Fred Bobb on Board the Pinta overlooking the Niña
Credit: Barbara Bleuer
Fred Bobb Waiting to Board the Pinta, Sunday afternoon in Jupiter, Florida
Credit: Barbara Bleuer
The Smaller Niña
Credit: Barbara Bleuer
“In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” — every American school child knows these lines. Did you ever wish to travel back in time for Chris and his crew to sail across the Atlantic into uncharted waters where legend told of sea monsters and myriad dangers? Despite what some people may have told you, Columbus and a few serious seafarers thought the world was flat. In fact, Arab geographers had calculated the earth’s circumference with impressive accuracy long before Columbus set sail from Cadiz.
For those of you interested in experiencing some of what Columbus and his crew endured, the Niña and Pinta have recently reappeared in Florida waters. No, they didn’t travel through a wormhole in time. We are talking rather about faithful replicas for the two vessels that are currently anchored in Jupiter, Florida and will remain there until the 29th of this month when they will sail onto Vero Beach for a ten-day stay. Aramco Brat, Fred Bobb, a.k.a. Camelman, and Barb recently toured the two ships in Jupiter and have filed the following report for the entertainment of Aramco ExPats’ readers.
Sunday afternoon, Barb and I went to visit the Niña and the Pinta at Harborside, Jupiter, Florida. It was very crowded as the weather could not have been more perfect. Both ships are in Jupiter until March 29th. Then they both will sail to Vero Beach, Florida for a short visit there.
The Santa Maria was not there. Why? She sank.
How long did it take the 3 ships in 1492 to cross the Atlantic? 33 days. Columbus waited until he had strong tail winds before he left Cadiz, Spain.
The Niña and Pinta are all black because they were coated in pine tar which helps to resist water.
Barb and I were quite surprised to see how small the 2 ships were. The Niña is only 65 feet long and weighs in at only 80 tons. The Pinta is 85 feet and weighs 101 tons. We saw much bigger yachts that were docked at Harborside alongside these 2 ships.
An interesting footnote about the Niña: She survived the hurricane of 1495 in the West Indies. I can not even picture being on the Niña in a hurricane! Niña Captain Martin Pinzon of Palos, Spain must have been a skilled master seaman to save his ship. All 120 folks on board his vessel survived that hurricane and returned home to Spain.
And.........Barb and I wondered.............. how did that ship even accommodate 120 people!
Best...........Fred.
Nina and Pinta Schedule
- Jupiter, Florida until March 29th
- Niña and Pinta sail to Vero Beach for a 10-day stay; March 30th to April 9th Docked at the Vero Beach City Marina, 3611 Rio Vista Blvd. Vero Beach Tours from 9 am to 6 pm, March 31 to April 9.
- Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for ages 5 to 16 (not in a school group), age 4 and younger free
- Group (minimum of 15 people) $5 each; Information and group bookings: 787-672-2152
Get a few Aramcons together and make a day of it!