Portugal: Request Permission to Anchor or Face a Fine
The RCC Pilotage Foundation has reported that a yachtsman has been fined for anchoring in the Portinho de Arrábida in the Rio Sado (south of Lisbon) without permission.
Published 5 years ago
Many cruisers are now heading south from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean for some summer cruising, the vast majority of which sail the Atlantic route across the Bay of Biscay to Northern Spain and down the Portuguese coast towards Gibraltar and the Med.
The west coast of Portugal can be challenging as the majority of ports are situated mostly in estuaries or rivers often with bars at the entrance. This can be tricky if looking for a safe haven in bad weather, coupled with the fact that anchoring anywhere in Portugal requires permission first.
The RCC Pilotage Foundation have added a supplement to their newly published 8th edition of the pilot “Atlantic Spain and Portugal”, which gives the following advice:
“It has been reported that a yachtsman has been fined for anchoring in the Portinho de Arrábida in the Rio Sado without permission. This supplement is published to alert mariners to this incident and to provide the following advice:
It is understood that the Portuguese have a maritime law requiring a vessel to request permission before anchoring in their territorial waters. Either the local Capitania, or the
Policia Maritima (outside office hours) should be consulted and they will provide helpful guidance and give permission as appropriate. In the summer months, when popular
anchorages are busy with boats, this requirement is normally waived except in sensitive areas.”
The supplement can be downloaded here.
In the main, it is advisable when clearing into a country to ask the authorities about any anchoring restrictions along the coast, or if planning to cruise a particular stretch of the coastline, visit first the main port to confirm what restrictions on anchoring are in place (if any). If no swimming area is marked off the beach you intend to anchor at, and there are no mooring buoys in place for visiting yachts, err on the side of caution and anchor as far offshore as is reasonably possible, and take the dinghy in to investigate if any restrictions are in place.
Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
RCC Pilotage Foundation
Atlantic Spain and Portugal 8th Edition 2019
ISBN 978184623 964 9
Published by Imray
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Related to following destinations: Atlantic Coast (Portugal), Lisbon, Portugal
Portinho da Arrábida as commented is part of the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park, that extends into the maritime coastline of this park, due to that there is also an aquatic natural reserve, is for long-time established and informed in nautical charts the restriction to Anchor. This particular area is very well enforced daily by the authorities.