Enchanting Christopher Columbus replica ship Santa Maria visits Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth - tour dates
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
A fascinating replica of a ship used by one of history’s greatest explorers has come to Portsmouth.
Spanish Carrick NAO Santa Maria has docked in the Gunwharf Quays marina and will be open to the public soon. She is a "faithful, full-scale historical reproduction" of the vessel used by Christopher Columbus while discovering America in 1492.
Alongside the Nina and Pinta, the caravels set sail from Palos de la Frontera towards the new world, with previously undiscovered islands and landscapes being known to Europe. After stopping off at the island of La Gomera - known as the Canary Islands today - the ship reached America on October 12, 1492.
The ship did not last much longer though. She ran aground on La Española island on Christmas Day 1492 due to an oversight by the cabin boy at the wheel, sinking as a result. The site where she met her demise - Baie de Caracol on the island of Haiti - her ruins were used to create the first Spanish settlement in America, known as Fuerta Navidad.
This is not the first Fundación Nao Victoria vessel to visit Portsmouth. Crowds were given enlightening tours around Galeón Andalucía this summer. NAO Santa Maria was launched in March 2018 after 14 months of construction.
Like the original, she has three masts carrying five sails, rigged by 3km of rope. Since being built, NAO Santa Maria has visited Puerto Rico, Canada and the USA in North America, as well as several cities in France and Spain.
Tours are being offered in Portsmouth from tomorrow (September 20) to September 28. Tickets cost £10 and £5 for children under 10-years-old. Family deals can be purchased at discounted rates. The ship’s crew will be conducting tours between 10am and 8pm. NAO Santa Maria is currently on her European tour, visiting several ports in the UK, France, Spain, and the the Netherlands. Further details can be found here.