The full-size replica of the 16th Century Spanish ship is presently docked within Motril Port, at the Muelle de Poniente.
It is not the first time that this beautiful ship has visited Motril and we at the Gazette covered its previous visit.
The original Nao Victoria was the first ship to cirumnavigate the globe (1519-1522), opening up unexplored trade routes. Today’s replica was built in 1992 (the 500th Anniversary of the Discovery of America) for the Exposición Universal de Sevilla.
One of the differences, however, between the original and the replica are the masts because despite the replica being completely built of wood, the masts are of iron – this change was made to cut back on maintenance, which in itself is a daily task where the rigging is concerned.
The Nao Victoria, one of three ships on the voyage, set sail with 42 sailors on board under the command of Captain Ferdinand Magellan (the straits between southern Chile and Tierra de Fuego are named after him). After his death in the Philippines, Juan Sebastián Elcano, then first officer, took command and completed the historic voyage back to Spain. She was the only one of the three that made it back.
Today the replica has a crew of ten volunteers. In the 16th century, sailors slept on deck, enduring storms, scorching heat, and persistent rain, without any of the comforts that crew members enjoy on board today, such as bunks, showers, or toilets.
There are also of course, radio comms, satelitte positioning and radar, which make a tad of a difference. But when it comes to setting the sails etc, that remains a manual task as there are no mechanical aids onboard for this job.
Which brings us back to its presence in the port as a sort of floating museum. It is open for members of the public to go onboard between 10.00h and 18.30h. There is an entrance fee of seven euros per adult and four euros for children between the ages of five and ten.
She will be setting sail again on Monday, so make sure you visit before then, if you want to be able to look around a 16th Century galleon!
Note: this ship is not technically a galleon, which are much larger, but rather a carrack. Here’s the difference:
Carrack (14th–17th c.): A large, ocean-going, sailing ship developed in the Iberian Peninsula for long voyages, exploration and cargo/passenger transport. Emphasised high freeboard and strong windward performance.
Galleon (16th–18th c.): A warship/armed merchant built from the carrack lineage, optimised for naval combat and escorted trade; combined improved sailing lines with heavy broadside armament.
(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)
Keywords: Nao Victoria, Docked, Motril Port, Circumnavigation of the Globe, Replica, Galleon, Muelle de Poniente, Carrack.
news, andalucia, granada, costa tropical, motril, nao victoria, docked, motril port, circumnavigation of the globe, replica, galleon, muelle de poniente, carrack.