The flat bottomed, square rigged craft constructed to transport the wine from the Douro valley to the warehouses of Vila Nova de Gaia is known as the Rabelo.
The dangerous and difficult River Douro provided the only means of transporting the sizeable volumes of wine downriver. To make the boat manoeuvrable in strong rapids, it was fitted with a long oar like rudder almost the same length as the boat.
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Vila Nova de Gaia - The Rabelo |
The upstream journey to Régua was just a difficult as the downstream journey to Porto. Sometimes it was necessary for the crew to row in order to make headway, or if the terrain permitted the men would go ashore to haul the boat themselves or use teams of oxen to the same effect.
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