Nao Santa Maria is a replica of the historic vessel that carried Columbus and his crew to the New World in 1492. She is scheduled to sail into Newburyport Harbor at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 31.
Built in Spain in 2017, the Nao crossed the Atlantic, basically mimicking Columbus’ voyage, coming across from Spain and to the Canary Islands to take on supplies. The first opportunity for anyone to board this vessel, north of Florida, will be in Newburyport.
Once the big welcome is out of the way, the vessel will be open for public tours beginning Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 pm.
The public tours will also continue for the rest of the week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and students from local schools will board the ship for tours Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7.
The charge will be $5 per student and will include a guided tour of the ship and full access to the vessel.
The Custom House Museum in Newburyport will be organizing the week’s events. According to museum board member Ken Jackman, “Everyone learns the story of Christopher Columbus coming to America. It is one of the seminal stories of humanity,” Jackman said. “This will give the kids a chance to actually stand onboard the deck and appreciate how big or how small this vessel was compared to the Atlantic. This will bring history to life in a way that will include all the senses… also this is a Spanish crew, so Spanish classes can also opt to do their tour in Spanish.”
For more information visit the Custom House Museum here