FAQ - Charter

Yacht Charter is the practice of renting a sailboat or motor yacht and traveling to various coastal, river or island destinations. There are two main types of charter: "bareboat", in which the person who rents the vessel navigates it, and manned, in which the rental provides for the boat to be driven by a crew from the company that makes it available.

Bareboat Charter consists of renting a boat without a crew. Therefore, the client will be in charge of the boat.

Yes, the boat can be rented without a skipper, as long as some prior requirements are met regarding the client's qualifications to sail on the Douro River.

At check-in, the client will be briefed by one of our skippers. The information to be transmitted includes the presentation of the boat and the Douro waterway. The procedures for passing through the locks are also explained and some suggestions are also provided regarding the best places to stop and visit along the river. A test drive may also be carried out with the aim of certifying the customer's experience, making them more comfortable with the boat and clarifying any doubts they may have.

In addition to the Local Master's License or another international navigation license recognized by current Portuguese legislation, the customer must have experience as a sailor, which may be certified at check-in. Navigation charts issued by the European Union and within their validity period will be automatically admitted.

No. Portuguese navigation charts are valid for both coastal and river waters. They can only be distinguished from one another, in fact, by the power of the engine - which determines what type of vessel the holder of the document is authorized to drive - and by the maximum distances at which he or she can move away from the coast and ports of shelter.

No. This is prohibited, as the river course is not illuminated.

Our boats are specifically for navigation on the Douro and can travel as far as Barca D'Alva, which is the limit of the river's waterway. Navigation at sea may eventually be permitted, but will always be subject to prior express authorization from FeelDouro and confirmation of favorable weather conditions. In any case, even when authorized, maritime navigation cannot exceed 3 miles in relation to Douro Marina.

Yes, boats are available for rent all year round. However, navigation may be restricted by authorities during certain periods.

No, because every year, passage through the locks is suspended for a period of two to three months. This restriction generally occurs between January and March. During this period, navigation may be permitted, but only between locks.

A lock is a work of hydraulic engineering that allows vessels to ascend or descend rivers or seas in places where there are differences in level, whether caused by dams, waterfalls or rapids. Along the Douro there are five locks, spaced about three hours apart. With around 35 meters of elevation difference, the Carrapatelo lock is the highest in Europe.

Passing through a lock requires prior booking at least 24 hours in advance and will always be subject to infrastructure availability. Last minute changes may from time to time be permitted but will be subject to confirmation. The cost of each ticket for a FeelDouro boat is 30 euros, this amount being billed directly to the company and subsequently charged to the customer at check out.

All FeelDouro boats stand out for their environmentally friendly performance, protecting the Douro River basin thanks to their reduced impact on the environment. Five of them are equipped with solar panels to generate electricity, and the Muscat adds a hybrid engine to this feature, meaning it can dispense with fuel altogether.

The capacity of FeelDouro boats, for tours, can reach 16 people. To sleep on board, the capacity is smaller. Tawny has a cabin with two beds that can transform into a double and also includes a convertible sofa, so it sleeps a total of 4 people on board. The Rosé has the same capacity, but includes a bunk bed for 2 people instead of a sofa bed. In turn, the Vintage and White have two cabins each, in addition to the convertible sofa, which allows 6 people on board to stay overnight. In all these cases, even when the boat rental includes crew service, customer privacy is assured because the FeelDouro team sleeps on land, close to the pier where the vessel docked. It no longer refers

Our prices include: insurance, towels and sheets according to occupancy, two beach towels, crockery, kitchen equipment (according to stock) and final cleaning of the vessel. Our prices do not include: fuel, skipper, crew, passage through locks, transfers or marina costs (with the exception of mooring costs at Douro Marina).

You can make pre-bookings through our website, via email: charter@feeldouro.com or by calling 351 915 915 098 and 351 220 990 922.

You should make your reservation as far in advance as possible, preferably at least two months in advance. This does not invalidate the fact that you can contact us with just 24 hours notice, but in this case it will be more likely that we will not have a vessel available for rent.

Changes to reservations are permitted, i.e. change of name, address, total number

Once the reservation has been made, the following cancellation charges will apply

Boat pick-up and delivery is done at Douro Marina, in Vila Nova de Gaia.

No. You can only smoke outside the boats, on the deck area.

The only animals allowed on board are guide dogs for visually impaired people.