Photos

Version B&W
Nau Santa Maria.

"This magnificent replica of Christopher Columbus’s Flag ship “ THE SANTA MARIA “ has been built on the island of Madeira( between July 1997-Jully 1998) in the fishing village of Camara de Lobos by Robert Wijntje, a dutchman and by local craftsmen, to celebrate Columbus’s monthlong journey across the Atlantic to discover “ The Indies” in Asia - as he thought they were. In fact, he discovered the Caribbean and was the first European to set foot on the Americas.

Columbus was born in 1451. He spent many years in the Portuguese Merchant navy, often calling into Madeira and married Dona Filipa Perestrello e Moniz daughter of the first governor of Madeira.

In 1492 after many years of being refused permission, the King and Queen of Spain agreed to fund his voyage in search of the Indies.

SANTA Maria represented the Madeira wine at the Expo 98 in Lisbon, where she was visited by 97.016 people in only 25 days.

Sailing along the coast of Madeira in the Santa Maria will take you back to the 15th century as we approach the 21st!! Re-live his voyage of discovery and imagine how he felt as headed into the unknown."

LINKS

http://www.madeira-web.com/PagesUK/santa-maria.html / http://www.madeiratourism.com/