University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

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THE LITTLE SHIP THAT SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE. A postcard image shows the replica of the Nitia under full sail. The ship ' s visit allowed Florence residents to imagine what it was like to be a part of Columbus ' crew. From the mighty masts to the small decks to the tiny sleeping quarters, the Nina was a marvel to see. replica of Columbus ' favorite ship, the Nifia, visited Florence in October to give residents a peek into the past. The small ship, only 93.6 feet long and 17.3 feet wide, the most historically accurate replica of a caravel from the 15th century, was making its last tour of North America. The ship will be retired from tour- ing next November, said crew member Adam Mashburn. It will dock in Puerto Viarta, Mexico, and do day sails for people who want to sail on it for a few hours. The idea for the replica came from the Columbus Foundation, which was established in 1986. The foundation wanted to build replicas of all three ships for the 500th anniversary of Columbus ' landing in Hispaniola, now Cape Haitien. A decision was made to build the most historically correct repli- cas possible. After research was completed, there was only time enough left to build one ship. The choice was the Nifia, which was the only ship to make more than one trip from Europe to the Americas. The Santa Maria sank off the coast of Hispaniola on the first voyage, and the Pinta returned to Spain after that voy- age, and then did nothing more of his- torical significance. The ship was built in Valenca, Brazil. Valenca was chosen because con-

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I buck CLOSE CONNECTION, (left) No. 469 patiently waits her turn for Kathleen to hook her up. UDDERLY REFRESHING, (below) One of the cows is milked by machine at Rocky Top Holstein dairy farm.

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struction methods used there were the same methods used in Columbus ' time. The ship ' s niaiden voyage took place in December 1991. It sailed from Brazil to Costa Rica to be in the movie 1492. It has since visited more than 250 ports in the U.S. This ship t ours for about nine months each year, said Jimmy Eavey, a crew member whose last stop was Florence. In the months it ' s not tour- ing, it docks in the Cayman Islands for day sails, but it won ' t go there this year. The Nina has made stops on both coasts, along the Gulf of Mexico, in the Great Lakes and has sailed through the Panama Canal three times. There are six or seven crew mem- bers at any given time. The crew lives on the ship, with some members staying on only a few weeks, and others work- ing for months or years at a time. Unlike Columbus, they have a fridge and a stove below deck. They also have bunks to sleep in. Columbus ' crew had to sleep on the deck. They have one other modern con- venience that was not around in 1492. We use a motor to navigate up rivers while it is touring. But when the ship is on the ocean, we stop the engine and use the sails, Mashburn said. —Scot Beard ' CAPTAINS QUARTERS A SMALL CABIN WITH 2 BUNKS AND VERY SMALL NAVIGATION DESK ARE BELOW, THIS IS THE ONLY PRIVATE SPACE COLUMBUS HAD THERE IS 4 OF HEAD ROOM » AND NO VENTALATION EXCEPT FOR THE HATCH OPENING