La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
I CAUGHT THE MOON EARLYISH last night and the color was magical. I wish I could share with you what the reflections on the sea looked like, but my photos don’t do it justice.
Today, I returned to the Port of Fuengirola, paid my money, and went onboard the Nao Victoria. A nao (also known as a carrack, which are both apparently other words for “ship”) was developed “as a fusion between Mediterranean- and Northern European-style ships.” The style first appeared in the late 13th century and was developed by the Spanish and Portuguese to trade in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic; it evolved over the years.
The original ship left Sevilla in 1519 and returned there in 1522. The replica sailed from Sevilla in 2004 and returned in 2006. I was in error yesterday when I said Magellan began the voyage as captain. The ship was actually one of five ships called the Fleet of Spices that set sail from Sevilla. Magellan was fleet commander. The goal was to open a new westbound route that reached to the Spice Islands (Moluca Islands, in what is now Indonesia). Magellan died in the Phillipines a few months before reaching their goal and Juan Sebastián Elcano took over as fleet commander with the Nao Victoria, the only surviving ship.
The current crew is made up of volunteers, who are exceptional. There’s even an hour-long audio tour you can connect to with your smart phone once you’re on the ship. The crew only permitted a certain number of people (perhaps 12) onboard at one time, but it was still too crowded for my comfort, so I didn’t stay long. I didn’t even go below decks this time, where there’s room for six in my estimation but slept 45 at the start of the original journey. And with no flush toilets!
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ANOCHE ATRAPÉ TEMPRANO LA LUNA y el color era mágico. Ojalá pudiera compartir con vosotros cómo eran los reflejos en el mar, pero mis fotos no le hacen justicia.
Hoy volví al Puerto de Fuengirola, pagué mi dinero y subí a bordo de la Nao Victoria. Un nao (también conocido como carrack, que aparentemente son otras palabras para “barco”) se desarrolló “como una fusión entre los barcos de estilo mediterráneo y del norte de Europa”. El estilo apareció por primera vez a finales del siglo XIII y fue desarrollado por los españoles y portugueses para comerciar en el Mar Mediterráneo y el Atlántico Norte; evolucionó a lo largo de los años.
El barco original salió de Sevilla en 1519 y regresó allí en 1522. La réplica salió de Sevilla en 2004 y regresó en 2006. Me equivoqué ayer cuando dije que Magellan comenzó el viaje como capitán. El barco era en realidad uno de los cinco barcos llamados Fleet of Spices que zarparon de Sevilla. Magallanes era el comandante de la flota. El objetivo era abrir una nueva ruta hacia el oeste que llegara a las Islas de las Especias (Islas Moluca, en lo que hoy es Indonesia). Magellan murió en las Filipinas unos meses antes de alcanzar su objetivo y Juan Sebastián Elcano asumió el mando de la flota con el Nao Victoria, el único barco superviviente.
La tripulación está formada por voluntarios, que son excepcionales. Incluso hay un recorrido de audio de una hora al que puede conectarse con su teléfono inteligente una vez que esté en el barco. La tripulación solo permitió un cierto número de personas (quizás 12) a bordo a la vez, pero todavía estaba demasiado lleno para mi comodidad, así que no me quedé mucho tiempo. Esta vez ni siquiera bajé por debajo de la cubierta, donde hay espacio para seis en mi estimación, pero durmió 45 al comienzo del viaje original. ¡Y sin inodoros!
Now that looks like it was an adventure! Too bad it was crowded.
When I was kid in Halifax, the Navy dockyard used to open up all the ships (destroyers, frigates, mine sweepers) to the public on a weekend in the summer. My brothers and I would go every year.. Lots of fun.
great moon shot.
Jim:
I’ll do this any time the ship is here. So worth supporting them and nice to get a different view. For an even better view, I’d volunteer on board if I didn’t know how much work that would be.
I am a big fan of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series (21 books–though the last was not completed–O’Brian died after writing only several chapters). British naval stories, mostly. It certainly gives one an idea of the hardships faced by those at sea. In his case, those writings are set in late 1700s-early 1800s, almost 300 years after the Nao sailed. Can only imagine the hardships of sailing the seas in that small a craft. BTW-the “seat of ease” was usually a hole cut out on a protrusion over the sea. Read that only 18 of the 265 sailors in the five ships that began the journey actually returned. Many died and others deserted. Tough life.
Mary:
The seat of ease doesn’t sound so bad (better than a campground outhouse). There was so much more history to share. I’m glad you read it on your own. I shared more the last time I was on the ship, in 2016.
Great photos! Man, the original crew must have been packed in like sardines!
Debra:
I don’t know how they did it in those days. No wonder so few survived.
Imagine they slept in stacked free-swinging hammocks usually with less than a foot between (above, below and side to side)…also they slept in shifts so not everyone was below at any one time. Hammocks could be rolled up and out of the way to free the area when needed.
Mary:
I’ve seen those hammocks. What a nightmare!
Yeah, I would have been one of the deserters. Great photos. I see Dudo is still loving the pink tissue paper.
Wilma:
Yep, you’d have found me on one of those Pacific Islands. Dudo’s new favorite toy. I’m glad I have more tissue paper. Free and biodegradable.
Looks like fun, in time the crowds will become more normal. Maybe. Where will I be, when my ship comes in?
David:
Sweetheart, your ship already came in and it’s a luxury liner.
Ugh — such close quarters. Sounds like a recipe for an epidemic!
Steve:
No wonder so few survived. (And isn’t it sad that no matter what we see or watch these days, the thought of an epidemic comes to mind.)
I’m with Wilma!
Deedles:
I am, too. Just imagine. We’d all be having a luau.
Still with the tissue paper I see….
James A Francis:
And more will come out of storage.
My first time visiting your blog, and I love it already. Definitely going to bookmark it and check in everyday. I love the photos. Thank you for stopping by The New Dharma Bums and commenting.
Robin Andrea:
Thanks so much. Glad I found you via Steve!
What no flush toilets, no spa, no Buffet dining, obviously not a Holland America cruise.
Larry:
I didn’t see showers anywhere either!
Great photos – I love exploring these sort of ships. The entertainment director must have had their hands full.
Willym:
One thing I wouldn’t miss is the entertainment director.
Wow, what a ship! Amazing to see.
So, I don’t want to pry, but have you and SG been able to get the vaccine yet?
Judy C:
SG has had both vaccines. I’ve had one (Astrazeneca), so I’m waiting until July 25 for the second. Supposedly, due to the variants, they plan to move that up a week sooner. It can’t come too soon as far as I’m concerned.
Amazing moon. I noticed the moon has been very bright the last 2 nights but when I was out very tall trees got in the way of a good view. Those ships! The crowding and the stench would have been unbearable, but it’s all in what people are accustomed to. They were used to being cramped in tiny houses and other spaces.
Love,
Janie
Janie:
We have such amazing views of the moon from our terrace and from down below. I can’t imagine sailing in those days.
I would love to know more about Spanish historyparticulary its navy.
Urspo:
Information is easily found.
I enjoyed these shots of the ship. Reminds me of the replica of the Half Moon which was docked in Albany for a while. That was an even smaller ship. I think it went back to the Netherlands in recent years. It’s hard to imagine crossing the ocean in something that small!
Walt the Fourth:
I remember the first time I saw the Constitution in Boston. I was shocked by how small it was.