Rabelo - Douro's old cargo boat

A RIVER AND ITS BOAT

  The Douro river has always been part of the soul of the city of Porto and worked as a transport conduit for an entire region, upstream.  Instrumental in moving goods and people up and down the river were the rabelo boats, a type of cargo boat unique to this river.(...)

  The history of the rabelo is closely linked to the history of port, a fortified wine that comes from the grapes of the Douro Valley. Going back as early as the 10th century, when no roads or railway lines existed along the river, these 20-foot flat-bottomed boats were equipped with one square sail and a long oar over the stern, called espadela. ​

A MONTH LONG JOURNEY

    From Porto, these beautiful pieces of wooden art sailed upstream with the help of prevailing westerly winds. On the most challenging sections, boats were pulled by men or oxen, using footpaths, caminhos de sirga, that used to line the riverbank. This would take up to 30 days, depending on how distant the wine estate of origin was .

   
​   Once they reached the valley vineyards around Pinhão and Peso da Régua, rabelos took on their cargo of barrels of wine and embarked on the treacherous 3 to 4-day journey back to Porto. Standing on an elevated platform, or apegada, up to a dozen crew members (in the larger Rabelos) used the long oar and poles to navigate around rocks, shallows, white water and hairpin turns to ensure the wine reached Porto safely.

  After this arduous journey, the wine in wooden barrels was stored and aged in the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia to create Port.

A DIFFERENT ROLE

     Rabelos were in use as cargo ships as recently as the 1960s, almost a decade before the river was tamed by dams.  Although not in use anymore, still today the Douro River holds these vessels, belonging to port wine companies, in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. Lining the riverbank in front of the wine cellars, rabelos now anxiously await the only day in the year when they can sail the waters once again: during the festivities of St. John's (São João) on June 24th, the Rabelo Boat Regatta showcases the boats and the navigational talents of their crews, each being associated with a particular wine producer. Sailing upriver with their sails unfurled, about 20 rabelos strive to be the fastest boat to cover the section of the Douro at Porto.

​THE BARON OF FORRESTER, OWNER OF A LUXURY RABELO

 
​    Joseph James Forrester (1809 - 1861) was an English man who loved Portugal but the Douro river was the passion that consumed most of his energy. In order to study it to the tiniest meander, he built a luxury rabelo boat, with a dormitory, a restaurant and a wine cabinet, paid high salaries to have the most experienced sailors, and forced them to wear a uniform.

​  On the banks of the river, or in the humble villages of the region, he became a legend. He went up and down mountains and valleys. He identified 210 rapids, measured altitudes, recorded contours, flagged places, farms and settlements. 

  His two maps (The Wine District Alto Douro and The Portuguese Douro and the Adjacent Country) are of a rare beauty and express a colossal effort against the means available at the time. "A gigantic and well-executed task" to which he had proposed deserved distinction from Porto's responsibles of that time. Portuguese king D. Fernando II, who received the first copy of his maps, conferred him the title of baron in 1855. (source)

SEE THE RABELOS FOR YOURSELF

   After centuries of connecting Porto with the vineyards of the river valley, the rabelos now sit back and watch smiling travelers making the same journey along the Douro. 

   Both during the Sunrise and our 'the British Heritage' running tours, we run by the rabelo boats in Vila Nova de Gaia and address some of their great stories during a short stop.  Amazing spot for photos and a location where you can feel like you are a part of its history! 

Check out Steve's birthday running tour video:)