Douro River Navigation

[Chris Edwards]

Planning to visit Porto on the Douro River and will berth at the Douro Marina.

Does anybody know if you can pass through the locks upriver ?

Are there air draft restrictions ?

The Internet has plenty about hiring and chartering local boats but nothing for foreign visiting yachts.

 

[Steve_N]

Tim & Prue were on the Duoro the other night in Great Canal Journeys. It's on All4 (or whatever it's called), series 8 episode 3 or 4. Might be worth a watch.

We drove up the Duoro in the motorhome a month or so ago. The lock at Bagauste just upstream of Peso de Regua is an enormous structure and would be quite scary in a small(ish) boat I'd think.
When we got to Pinhao (as far up the valley as we went) there was a Westerly Konsort tied alongside a pontoon there. Not something I'd expected to see.

Sorry, not much of an answer to your query..

 

[Chris Edwards]

Ive been digging a little deeper and note that I wouldnt be able to get a sailing boat further upstream due to the Pont D Luis bridge in Porto. Clearance is only 10m. Ive also since read that the clearance on the locks themselves are only 7m. Suspect this is why you only see motor cruisers and passenger river cruise vessels in that tv programme.

Nice idea for a while.

 

[ProDave]

From the Great Canal Journeys program there looked to be some low bridges in Porto that may trouble a sailing yacht, and the bottom "gate" of those very tall locks will have a restricted air draft.

 

[MikeH99]

Welcome to the forum. Sadly the answer is no to your question. Great place, great marina but sadly a mast down job for any yacht trying to go upstream more than half a mile or so.

 

[MikeH99]

2nd Bridge just upriver of marina has airdraft of 8.8m

 

[vyv_cox]

Looked astonishingly attractive in Great Canal journeys. They did 90 miles downstream, is it possible to go further up?

 

[LittleSister]

Looked astonishingly attractive in Great Canal journeys. They did 90 miles downstream, is it possible to go further up?

I haven't seen that programme, but I believe it's possible to go up as far as somewhere near the Spanish border - about 200km from the sea.

It's been an ambition of mine to do that trip since the 1980s, but haven't quite made it yet!

 

[ProDave]

The water pressure on the bottom lock gate must be immense, the deepest lock in the world at 120 feet.

 

[Muddy32]

We went up almost to the Spainish border in March 1994, having dropped the mast and followed the first tourist boat up through the locks.
Wonderful, amazing in the deep locks, lovely people and wine. insufficient power however to overcome the swift current in the end, grounding on the flooded side plain trying to get out of the current.
The lock keepers said we were the first private yacht to go up. Officials said we couldn't go at first but we managed on the qt.

 

[Sailfree]

Not the complete answer but recently did Nazare to Porto (duro river). Need to take care as both Porto and a number of other ports get closed due to Alantic Swell. We got in and OK we intended to stay for a few days in Porto Marina but after getting in Port was closed. Nazare marina is one of the safest marinas and only been closed 3 times in last 8yrs.


Porto marina good but take RYA or cruising association card to get discounted berthing. Expect a thud on deck at approx. 08.00 when they throw a bag of bread rolls in a plastic bag onto your yacht as a freebee! Porto marina also has offer with berthing of free tour of Churchill Port house. We really enjoyed Porto but not the cheapest place to eat in Portugal.

 

[Ningaloo]

I have also done this through all 5 locks in a 10m yacht with 1.4m draft. Depth was not an issue. Demasted at Povoa Dr Varzim where we overwinted for two years.
We did this in September 2013 and can strongly recommend it.
Locks do need to be booked and paid for in advance but this is easy enough via the web site.
If anyone wants more details, please let me know and I'll dig out my notes.

 

[Graham376]

Douro marina is nice but exposed in bad weather and fairly expensive. Leixoes marina is in a scruffy corner of the commercial dock but far better sheltered and cheaper, 4 years ago cost about €125 for a month <12m. Bus outside the gate into Porto or walk over the bridge for Metro. Cheap train along the banks of the Douro (Porto station well worth seeing) we got off at Pinhao, had lunch and then caught return train. Plenty of boat trips, day or week cruises.

 

[Chris Edwards]

Thanks all for the input.

I can see now that the mast would have to come out. Just one look at that second bridge says it all. Porto has a nice buzz about it. Worth it just for the port and the custard tarts lol.

Its just a stopover.

 

[Sailfree]

Thanks all for the input.

I can see now that the mast would have to come out. Just one look at that second bridge says it all. Porto has a nice buzz about it. Worth it just for the port and the custard tarts lol.

Its just a stopover.

Called Nata cakes!

 

[Tim Good]

I have also done this through all 5 locks in a 10m yacht with 1.4m draft. Depth was not an issue. Demasted at Povoa Dr Varzim where we overwinted for two years.
We did this in September 2013 and can strongly recommend it.
Locks do need to be booked and paid for in advance but this is easy enough via the web site.
If anyone wants more details, please let me know and I'll dig out my notes.

I’d like to rekindle this thread please.

I’m looking into unstepping the mast on a 43ft vessel and navigating up the river with my family for a few weeks.

Has anyone else done this relatively recently?

- safety / technique in the locks
- licence required?
- pay the locks directly?
- max stay on the river itself?
- anchoring allowed?
- anything else?

 

[Wansworth]

I haven't seen that programme, but I believe it's possible to go up as far as somewhere near the Spanish border - about 200km from the sea.

It's been an ambition of mine to do that trip since the 1980s, but haven't quite made it yet!

Too much time on here,stop by on your way

 

[Wansworth]

Too much time on here,stop by on your way

Bring fisher25 with you

 

[srm]

Called Nata cakes!

"Pastel de Nata".
Last time I was there it was the only product of one shop, they were still baking fresh batches well into the evening.