Harvey sinks Columbus ship replica in Corpus

[TexasTowelie]

Photo: GoFundMe/Columbus Sailing Association


Hurricane Harvey took its toll on Texans, their homes, their land - and also on a certain ship replica: Christopher Columbus' Nina.

The Columbus Sailing Association launched a GoFundMe campaign to repair the bottom of its Nina replica, which sits in a Corpus Christi bay.

Photos of the ship show it halfway submerged in water following Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall along the Texas Coastal Bend dropping a historic amount of water on the area.

"The death bells now toll for me since I need a new bottom to stay afloat, and a new main deck to allow you access to go back with me in time to the 15th century," reads the GoFundMe page, written from the ship's point of view. "Please help keep me alive, as funding is desperately needed for my survival, and you are my only hope."

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/A-Columbus-replica-ship-needs-100k-for-repairs-12206101.php

[justhanginon]

1. I believe I took a tour of this ship some years ago when it came to Alton, Illinois.

I was amazed at how small it was and how little shelter there seemed to be. It is hard to imagine what that journey must have been like on a craft like this. I wish them well on their fundraising effort. These kinds of things are just excellent for children to gain knowledge of and to hands on explore.

[CottonBear]

2. Oh no! I was on onboard both the Nina & the Pinta in Chattanooga.

My whole family, including my young son, had a wonderful time aboard these amazing historical replica ships. It was super interesting and very educational to tour the ships, speak with the crew and learn about the ancient craft of ship building and sailing.

You can actually sign up to join the crew and sail on the ships' journeys along the coasts and up river systems!

[WolverineDG]

3. I took sailing lessons on the Nina

when I lived in Corpus. It's an amazing ship & it's a crime that the city allowed the museum to neglect the entire fleet of ships to the point they had to demolish the Santa Maria & Pinta replicas.

I gained a new respect for my ancestors & anyone who sailed across the Atlantic in ships like these. It was not an easy voyage in something that's less seaworthy than a Coast Guard cutter.