But No Santa Maria

It was one of those beautiful spring afternoons when we sped across the Cooper River to the Patriots Point Marina to see reproductions of Christopher Columbus' ships, the Nina and the Pinta. They were not visible as we followed the signs out on the pier of the marina. Under a canopy was a woman and a man  sitting behind a table with a large sign saying: "Buy Tickets Here". Tickets were seven dollars each for senior citizens. We received a flyer with some information about the ships with our tickers. The young man gave us directions to the ships berths. I glanced at the literature and noticed that construction of the reproductions had begun in 1988.

"I'm sure I went aboard a reproduction of the Santa Maria in the tidal basin at Washington, D.C. in 1968," I said to the ticket seller. "And the Nina and Pinta were there too" I added.

"Those were the Spanish reproductions,"  he said, "they're now in Corpus Christi, Texas".


We made our way along the pier to where the two sailing ships were tied up. The water was fairly smooth in Charleston harbor and across the water we could see the giant Carnival cruise ship getting ready to disembark.  White sails of the College of Charleston Sailing Club's small boats were moving briskly in the warm breeze. The sailing vessels were black.  I was surprised because the reproductions I had seen before had been the color of natural wood.  These were black, painted with tar. Tar is waterproof and this has the effect of preserving the wood on the sailing vessels.  These ships were built in Brazil by Portuguese shipwrights using the construction techniques of the 15th century.

As we climbed aboard we noticed a small list of the ship. It seems most top heavy ships don't sit level in the water. Aboard the Nina we investigated fore and aft, that is the front and back. "This is the Nina, Christopher Columbus, favorite ship," I said to Claudette.

"Apparently your historical knowledge did not teach you the correct pronunciation of the ship's name," she said.

"What do you mean? It's the Nina!"

"Nina is pronounced Neenya! It's the Spanish pronunciation," I was informed.

"Okay, okay!  Now I realize that Zane Gray did know how to spell canyon.  All through his books he spelled canyon, canon.  Now I understand," I answered.

Looking up to the rigging, I said, "I wonder how many miles of rope are on this vessel?"

"I don't know," she said, "but saw the method by which it was made at Mystic Seaport."

The ships have lateen rigged as well as square rigged sails. This combination was efficient for sailing into the wind as well as sailing with the wind. The design of the ships are called a caravelle.

At the back of the ship which sailors call aft I grabbed the tiller.  This sturdy piece of hardwood was attached to the rudder at the end of its ten foot length which steered the ship. A

crewman told me that it only required one sailor to steer the ship. The Nina would have had a crew of twenty-four. They would have slept on the deck exposed to the elements. The cargo hold held provisions. The ship carried an assortment of live stock too. It was quite crowded. We were not allowed to go below decks.  I  can understand how the seven man crew of the reproduction needed its privacy. Top speed under sail was only 5-8 knots, slower than the average man can run.  Each of the reproductions has auxiliary diesel engine. The Pinta two and the Nina one.

We left the 65 foot Nina and boarded  the larger Pinta.  The Pinta reproduction is longer and wider than the original. Otherwise it is much the same. The additional space on the main deck is filled with saleable merchandise for the tourist. As I looked at both these watercraft I could not help but be reminded of the many splendid ship models and artifacts we had seen in the Spanish Naval Museum in Madrid.

Claudette and I enjoyed our visit to the replicant ships which were almost dwarfed by a huge Pershing yacht nearby. I think it could have been better if we could have gone below decks and if we had had a docent. The crew members knowledgeable but they did not share their knowledge unless asked.