Porto was an opportunity to lift the boat out of the water to check the bits we don’t see very often! The copper coat has done a fantastic job and after a brief pressure wash the hull was clean. We wanted to check and change anodes, lubricate the through hull fittings, polish the prop and generally inspect the rudder etc for the journey ahead.
We decided to get the blue hull professionally polished as our previous attempts had not had much impact.
The team at Douro Yachts were extremely professional, accommodating and can be thoroughly recommended for any planned or emergency repairs. Their yard is well run and spotlessly clean. They clearly take pride in their work to give you the best results.
Saturday was market day just outside the marina so we had to sample the local food but equally interesting was the communal wash room, where many locals congregate to do their washing in vast tubs and hang it out to dry on a matrix of bamboo and rope
On Sunday we took time out to cycle along the south bank of the river and explore.
The river is navigable for 200 km upstream to Barca de Alva. An interesting port tasting tour was found in the Vila nova de Gaia area of the city.
The vineyards are approximately 100 kilometres up the river in the Douro valley and the wine is transported down the river for export. 4 million litres of port wine were stored on the premises to age! The tradition goes back centuries.
