The old lifeboat “Alvor” will participate, next Sunday, the 20th, in the river procession in the Ria de Alvor, which is the highlight of the festival in honor of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem. The vessel, which is now a museum piece, underwent a thorough restoration, under the responsibility of the Portimão Museum.
In this way, the emblematic vessel returns to the village, where it has been for about 90 years, after the intervention carried out at the Portinave shipyard, and is then placed on the premises of the future Interpretive Center of Salva-vidas de Alvor, which should be inaugurated at the end of the current year, aiming to perpetuate its image as a local symbol.
Biennially, the commemorations of the patron saint of Alvor seafarers honor a tradition dating back more than a century and begin at 20 pm on Friday, August 30, with the opening of the fete, starting at 18 pm with the dance animated by Cristiano Martins and Carlos Granite. The following day, Som Livre will be in charge of the ball, followed by a musical show with Bruna.
The musical component will close the festivities around 21:00 pm on August 20, when João Paulo Cavaco will animate the ball that will precede the show by Manel do Barril and his dancers.
The highlight of the religious program will be the solemn mass in honor of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, scheduled for 15 pm next Sunday, August 30, preceding the traditional procession through the main streets of the village, accompanied by the Banda Filarmónica de Portimão and Fanfarra dos Portimão firefighters.
Around 17 pm, the blessing of the fishermen's boats will take place, preparing the river procession through the Ria de Alvor, with the venerable image of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem being carried by the lifeguard “Alvor”.
The historic vessel “Moira”, currently moored next to the Portimão Museum, will also participate in the parade, reinforcing the aspect of heritage preservation that marks this year's procession.
Built in wood in 1936 and considered one of the last examples of its kind, this boat was also recently restored by the Municipality of Portimão through its Museum.
This traditional religious celebration is organized by the Festas Committee of the Igreja Matriz de Alvor, with the support of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Alvor, Corpo Nacional de Escutas – 685 Alvor, Parish Council of Alvor and Portimão City Council, among others.
Alvor Lifeguards Interpretive Center
The lifeguard station that accommodates the rowing boat “Alvor” began its activity in 1933, providing assistance and relief to fishing vessels that crossed the Alvor bar for half a century, until in 1983 the structure stopped working for good.
The presence of the lifeboat at the bar constituted an important point of assistance in the entry of vessels or the provision of assistance to shipwrecks that occurred there, work that resulted from a collective effort of the many fishermen who over time constituted its crew: "Today it's you, but tomorrow I might need it!", said the men of the sea.
After the closure of the station, the day in 1983 still remains in the memory of Alvorenses when the Ministry of the Navy wanted to take the already deactivated lifeboat to Lisbon and the population revolted, cutting the rails that took it down to the river, preventing it from being taken.
Yet another initiative by the Municipality of Portimão in terms of heritage recovery, the Alvor Interpretive Lifeguard Center project was supported by the CRESC Algarve 2020 Programme, within the scope of the Action Plan for the Development of Endogenous Resources.
The project includes the recovery of the old station of the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos in Alvor, as well as the lifeboat “Alvor” and its museological adaptation to the interpretation and transmission of the history of its activity and memory in the maritime and local fishing context.
Another of the project's objectives, budgeted at 312 euros, is to highlight the important role of the fishing community in the parish of Alvor in their daily work and practices related to fishing, past and present.
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