Boom HermiguaThe davits provided the main means of communication in the north of La Gomera with the outside, staged development of the northern part of the island, enabling agricultural products were known and marketed abroad.
In the early twentieth century in the Canaries there was a major change, Cochineal was replaced as tomatoes and bananas monoculture, made to transform the economic structures of the islands. This brought with it a major problem so far had not taken place: these products had to consume fresh, with cochineal thing was not necessary. Both tomatoes and bananas did not allow prolonged storage so had to move quickly to places of consumption.
La Gomera began production of these products given its extraordinary conditions to produce it by what was found with the serious problem of the lack of port and inland infrastructure for marketing. Therefore at first be thought of carrying out a port, but given the difficult conditions both maritime (constant bad sea conditions) difficult terrain, inadequate roads and.
Given these premises without the support of the Administration, the solution that provided the gums was building structures called davits. These metal structures supported on pillars of land jutting into the sea, allowing a boat moored near the coast and facilitate the loading and unloading of people animals and goods.In La Gomera were built davits Hermigua, Agulo and Vallehermoso and served a great help for the development of the island since the early twentieth century to the mid-century, when they began to develop other means of communication.
Currently only are the pillars that supported the structure and there are initiatives to rehabilitate the important part of the history of La Gomera.
Currently only are the pillars that supported the structure and there are initiatives to rehabilitate the important part of the history of La Gomera.
The coastal landscape of today Hermigua
*Most of the photos and documentation corresponds to the wonderful book “The davits de la Gomera” written by Miguel Angel Morales Mora from here my thanks.
It's a shame that all associated metal trusses davits, were removed after the road was built north of the island in the middle of the twentieth century.
Origin were engineering structures that equipped a contemporary character about people stuck in the past.
Today there are only a few bases columnar those concrete foundations that supported a cantilever cranes. There are some buildings that visitors miss and give a tone to the landscape picturesque resort of La Gomera.
Dear Mr. Jorge Mosquera, Article I loved. Synthetic but very clear. Federico García opinion is fully shared. As comentaís, I agree that the davits should be restored as symbols of living conditions on the island very tough and demanding, marked by the abrupt nature of the coast Gomera. They should also be restored so that visitors enjoy and learn more about these structures was difficult as trade between the island and the outside. In my mind lingers the memory that I have very young when I went to visit La Gomera and my parents told me the story of davits, for any child / to draw a lot of attention these structures.