Pinta replica docks in Owensboro

Jul. 7—A replica of the Pinta, a Portuguese ship used by Christopher Columbus and other early explorers, docked at English Park on Thursday and will act as a "floating museum" beginning today for educational tours.

Stephen Sanger, a captain of the ship, said the crew travels year-round on the ship, visiting different cities for tours.

The ship will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 7-16 at the park.

"When you come on board, the first thing you do is really appreciate the craftsmanship," Sanger said. "This was built by eighth-generation Portuguese shipwrights with the techniques of how to build this ship passed down through generations."

The Pinta was built in Brazil and is a larger version of the archetypal ship, offering a larger deck space for walk-aboard tours and a 40-foot air conditioned main cabin down below with seating. The ship launched in 2005.

"The Portuguese, after Columbus came across, migrated and colonized modern day Brazil, so those techniques were still alive in the late 1980s and early 1990s," he said.

During the tours, Sanger said visitors will learn about the voyages of Columbus and the mechanics of the ship.

After leaving Owensboro, the crew will make its way to New Johnsonville, Tennessee.

"This is our last stop on the Ohio River tour," he said. "We've stopped in Evansville, Cincinnati, Louisville. From here we'll start our tour on the Tennessee River."

Sanger said a replica of the Niña, another ship used by Columbus, was also built but was heavily damaged during Hurricane Sally in 2020.

"She was built for the movie '1492: Conquest of Paradise,' " he said. "After the movie, we brought the Niña to the Tall Ship in Boston and New York."

After taking the Niña to those two cities, Sanger Ships LLC, the company that owns the replicas, began receiving calls about visiting different locations.

"That's kind of how the touring began," he said, "and here we are 30 years later."

For more information on the ships, visit ninapinta.org.