About 20 miles south of our home is the Port of St Mark on the Gulf of Mexico. From there - you can sail around the world. Yesterday - two ships that are replicas of Columbus's Pinta and Nina were docked in town - drawing attention and inviting anyone that wanted to come aboard. The ships are exact replicas - built with tools from the 1400's period.
The first thing you notice is how small these ocean-going ships were - around 50 feet long. There was no admission - I was tempted to ask who was funding the adventure. There were several crew members there to answer such questions.
We have been on cruise ships that were over 1000 feet long - these ships could fit into the ballroom on some of today's ships. The ships remind me of recreation vehicles - they emptied their toilets over the edge.
For safety - the ships have backup diesel engines - and plenty of modern navigational equipment.
Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain to America in 3 similar ships in 1492. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were monarchs of the two sections of Spain at the time. They funded the expedition - actually 4 expeditions - to find a better route to Asia. Columbus accidentally ran into America on the way.
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