Boat Schedule Inquiry: Vilanova de Arousa to Pontecesures, June 2022

[MaxHelado]

I have pretty much finalised my plans for walking in late May/early June of this year but I am struggling to get information on when (and if) the boat leaves Vilanova de Arousa for Pontecesures.

I want to take the boat on 04 June but it depends a) if the boat is even sailing that day and b) what time of day it sails.

I know the sailings depend upon the tides but I need some sort of clue so I can plan accommodation. If the boat sails in the afternoon I can walk before I sail, but if the boat leaves at 7 in the morning then I need to sail and then walk. Makes a difference to where I stay and the day I sail.

I have mailed Bahia-Sub twice but sadly have not yet had any reply. Their website shows no sailings at all during 2022. I am planning to call them this coming week to see what I can find out but hoped someone in the forum might be able to give me a steer before I make that call.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Here's another company, A Mare, that does the Pilgrim trip to Pontecesures: https://www.amareturismonautico.com/en/tours/jubilee-tour-through-the-sea-traslatio/
We used BahiaSub ourselves back in 2019 so I can't vouch for this one personally.

 

[jsalt]

Hi, you need to be REALLY flexible with getting this boat, as their sailing times depend not only on the tides, but the number of passengers, and they often change their departure times at the last minute.

I strongly suggest that you aim to stay in Villa Nova de Arousa the night before you would like to take the boat. So if the boat leaves at say 6am you are on it.

This happened to me with a group. The scheduled time was mid-morning, but because they had many bookings, and had to put on a BIG boat, they had to leave earlier with the very high tide.

We had to walk a couple of kilometres in the dark to get to the boat in time.

If the boat leaves later in the day, then Villa Nova de Arousa is not a bad town to hang around in for a few hours .

I see their website shows zilch trips this year. But maybe that is because it is still winter, and they are not even thinking about that route just yet.

Good luck!

 

[kenwilltravel]

Hi, you need to be REALLY flexible with getting this boat, as their sailing times depend not only on the tides, but the number of passengers, and they often change their departure times at the last minute.

This was exactly our experience with Bahia-Sub. The boat was originally scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. but they delayed it until 9 to accommodate a large group. The boat finally left at 9:45 and we had just finished the tour of the mussel barges in the estuary when the crew suddenly reversed course and headed back for the dock. Seems that some latecomers, a couple, had turned up there and we had to pick them up. It was noon by the time we finally docked at Pontecesures, at least two hours later than originally planned! So jsalt's advice is very good: stay in Arousa the night before and prepare to stay flexible the next day.

 

[MaxHelado]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Both the advice to stay flexible and the contact details for A Mare as an alternative boat are much appreciated.
I messaged A Mare last night and quickly received a response and responses to my follow-up questions. Here are the main points:
1. They were able to check tide-tables and told me that a boat SHOULD leave on the day I want to travel between 08:00 and 10:00
2. If there are enough pilgrims they MIGHT have a second trip that same day around 16:00. They pointed out that morning sailings are normally more popular and therefore more likely to happen.
3. The minimum number of people is 8 and the price is 25€ per person. (I believe they would make the sailing with fewer people if they were willing to pay the 200€ to hire the boat.)
4. They have said they will keep me informed on sailing times and bookings for the day I want to travel.
In summary, a very impressive response that has given me as much information as I can reasonably expect when I am asking about a sailing at the beginning of June.

 

[Vacajoe]

They will not be facing a lack of pilgrims on the boat in June - if anything, those who don’t pre-book may get left at the dock due to space! Definitely get a ticket ahead of time! We took it in late October 2021 (during Covid) at 6am and the medium-sized boat was nearly full.

 

[dreaminggypsy]

If one misses the boat, is it possible to pay a small boat-fisherman-to water taxi one over to the other side?

 

[Vacajoe]

If one misses the boat, is it possible to pay a small boat-fisherman-to water taxi one over to the other side?

The boat we are referencing travels up-river for about an hour, dropping off passengers a short distance from Padron. If you miss the boat, there MAY be a second one later in the day, but that’s doubtful. You’ll either have a day‘s walk ahead of you or you can stay the night and catch it the following day. I cannot imagine a fisherman willing to take you that distance.

 

[FourSeasons]

They will not be facing a lack of pilgrims on the boat in June - if anything, those who don’t pre-book may get left at the dock due to space! Definitely get a ticket ahead of time! We took it in late October 2021 (during Covid) at 6am and the medium-sized boat was nearly full.

I’ll be there mid September. How does one get a ticket in advance?

 

[Vacajoe]

Several links above for tickets

 

[FourSeasons]

Several links above for tickets

I see one link .. but hey … thanks anyway

 

[Vacajoe]

I see one link .. but hey … thanks anyway

Bahiasub.com
Amareturismonautico.com

 

[FourSeasons]

Does anyone know how far in advance a ticket should or could be purchased? A day, a week?

 

[MaxHelado]

Does anyone know how far in advance a ticket should or could be purchased? A day, a week?

“Should be” - if you are travelling in September I would book in advance as it’s reportedly a busier time on the Camino.
“Could be” - I travel early June and booked a ticket last month so I was 4 months in advance.

I think the operators will be happy to take your booking and money in advance - the last 2 years can’t have been great for them.

You may find it slightly harder to get an accurate time for sailing as it is tide dependent. For me I needed to know the sailing time as it determined when and where I need to be the night before and the night of the sailing.

I found both companies very helpful.

 

[Desert Bruce]

Thank you all for the information and the links. I just bought my ticket for the boat leaving 30 June.

 

[Blackcountry pilgrim]

I have pretty much finalised my plans for walking in late May/early June of this year but I am struggling to get information on when (and if) the boat leaves Vilanova de Arousa for Pontecesures.

I want to take the boat on 04 June but it depends a) if the boat is even sailing that day and b) what time of day it sails.

I know the sailings depend upon the tides but I need some sort of clue so I can plan accommodation. If the boat sails in the afternoon I can walk before I sail, but if the boat leaves at 7 in the morning then I need to sail and then walk. Makes a difference to where I stay and the day I sail.

I have mailed Bahia-Sub twice but sadly have not yet had any reply. Their website shows no sailings at all during 2022. I am planning to call them this coming week to see what I can find out but hoped someone in the forum might be able to give me a steer before I make that call.

Hi
We have just booked a late June sailing with am

I have pretty much finalised my plans for walking in late May/early June of this year but I am struggling to get information on when (and if) the boat leaves Vilanova de Arousa for Pontecesures.

I want to take the boat on 04 June but it depends a) if the boat is even sailing that day and b) what time of day it sails.

I know the sailings depend upon the tides but I need some sort of clue so I can plan accommodation. If the boat sails in the afternoon I can walk before I sail, but if the boat leaves at 7 in the morning then I need to sail and then walk. Makes a difference to where I stay and the day I sail.

I have mailed Bahia-Sub twice but sadly have not yet had any reply. Their website shows no sailings at all during 2022. I am planning to call them this coming week to see what I can find out but hoped someone in the forum might be able to give me a steer before I make that call.

Hi
We have just booked a late June sailing with Amare Turistico nautico
Made a reservation request through their Website and Christina emailed us to ask for a mobile number so she can link it to WhatsApp
In whatsapp she sent through the details and a link to pay for the seats with with a bank card (26 euro with the other seat cash on arrival)
The boat leaves at 11 45am according to the booking

 

[amhtk]

The host at the municipal albergue in Armenteira helped sort - boat reservation for me with the Pilgrims Boat. They confirmed thr reservation with me and let me know the boat was leaving 30 minutes earlier due to the tides. 6:30 a.m!

 

[Blackcountry pilgrim]

The host at the municipal albergue in Armenteira helped sort - boat reservation for me with the Pilgrims Boat. They confirmed thr reservation with me and let me know the boat was leaving 30 minutes earlier due to the tides. 6:30 a.m!

Wow..6.30am ...

The host at the municipal albergue in Armenteira helped sort - boat reservation for me with the Pilgrims Boat. They confirmed thr reservation with me and let me know the boat was leaving 30 minutes earlier due to the tides. 6:30 a.m!

Wow 6.30 am!... coming into Padron at sunrise what a sight!

 

[kenwilltravel]

Wow 6.30 am!... coming into Padron at sunrise what a sight!

Technically, coming into Pontecesures. It's still roughly a 2 km walk from where the boat docks to the outskirts of Padrón.

 

[gittiharre]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Both the advice to stay flexible and the contact details for A Mare as an alternative boat are much appreciated.
I messaged A Mare last night and quickly received a response and responses to my follow-up questions. Here are the main points:
1. They were able to check tide-tables and told me that a boat SHOULD leave on the day I want to travel between 08:00 and 10:00
2. If there are enough pilgrims they MIGHT have a second trip that same day around 16:00. They pointed out that morning sailings are normally more popular and therefore more likely to happen.
3. The minimum number of people is 8 and the price is 25€ per person. (I believe they would make the sailing with fewer people if they were willing to pay the 200€ to hire the boat.)
4. They have said they will keep me informed on sailing times and bookings for the day I want to travel.
In summary, a very impressive response that has given me as much information as I can reasonably expect when I am asking about a sailing at the beginning of June.

After being let down and receiving deceitful info from Bahia ( i had 7 am ticket, no boat came, short notice change of time in my spam folder, when they knew for at least 5 days, the boat was later, then told me and it was on ticket boat would arrive at 12.50 and it arrived near 2 pm. Would have got to Pontescures reliably an hour earlier with Amare). Still had 11 km to walk, which was horrendous in extreme heat, but too late to change accommodation arrangements. I would definitely travel with Amare if I had a choice.
They came across as professional, reliable and others who travelled with them rated them highly.

 

[lanacarr]

Thank you all for the information and the links. I just bought my ticket for the boat leaving 30 June.

Which company did you use? My plans are to take the boat on28 September.

 

[gittiharre]

Which company did you use? My plans are to take the boat on28 September.

I used Bahia, but felt extremely let down by them. See my previous post. I would use Amare.

 

[lanacarr]

I used Bahia, but felt extremely let down by them. See my previous post. I would use Amare.

Thanks. I will probably use Amare.

 

[MaxHelado]

Just to say that I used Bahia two months ago and the service and their client contact were both outstanding. I used WhatsApp for contact with them. I would certainly use Bahia again.

 

[lanacarr]

Just to say that I used Bahia two months ago and the service and their client contact were both outstanding. I used WhatsApp for contact with them. I would certainly use Bahia again.

Thanks!

 

[alexander_fernando]

Thanks for all the above tips! V helpful!!

 

[abell]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Both the advice to stay flexible and the contact details for A Mare as an alternative boat are much appreciated.
I messaged A Mare last night and quickly received a response and responses to my follow-up questions. Here are the main points:
1. They were able to check tide-tables and told me that a boat SHOULD leave on the day I want to travel between 08:00 and 10:00
2. If there are enough pilgrims they MIGHT have a second trip that same day around 16:00. They pointed out that morning sailings are normally more popular and therefore more likely to happen.
3. The minimum number of people is 8 and the price is 25€ per person. (I believe they would make the sailing with fewer people if they were willing to pay the 200€ to hire the boat.)
4. They have said they will keep me informed on sailing times and bookings for the day I want to travel.
In summary, a very impressive response that has given me as much information as I can reasonably expect when I am asking about a sailing at the beginning of June.

In April we caught a boat at 8am but arrived the day before and booked with the help of the Tourist Info office at the wharf area. I think there are 3 different boat companies. Ours was for 9 people at E30.

 

[Scottteresa30]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Both the advice to stay flexible and the contact details for A Mare as an alternative boat are much appreciated.
I messaged A Mare last night and quickly received a response and responses to my follow-up questions. Here are the main points:
1. They were able to check tide-tables and told me that a boat SHOULD leave on the day I want to travel between 08:00 and 10:00
2. If there are enough pilgrims they MIGHT have a second trip that same day around 16:00. They pointed out that morning sailings are normally more popular and therefore more likely to happen.
3. The minimum number of people is 8 and the price is 25€ per person. (I believe they would make the sailing with fewer people if they were willing to pay the 200€ to hire the boat.)
4. They have said they will keep me informed on sailing times and bookings for the day I want to travel.
In summary, a very impressive response that has given me as much information as I can reasonably expect when I am asking about a sailing at the beginning of June.

Could you please give me there email address or website information?

 

[MaxHelado]

Could you please give me there email address or website information?

Vacajoe gives website addresses in his post earlier.