8/31/2023 0 Comments Pinta ship palmettoThe foundation did not use it as a sealant because it is flammable but, in the 15th century, ships were coated with pine tar to preserve the wood, Sanger said.Īlthough the foundation keeps the ships looking as authentic as possible, the six-member crew on its Nina and seven-member crew on its Pinta have some modern conveniences - such as iceboxes, a propane stove and bathrooms.Īnd there is another modern touch that Columbus and his men did not even consider for their scenic cruises but visitors will be sure to notice.Īs mementos of your journey back in time, consider picking up some postcards, hats or T-shirts in the Pinta's onboard gift and souvenir shop. They also wonder why the ships are painted black. With the holds needed to stock supplies, the 24 men on the Nina and the 26 men on the Pinta slept on deck when not taking shifts hoisting the massive sails and steering the heavy tiller. Visitors are usually amazed about how confining the ships were, Sanger said. We’re lucky to get dock space for two ships.” It would have to be stationary somewhere. “The Santa Maria wouldn’t have been able to get up this river. “The question always comes up: Why don’t we have the Santa Maria?” Sanger said. Columbus wrote in his journal that he regarded the Santa Maria as too heavy, difficult to sail and unsuitable for the purpose of exploration. The foundation has decided not to proceed with a reconstruction of the Santa Maria, a freighter that ran aground and sank off present-day Haiti on the first voyage. Although its Nina is regarded as an exact replica, the foundation’s Pinta is 15 feet longer and eight feet wider than the original to accommodate more people. In 2005, the foundation launched its 101-ton version of the Pinta, also built in Brazil. In December 1991, the new Nina went on its 4,000-mile maiden voyage to Costa Rica to appear in the Ridley Scott movie “1492.” Since then the 75-ton ship has visited more than 300 ports in the United States. In 1988, the late engineer and maritime historian John Patrick Sarsfield started building the replica of the 15th century caravel in Brazil with shipwrights who used the same tools as the original craftsmen - axes, hand saws, chisels. In Columbus’ day, however, boatwrights did not put their plans on paper.Īfter two years of research, including consulting documents about how many supplies the ships carried, logs about the tonnage and the length of its keel, the organization figured out enough measurements to proceed with re-creating the Nina. The foundation formed in 1986 with the mission of building replicas of all three ships in Columbus’ fleet. flag and flags of the Spanish monarchy appeared in the Manatee River on Wednesday morning and docked in Palmetto after a 16-hour, overnight voyage from Fort Myers - announcing their arrival with a customary powder charge from a cannon. The Columbus Foundation in the British Virgin Islands created and owns the floating museums, which dock at 30 to 40 locations each year for public tours. “But they’re not in good shape and don’t go anywhere.” The Spanish government built replicas for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first of four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean to what would become known as North America, Sanger said. “These are considered the most accurate replicas ever built,” skipper Stephen Sanger said. Starting today, replicas of the Nina and Pinta can be viewed by the public at the Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto. The vessels manned by explorer Christopher Columbus and his crews in 1492 were, for that era, the equivalent of today’s rockets - a means of discovering uncharted worlds. As every schoolchild knows, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria are among history’s most famous ships.
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