Praia de Mira, (Portugal)

In the morning mists the ancient silhouettes of fishing boats appear on the beach

Leaning on long poles, the boats await the arrival of the fishermen and oxen to be lowered into the sea

The fishing boats look like phoenix boats capable of dealing with the big waves that break on the beaches of the coast

The large oar is inserted into an iron pin capable of withstanding the force of the waves when leaving the beach

The carts with fishing nets arrive

As soon as the ocean mists lift, the oxen arrive from the nearby stables, essential for fishing in Praia de Mira

The fishermen and their families begin to prepare the boats and going out to sea

The fishermen and their families begin to prepare the boats and going out to sea

The oxen prepare to drag the heavy fishing boats out to sea

The fishermen prepare the slipways to help the oxen slide the boats into the sea

The fishermen prepare the slipways to help the oxen slide the boats into the sea

The long pole used by fishermen's families to push the boat into the sea is used

The oxen are hitched to the boat with ropes and hooks in order to drag the boat out to sea

The oxen are hitched to the boat with ropes and hooks in order to drag the boat out to sea

Everything is ready and just waiting for the right wave, the biggest one, to push the boat into the sea

The skipper waits for the right wave to start the hauling manoeuvre

The right wave is close to arrive, everyone is preparing for the dangerous launch maneuver

The wave is coming and everyone is pushing the boat but without the oxen it would have been impossible to get the boat there

The boat perilously rides up on the wave and nearly capsizes

The skipper maneuvers the oars to try to stabilize the boat

Six men push on the oars while the young men pull on the ropes or oars to help maneuver

The boat is at the mercy of the big waves breaking on the beach

The boat is at the mercy of the big waves breaking on the beach

The boat breaks through the waves to try to get out to sea, it's the most dangerous moment

The boat breaks through the waves to try to get out to sea, it's the most dangerous moment

The boat breaks through the waves to try to get out to sea, it's the most dangerous moment

The boat breaks through the waves to try to get out to sea, it's the most dangerous moment

With great effort the boat overcomes the front of the waves breaking on the beach

With great effort the boat overcomes the front of the waves breaking on the beach

Start fishing in the calm sea area beyond the crashing waves

At the end of the day, the boat returns to the coast and the oxen prepare to pull it ashore

At the end of the day, the boat returns to the coast and the oxen prepare to pull it ashore

The boat with the fishermen takes advantage of the swell to reach the shore

The ropes for the oxen that have to bring the boat to shore are hooked to the rings

The ropes for the oxen that have to bring the boat to shore are hooked to the rings

The oxen drag the boat to safety on the beach

The oxen drag the boat to safety on the beach

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen drag the nets laden with fish ashore

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen drag the nets laden with fish ashore

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen drag the nets laden with fish ashore

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen together with the whole village drag the nets laden with fish ashore

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen together with the whole village drag the nets laden with fish ashore

Once the boats have been secured, the oxen together with the whole village drag the nets laden with fish ashore

At the end of the day, the fishermen's families share the catch

At the end of the day, the fishermen's families share the catch

Where is Praia de Mira

By: Carlo Piccinelli

Praia de Mira on Google Maps.
On the north Atlantic coast of Portugal, not far from the city of Porto, there is one of the longest beaches in Europe with a development of about 160 kilometers of dunes formed by very fine sand. This stretch of coast has been for centuries one of the most difficult places to go fishing. Big waves crash on the shore and hundreds of treacherous sand dunes separate the sea from the cultivated fields inland. There are no ports and to fish the inhabitants have resorted to a fundamental aid, that of oxen. Only they are able to move the heavy boats across the sand and drag them into the sea. And it's always them who retrieve the boat and pull the nets to shore. No mechanical means is able to carry out this tiring and hard work with the precision and delicacy of the mighty Portuguese oxen. This type of fishing has now disappeared. The coast has become place to small tourist villages and the charm of fishing with oxen is now only a visible memory in the paintings hanging in the Maritime Museum of Lisbon. On some rare occasions in the villages near the town of Praia de Mira some fishing families still organize a trip to the sea but it is only a folkloristic event and nothing more.
Links for more informations:
www.visitportugal.com