Harbour of Funchal

Funchal Bay is the widest bay in the archipelago. It is bounded by Ponta do Garajau (‘tern point’) to the east and Ponta da Cruz (‘point of the cross’) to the west. Between these two points it forms a fairly regular curve and inlet, and it is sheltered from winds from every quarter except those blowing from SSE to SSW by way of S. Its breadth makes it a vast anchorage, but communication with the shore can be established with relative ease only at the most accessible points of the coastline. These stretch from the Ilhéu da Pontinha (‘islet of the little point’) in the west to the vicinity of the Fort of São Tiago (St James the Greater) in the east, some two thousand metres apart. All the traffic and activity of the port takes place within these limits. The port is bounded by a beach of rounded pebbles, with deep water and free of reefs or shoals that might hinder access. According to General A. P. de Azevedo’s map of Madeira, high water, or the establishment of the port (time of high water at full and new moon), is at 12 h 48 min, with a tidal rise of 2.28 m; the engineer Mariano F. Faria e Maia, however, states that the tidal range reaches 2.80 m. Regarding the harbour of Funchal (Porto do Funchal) and the tides of the Madeiran coast, the distinguished engineer Adolfo Loureiro says ‘that little is known about lunar influences on the phenomenon of spring and neap tides, or about their propagation, speed and direction, or the height and force of the waves according to the direction of the wind, their impetus, duration, etc. The temperature of the waters and its distribution at the surface, and their periodic movements and conditions, which follow a law that seemed constant, ought to become the subject of very interesting oceanographic studies, which unfortunately have never been carried out’.

The ports of Lisbon and Funchal lie 520 miles apart. Funchal is approximately 350 miles from Cape Cantin (see that entry), 1220 from Plymouth, 1330 from Southampton and 1430 from Liverpool.

It is of real interest and recognised usefulness to give here a detailed account of the shipping movements of the harbour of Funchal in recent years. This serves not only to gauge the commercial and tourist development that has taken place here, but also to provide material for study of the improvements that may perhaps still need to be made in the near future within the limits of our harbour of refuge.

The article Movimento do Porto (II-409) gives information on these movements for the period from 1901 to 1943, which complements what we have set out here.

It should be noted that the marked decline in shipping at the harbour of Funchal from 1914 onwards was due to the great European conflagration, which drove a considerable number of vessels away from Madeira. Numbers then rose gradually until, in 1937, they reached 1438 vessels. With the recent world war the decline became even greater, the number of ships entering being 389, 234, 190 and 187 in the years 1940 to 1943.

The interesting and valuable information on the harbour of Funchal that we present below is taken from the reputable periodical Jornal do Comercio e das Colonias and comes from the pen of Dr C. Dias de Carvalho.

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The ports of the Adjacent Islands (Ilhas Adjacentes) rank, in order of importance, as follows: Funchal, Ponta Delgada, Horta and Angra. First, however, we should give an idea of their combined traffic.

The goods loaded and unloaded in these ports in 1936 amount to some 251 thousand tonnes, with a value of approximately 132 thousand contos (1 conto = 1,000,000 réis, from 1911 1,000 escudos).

The harbour of Funchal accounts for almost all of this traffic, with 88.63% of the tonnage and 82.76% of the overall value. It is followed by Ponta Delgada, with 6.97% of the tonnage and 11.52% of the value respectively; then comes Horta, with 4.21% of the tonnage, and Angra, with 3.56% of the value; and finally Angra, with 0.19% of the total tonnage, and Horta, with 2.16% of the value.

Having thus briefly seen the position each of these ports holds in terms of the quantities of goods handled on its quays, let us move on to a more detailed analysis of each of them.

We have already said that this port is the most important in the Adjacent Islands, and it ranks fourth among all the ports of mainland Portugal and the islands, immediately after Setúbal.

Its traffic exceeded that of Leixões, and in imported tonnage the harbour of Funchal even stands above the Port of Setúbal itself.

The goods imported and exported through that port on the island of Madeira reached 222,258 tonnes in 1943, with a value of 109,203,000.00 escudos (the Portuguese currency from 1911: 1 escudo = 100 centavos = 1,000 réis).

Let us see what the figures for the import and export trade tell us.

Imports. Total imports through the harbour of Funchal in 1936 come to 95,096 tonnes, with a value of 58,652 contos. Below we break down these quantities and values according to the different tariff headings: Live animals – imports amount to only tonnes, with a value of 28 contos.

Raw materials – This class accounts for the greatest tonnage: 73,963 tonnes of various products were imported, their value rising to 16,665 contos.

Yarns and textiles – Of these goods, 565 tonnes were unloaded at the harbour of Funchal, but with a value of 17,096 contos; this is the class with the highest import value.

Foodstuffs – The products in this class rank second in quantity – 19,216 tonnes – and third in value – 14,664 contos.

Machinery, apparatus, etc. – Imports of these items are smaller, amounting to only 410 tonnes with a value of 5,400 contos.

Miscellaneous manufactures – The quantity of manufactured articles imported is also relatively small – 891 tonnes – with a value of 4,790 contos. We must, however, bear in mind the size of the island and the needs of its population, so as not to belittle these figures.

In terms of value the order is different, as can easily be seen from the figures already given.

Exports – Let us now examine the export trade for 1936, which amounted to 127,162 tonnes of products valued at 50,551 contos.

Following the approach used for imports, we shall likewise assess this trade according to the tariff classification of the goods.

Raw materials – Exports of the articles in this class generated the greatest tonnage at the harbour of Funchal, reaching 118,649 tonnes. The value of these exports was 10,469 contos.

Yarns and textiles – Under this heading is classed the fine, world-famous embroidery of the island of Madeira, so it is not surprising that this class accounts for the largest sum among exports: 25,004 contos, for 238,000 kilos of products.

Foodstuffs – Food products rank second among exports, both in quantity – 8,207 tonnes – and in value – 14,891 contos. They include the celebrated Madeira wines, bananas, etc.

As for the two remaining classes, machinery, apparatus, etc., and miscellaneous manufactures, the tonnage exported in each was 3 and 65 tonnes, and the values 24 and 163 contos.

On this subject, the entries Cais, Funchal (Praia do), Junta Autónoma das Obras do Porto, Madeira (Aspectos hydrográficos), Marés, Movimento do Porto, Naufragios, Navegação Aérea and Pontinha are of particular interest for the detailed information they contain, and we draw readers’ attention to them.