Nina & Pinta

Spending a day in Beaufort, SC, we "happened upon" a wonderful surprise;

These replicas of the Nina & Pinta were in harbor for a week long visit.

The masts were impressive even without the sails unfurled...

The hulls were clean as a whistle and made us realize how small these ships really were.  "Columbus liked smaller ships because he could get them into smaller harbors & waterways," the guide told us.  Each ship has a crew of about 6, most of whom are volunteers serving for a month or two usually.  They have their quarters below (in Columbus' day, that area was a virtual "farm" holding goats, chickens, & a few horses.  The goats were used for milk, until they quit giving milk: then they became "meat".  The chickens were for eggs, until they quit giving eggs: then they became "meat."  The horses were in slings so they wouldn't get hurt by the ship tossing.  Imagine the stench down there!)

Amazing that we tend to think of these ships as colorful, but they were painted black.

What a treat it was to tour these pieces of history on such a beautiful day!

And there you have the "grand old ladies" in harbor, one of many stops along their journey up & down the east coast.