Sirens of the Azores
Porto de Santa Iria
Below Ribeirinha, on the north coast
What is it?
A harbour cut into a cliff, closed and unmaintained, below the village of Ribeirinha in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
The basalt at the waterline and a ruined walkway above it.
When was it made?
The contract to cut the access into the cliff was signed on 20 May 1525, in the council house at Ribeira Grande.
It was budgeted at 120,000 réis and overran past 200,000. A later writer said the finished work "parece de Romanos" it looks Roman.
What went out of it?
Wheat, from the earliest colonial years. Then oranges — a shipment left on 25 January 1862. Then whales.
Whaling began here in the second quarter of the eighteenth century and ran through the whole nineteenth. It was finished before 1929.
The varadouros, the stone ramps the whalers hauled the carcasses up and the metal wench are still there.
What was lost off it?
A Castilian vessel in January 1555, with seven survivors.
A caravel arrived on 8 June 1664 carrying the image of the Santo Cristo Atado à Coluna.
A French brigantine anchored on 22 January 1798.
Can I visit?
There is a sign at the top of the road that says PROIBIDO.
The harbour is closed and it is not maintained. Go carefully, and not alone.
Is anything happening to it?
Yes. In November 2025 the regional government awarded a contract of over €4.5 million to rehabilitate it.
By the time the book is out it may not be closed any more.