As you're traveling on the Bridge of Lions, the bridge connecting St. Augustine to Anastasia Island across the Matanzas Bay, you may notice something that looks somewhat out of place among the other modern yachts and boats. Something as if brought over from a movie set: two historic ships, side by side, rising above the St. Augustine skyline. You may even do a double-take, as I did, before becoming excited and intrigued as to such a sight. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Flagler College, Villa Zorayda...everything was now put in the back of my mind. I wanted to time travel 500 years back and step onboard those two ships and would not happily leave St. Augustine until doing so. Like a child obsessed with getting his hands on a toy, I could not get the thought out of my mind. My friend was also somewhat interested, though his degree of interest did not even come close to measuring up to my own.
I was grateful that the weather was cooperative, as I was looking forward to photographing these beautiful vessels against a blue sky. The ships looked so majestic in the water. Like a giddy child, I powerwalked down the marina boat slips until arriving to the walkway that led to the first ship, the Nao Victoria. Suddenly, my dream of living onboard a boat was reawakened. Although my friend worried about the rocking and could never envision himself living onboard, I could definitely see myself joining the crew. The crew were all young Spaniards, very friendly and knowledgeable about the history and any questions about the craft, though if you don't speak Spanish, it might be a challenge. The original Nao Victoria, one of four ships given to Magellan by King Charles I of Spain, was the first ship to successfully circumnavigate the world (the other three ships, also Nao class vessels were the San Antonio, Concepcion and Santiago). This ship was part of a 1519 expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magillan. After his demise, Juan Sebastián Elcano took over command of the voyage. The expedition began with five ships but the Victoria was the only ship to complete the voyage, in a total of 3 years. Now, thanks to La Fundación Nao Victoria, you can climb onboard an exact replica of the same ship!
The ship was built by hand, in order to replicate the labor that went into building the original 16th century vessel. Then, it was put to use to replicate the original voyage. It has visited 52 countries and sailed out of Spain and around the world from 2004 to 2006. The captain of this ship is actually a female (and you thought women could not do such things!) and the crew is comprised of a handful of men and a couple of women. They sleep on board the ship (I was able to see their accommodations and kitchen after befriending one of the female crewmembers). Because there was no such thing as a steering wheel in the 16th century, the ship is steered by a beam, which broke when they were traveling from Key West. The Coast Guard had to escort the vessel while the crew manually tried their best to steer with the broken beam, becoming injured in their fight against the 10+ foot waves. Speaking about the crew: they are actually completing internships in several areas, such as hospitality, maritime biology, and journalism. They survive based on donations, and the ticket purchases.
The other ship is the Galeón Andalucia, a replica of a merchant vessel. El Galeón is a replica of the vessels that traveled the coasts of Florida between the 16th and 18th centuries, transporting men, goods, culture and ideas, creating ties between America and Europe. Galeons were constructed from oak, pine and various hardwoods for hull and decking. Because this was a merchant vessel, cannons are on board, to protect the merchandise and crew from pirates and any other attacks. This vessel is significantly larger, and more modern, as it has a steering wheel. Though neither of the ships had their sails up, you can imagine how beautiful they must look, especially when sailing against the sunset. There are actual videos that show both ships as they're being built and traveling on the water. These are available on their website, as well as when you tour the ships. It's not often that you see such beautiful historic ships, especially for climbing onboard to experience the magic for yourself. The ships are in several different ports for short amounts of time, usually leaving around summertime in order to avoid tropical storms and hurricanes. I really enjoyed this educational experience and was in awe of their beauty. In the meantime, I am left wanting...wishing I could experience a voyage onboard! read more