A collage of two shots to show the Pier of the Caravels. Santa Maria is in the middle.
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships : La Niña ("The Girl") on the right, and La Pinta ("The Painted"). All three ships were second-hand (if not third- or more) and were not intended for exploration. They were modest-sized merchant vessels comparable in size to a modern cruising yacht.
With three masts, Santa María was the slowest of Columbus' vessels but performed well in the Atlantic Ocean crossing. Then on the return trip, on 24 December (1492), not having slept for two days, Columbus decided at 11:00 p.m. to lie down to sleep. The night being calm, the steersman also decided to sleep, leaving only a cabin boy to steer the ship. With the boy at the helm, the currents carried the ship onto a sandbank, running her aground off the present-day site of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. It sank the next day.[
Columbus' crew was not composed of criminals as is widely believed. Many were experienced seamen from the port of Palos in Andalusia and its surrounding countryside.
Many thanks for your views, comments and fav's. Very much appreciated.
Quite interesting narrative. fabulous to see these boats. I posted a picture for you -album2. You had said you like to see the Purple Irish Shamrock when in bloom.
