The Nina & the Pinta

Earlier this year we studied Columbus and his trips to the Carribean.  Right after the kids studied this (back in Sept.), replicas of two of the ships he and his crew sailed on -- the Nina and the Pinta (the third being the Santa Maria) sailed into Peoria for a weeklong stay.  They just happened to be on a yearlong journey starting in FL up the East Coast through the Great Lakes down the Illinois River (and Peoria) to the Mississippi River back to FL.  How fortuitous!  So, we went to see them after church!

This is not my photo, but from the website.  

We saw them docked so didn't see them with their sails up.

The two ships are owned by the Columbus Foundation, an organization based in Tortola, a British Virgin Island.  Both replicas were built in Brazil with hand tools and techniques favored by 15th-century boat makers. Lumber came from the nearby forests.  

The Nina is the smallest and is behind the Pinta above.

The Nina taken from the Pinta

{from the website and local paper 2010 article} The Niña, a "caravel"-type ship, is considered an exact replica of the original Niña. It was considered in its day perfect for exploration because it was small and fast, unlike the larger and heavier cargo ships of the time

The Nina, about 85 feet in length (65' deck length), was built by hand in Bahia, Brazil, in 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' entry into the New World. Archaeology magazine dubbed it "the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built." It also was featured in the film "1492."

The Pinta is a larger version of the Nina, at 93 1/2 feet (85' deck length).

Both ships are on tour year-round, stopping at ports across the country and offering sailing museums that feature not only Columbus history but the history of the Caravel, a type of ship used for decades in Columbus' era to explore the world.

A current crew member said that the Nina was Columbus' favorite ship, "like a sports car of the Caravels," adding Columbus wrote in journals that he loathed the largest of the trio of ships he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, the Santa Maria, and wished it would run aground.

We were surprised at how small the ships were!  And, that the crew stayed on deck all the time, even when covered by swells.  Only the captain had small quarters down below.

  

 Old style navigation tools.

Inside.  

Doug asked lots of questions :).  

The boat is steered by a rudder through the hole behind Sutton.

Just some other photos from the riverfront

 

 

  

 

 The kids had fun playing at the park nearby afterward.

Doug spun them so fast on this swing and the loud laughs and squeals coming from them were contagious!

Our little princess on the serpent

We'll have to try out this trail sometime