On Wednesday, Oct. 24, historically accurate replicas of Christopher Columbus’s famous ships, the Niña and the Pinta, will dock on the Kanawha River at the Haddad Riverfront Park, and will be open for public tours until departure early the morning of Nov. 5.
The ships are touring together as a new and enhanced “sailing museum” sponsored by the Columbus Foundation to educate the public on Columbus’s “caravels” – a fleet of Portuguese trading vessels used by many early explorers to discover the New World. Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on the Niña on his three voyages of discovery of more than 25,000 miles to the New World beginning in 1492.
The visit is part of FestivALL FALL, four days of events in Charleston featuring music, drama, art, and lots of Halloween-themed activities.
Stephen Sanger, captain of the Niña, said, “I really hope everyone gets a chance to see these great ships. This will be my first time in Charleston and we are very excited. I’m sure it’s going to be a good trip.”
The Niña was built by hand without the use of power tools and is considered to be the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built. The Pinta was recently built in Brazil and is a larger version of the archetypal caravel to allow more participation. According to the Columbus Foundation, historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the fifteenth century.
The Pinta was built to accompany the Nina on all of her travels. She is a larger version of the archetypal caravel and offers a larger deck space for walk-aboard tours with a large air-conditioned main cabin below with seating. The ships sail all over the Western Hemisphere.
While in port, the general public can visit the ships for 30-minute, walk-aboard, self-guided tours with ship crew explaining the ships’ rich history.
Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for students 5 – 16. Children four and under are free. The ships are open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no reservations necessary.
Teachers or organizations may schedule group tours for a discounted rate.
Visit www.thenina.com for more information.
