The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria

Sounds familiar, right? This weekend, I visited the 93-foot hand-built (using only hand tools) replica of Columbus's ship, the Nina, on display at the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union.

According to the Nina Web site (linked above, hosted by the Columbus Foundation), the Santa Maria was Columbus's least favorite ship - it ran aground and sank in 1492 off Hispaniola. However, the Nina, is claimed to be Columbus's favorite ship. All Spanish ships during the time were required to have a religious name, the Nina's was Santa Clara, which explains why she was such a good boat (go Broncos!). The Nina sailed at least 25,000 miles under Columbus's command and was the only vessel to survive a West Indian hurricane in 1495.

I was astounded at the relatively small size of the boat. It was hard to imagine the 93-foot boat that sits less than ten feet above the water in the center crossing the Atlantic Ocean and even surviving a hurricane. On the 1492 voyage, 27 crewmen traveled aboard the ship; all slept on deck (and if they were lucky, used rope as bedding). There were no sleeping quarters except for one captain's quarters where Captain Vincente Yanez (and Columbus on other voyages) had a small navigation desk, two bunks, and only about four feet of head room - all below deck. The only ventilation in the captain's quarters was the hatch opening. Below deck the provisions, animals, and supplies were stored.

Though Columbus caused irrevocable damage to the peoples living in the Americas during his voyages, the experience standing aboard the Nina was worthwhile and allowed me to gain some perspective and appreciation for the flawed yet profoundly influential navigator.

Almost twice as many people were on the boat during the 1492 voyage than in this photo!