-driven but later converted to diesel electric (1962), was fully restored and fitted with a new steam unit in 2001: oblique axis, simple expansion in two equal cylinders, highly superheated, with a Joy distribution system.

The boiler operates automatically and supplies superheated steam at 340°C and 17 bar. The system is designed to be operated by a single engineer.

The French name for Lake Geneva (Lac Léman, also called Genfersee in German) dates back to Celtic times. It meant "water between the mountains". The Romans then named it "Lacus Lemanus".

Not everyone agrees with this version of the story, however. Here's another version: In 63 B.C. the Greek geographer Strabo observed that the lake had been called "limnê" for centuries, which simply meant "lake" in Greek. The Gallo-Romans transformed this "Limnê" into "Lemanus". Designations such as " Lake of Lausanne ", used in the Itinerary of Antoninus (2nd Century) or "Lake Geneva", from the time of the Reformation, appeared only at a much later stage. However, the inhabitants of Vaud and Savoy always referred to " Lake Leman ". From 1798 to 1814, the lake gave its French name to the département of Léman, which comprised the territories of Gex, Geneva and northern Savoy .

With a total surface area of 582.4 square kilometres (348 in Switzerland and 234 in France), the lake is 72.3 kilometres long, from Geneva to Villeneuve, and averages 10 km wide (minimum width 8 km, maximum 13.8 km). Its maximum depth is 309.7 metres and it has 167 km of coastline. Its surface is 372.3 metres above sea level in summer and a metre lower in winter. The water is clear to a depth of 6.5 to 7.5 metres, depending on season and location.

The lake is divided into three zones: the Petit-lac (the narrowest part, from Geneva to Nyon); the Grand lac (the whole of the widest part between Lausanne and Evian) and the Haut-lac (the part delineated by Vevey-Montreux-Bouveret-Thonon). The Rhône, which alone is responsible for draining 18% of Switzerland's waters and supplies the bulk of the lake water, joins the lake at Villeneuve. The second source of lake water is the Dranse, on the French side. Other significant rivers include the Venoge and the Veveyse.

Helmsman
The helmsman is the captain's second-in-command, who perfects his or her navigating skills under the captain's watchful eye . He or she also participates in inland water shipping activities.

Ticket inspector - Sub-helmsman
Inland water shipping activities, checking of tickets, learning to operate the vessel (routes to follow, manoeuvres).

Boatman
Inland water shipping activities (ropes, mooring the vessel at jetties, cleaning, etc.), checking of tickets.

Purser
Responsible for selling and checking tickets on board. He or she also participates in inland water shipping activities.

Mechanic
Responsible for on-board machinery and technical equipment. On diesel-engined vessels, he or she also participates in inland water shipping tasks while the vessel is under way.

Greaser
On steam ships only. Assists the mechanic, with responsibility for lubricating the machinery, monitoring boilers, etc.

"Radeleur"
A land-based “species” , responsible for guiding and advising passengers on the jetties and welcoming arriving vessels. This position now exists only at the larger locations. Etymology: The French term is derived from the verb "radeler", meaning to transport by raft, hence to "draw alongside the steam ship in a flat-bottomed boat called a 'bateau radeleur' to carry passengers and goods when they cannot be taken directly onto the jetty because the water level is too high or too low" (translation of the French definition in Pierreh, 1926), which gave rise to the Swiss French term "radeleur" for the person who moors and unmoors a steam ship.