The rabelo boat is a traditional Portuguese wooden
cargo boat that was used for centuries to transport people and goods along the
Douro River
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
. It is flat-bottomed, with a shallow draught, which was necessary to navigate the often shallow fast-flowing waters of the upper Douro prior to the construction of dams and locks from 1968 onwards.
Native to the
Douro region, it does not exist in any other place in the world. Its history is closely linked to the production and trade of
port wine
Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, sem ...
. Before the arrival of the
Linha do Douro railway, the rabelo was the fastest and the most efficient means of transport between the Douro Valley, where port wine is produced, and the city of
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
, where it was traded and exported worldwide.
[Octávio Lixa Filgueiras – Barco Rabelo «Um Retrato de Família» – Edição – A.A. Calém & Filhos, Lda - Porto – 1989]
The name ''rabelo'' means 'little tail', on account of the long timber projection from the rear of the boat which is used to steer the vessel. Although not in commercial use anymore, these vessels may still be seen, belonging to port wine companies, along the river in Porto and
Gaia
In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthe ...
.
Every year on June 24, St John's Day, a race of rabelo boats is held, an important and popular part of the festivities of Porto, the
Festa de São João do Porto.
References
External links
/ Municipality of V.N. Gaia/ Municipality of Peso da Régua
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabelo Boat
Boat types
Riverboats
Transport in Porto
Port wine
Douro basin