Setting sail for the Nao Victoria

3 March 2014

We spent the morning at the Nao Victoria, a full-scale reproduction of the 16th century ship that was the first to circumnavigate the globe.

But really, are there any non-thematic museums?

This thing was obviously a labor of love, built using period-appropriate techniques and materials, and following the original plans.

 

Kat just about to swab the deck

They set sail in 1519 with a compass, a triangle made out of wood, and some wildly inaccurate maps. I kind of admire that; sometimes you just want to know what's on the other side. In this case, sometimes you just want to make tons of money in the spice trade, but let's assume a spirit of exploration was involved as well.

 

Considering the circumference of Earth, the Nao Victoria seems ridiculously small for a crew of 43 men to live on for three years, like driving around the world in a Winnebago stuffed with 12 people. Of course, most of them died by the end, so that left more space for the others. Yay?

What's a journey without a native and a llama?

 

The steery part of the ship

Captain's cabin. How primitive! Windows XP!

The middle deck of the ship (can't remember the nautical term) was under the deck but above the bottom steerage area, and only about 4 feet high. This was the crew's sleeping/living space, which I found slightly terrifying, and I'm not even claustrophobic.

Nothing more relaxing than a hammock in a box

Naughty crew members were apparently locked up right next to everybody else. Interesting dynamic, I bet.

Stop moaning, Juan! Some of us are trying to sleep

The museum won some sort of award from the government when it opened in 2011 for promoting national identity. Here in 2014, the ship itself is holding up well, but the crew is showing definite signs of neglect, and several were missing. Hey, just like the original voyage! Also, we were the only visitors there.

Avast! I spy me wooden radius! Where be me sleeve??

Maybe this is why it has been so quickly neglected:

Meet the historically accurate full-scale replica of the HMS Beagle, still in progress. I get the feeling that the museum founder really, really loves researching and building historic replicas. What to do with them afterwards is less interesting.

I was going for "salty sea dog." I achieved "I smell old fish."

In any case, if you're going to build Magellan's boat, this is a good place to put it.

When you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a visit. This guy will leave the light on for you.