Pensacola will welcome replica of Christopher Columbus tall ship, the Pinta, in January

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read

A replica of one of Christopher Columbus' famous tall ships, the Pinta, will be docked at Plaza de Luna, located at 900 S. Palafox St. in January.

From Jan. 5-22, the replica will be docked for educational tours to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

According to a press release from Sanders Ships, LLC., the Pinta was the first ship to sight land in the "New World" on Oct. 12, 1492.

The Pinta tours as a "sailing museum" to educate the public and school children on the "caravel," a type of Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world.

Crew member Jamie Durant, of Newport, Rhode Island, right, chats with Angel Robertson, of Ethel, Louisiana, left, and Kathy Fee, of Perdido Key, while preparing the replica of Christopher Columbus' Pinta ship for visitors at the Perdido Key Oyster Bar and Restaurant dock on Tuesday, June 5, 2018.
Crew member Jamie Durant, of Newport, Rhode Island, right, chats with Angel Robertson, of Ethel, Louisiana, left, and Kathy Fee, of Perdido Key, while preparing the replica of Christopher Columbus' Pinta ship for visitors at the Perdido Key Oyster Bar and Restaurant dock on Tuesday, June 5, 2018.

The Niña:Replica of Columbus's ship, Niña, barely avoided Pensacola Bay's rocks in Hurricane Sally

The last time a tall ship visited Pensacola was in September 2020 when tall ship Niña, a historic replica of Columbus' flagship and an authentic floating museum of the same fleet, docked at Palafox Pier.

Hurricane Sally hit the Florida Panhandle on Sept. 16, 2020, one day after the replica wrapped up tours in the area.

Around 6 a.m. that morning, the dock that the Niña was tied to broke away from its pilings, and the Niña started spinning out into Pensacola Bay.

A northwestern current pulled the Niña toward a rock jetty at the base of a seawall located at the shoreline on the outside edge of the peninsula that holds Community Maritime Park.

According to a Facebook post from Sanger Ships LLC, repairs on the Niña were underway earlier in 2022. The company hopes to have both the Niña and Pinta touring in the summer or fall of 2023.

Self-guided tours are $8 for adults, $7 for people 65 and older and $6 for kids ages 5 to 16.

School groups or organizations wishing to schedule a 30-minute guided tour should email ninapintatour@gmail.com or go to the website ninapinta.org/tour.html to schedule reservations. A minimum of 15 people is required. The cost for groups is $5 per person.

For more information, visit: https://www.ninapinta.org/index.html.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Columbus tall ship replica Pinta to dock in Pensacola, Florida in 2023