2023 Tall Ship - Spain's Nao Trinidad

Aft View in windy conditions

Nao Trinidad in Georgetown on 12/6/23

The full size replica of the Nao Trinidad was built in 2018. Nao Trinidad was one of the five ships under Magellan's command when the first circumnavigation of the world was completed in 1522, and the replica has been sailing to ports of call since 2022 to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the historic feat. Visitors are welcome to board the Nao Trinidad at ports of call, like I did in Georgetown, S.C. and she is also a floating maritime museum with a Spanish accent. She weighs 200 tons, is 95-feet in length and is 26-feet wide with 5 decks, 4 masts and 5 sails. Her full-time crew serve as hosts when in port, and they love sailing this wooden ship from Europe to visit North America, where the mere sight of her raises awareness about nautical history.

Rigging looking up to Lookout

Historical Maritime Tools

While aboard, I learned that the Nao designates a type of ship, which was the most advanced Tall Ship of its time. Its design was the result of evolution of Spanish ship building in order to improve their characteristics like greater load capacity with minimum draught depths often required for exploring unknown channels. The replica Nao has called on the Caribbean, Mexico, the East Coast and the Great Lakes thus far on her journey. The fact that it is the Holidays was not lost on the crew and I saw a fully decorated Christmas tree and heard wishes of Feliz Navidad.

To view past blog entries from wooden boats click EOS - Windy - Grace- Aphrodite - Osprey - Annalee - Hinckley

To view past blog entries on Tall Ships click 2012 Savannah Challenge -  2009 Charleston HarborFest - Spirit of Carolina