Historic replicas of Columbus’ ships, The Nina and Pinta sailing Ohio River this fall

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — You can step aboard a bit of maritime history starting this weekend as replicas of The Nina and Pinta — two of three ships Christopher Columbus guided from Spain to The Bahamas in 1492 — will be docked at Point Park, 113 Ann St., Parkersburg from Friday, Sept. 21 until their departure early Wednesday, morning Sept. 26.

The ships open to the general public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 through Tuesday, Sept. 25. The boats will also be making seven other Ohio River port city stops this fall through mid November.

The closest it will be to Huntington is a Friday, Nov. 9 through Monday, Nov. 18 stay at Ashland Port & Riverfront Park 50 15th St., Ashland. Other stops are: Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, at Heritage Port in Wheeling, W.Va., Oct. 4-16 at Station Square in Pittsburgh, Pa., Oct. 19-23 at Marietta Harbor, Marietta, Ohio, Oct. 26-31 at Haddad Riverfront Park in Charleston, W.Va., Nov. 2-7 at City Park Dock in Gallipolis, Ohio, Nov. 9-18 at Ashland Port and Riverfront Park, and then Nov. 20-22 at Limestone Landing Park in Maysville, Ky.

This is the first stop in Ashland since 2015. The boats were last in Huntington in 2012.

The Nina replica was built first when American engineer and maritime historian John Patrick Sarsfield was hired by the Virgin Islands-based Columbus Foundation to design and construct the 15th Century Caravel in 1988. The Nina was built by hand and without the use of power tools and is considered to be the most historically correct Columbus Replica ever built.

Co-designer Jonathon Nance, a British maritime historian and lead project researcher, produced the Nina’s 1,919 square foot sail plan.

Pinta was built 16 years later to accompany the Nina. Both ships were built in Valenca, Brazil, by eighth-generation Portuguese shipwrights. It took a 20-person crew 32 months to build the Nina and 36 months to build the Pinta. It is a larger version of the archetypal caravel. Historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the fifteenth century.

The Nina and Pinta set sail in 1492 with crews of 24 and 26 people, respectively. Today, each ship usually has crews of at least 10.

While in port, the general public is invited to visit the ships for a walk-aboard, self-guided tour. Admission charges are $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and $6.50 for students 5–16. Children 4 and under are Free. The ships are open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. No reservations necessary.

Teachers or organizations wishing to schedule a 30 minute guided tour with a crew member should call 787-672-2152 or visit our website www.ninapinta.org, click on ‘Take a Tour’ and fill out online form. Minimum of 15. $5 per person. No Maximum. Email [email protected]

Go online at http://www.thenina.com/schedule.html/.