History Meets Reality with Hints of Science Fiction

The Nina, left, and Pinta, moored in the marina.

Remember the day of the eclipse? It happened to be the day we finally had a chance to get out of town and spend some time adventuring. We packed up Kaycee, a cooler, and headed to Traverse City to see the hand-built replicas of the Nina and Pinta.

The Nina was built using only adzes, axes, hand saws and chisels, in addition to naturally-shaped
timbers from the local forest. She stands 65' long, 18' across the beam, with a draft of 7'.
The sail area is 1, 919 sq. feet. She took 32 months to build.

Both ships are exact replicas of those sailed in 1492, and they are called the Columbus Ships. They were built in Valenca, Brazil by eighth generation Portuguese shipwrights. There is no home port for these ships, as they are moving 11 months of the year, providing educational opportunities to everyone. There is no Santa Maria because she never made it back to Europe, she is too big to make it through the waterways the ships have to go through, and Christopher Columbus did not like the Santa Maria because she was very slow and clumsy.

We met friends who were vacationing in the area, and while everyone else toured the ships, Kaycee and I found a lot to do. As the afternoon grew to the "total eclipse" time (though we were gifted with about 70%), it was fun to watch the public engage in all the activities Traverse City waterfront has to offer. It was extra special with the excitement of the eclipse.

The day had been beautiful, with a blue, cloudless sky...and just as the time for the eclipse was coming upon us, so did the clouds. I think many were disappointed, but I could tell the light was changing, and there was kind-of an eery feel to the color of day.

While Kaycee and I were having fun by the water, the rest of our crew was enjoying their tour of the ships...and the kids played at the pirate history of the sea.

It was a Jolly Good Day!

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