The Andalusia Galeon has docked this week in the English port of Gunwharf Quays, in Portsmouth, as part of an extensive tour of Europe in which it is intended to bring the maritime history of the sixteenth to 18th centuries closer to the public. The imposing replica, built in Punta Umbría, Huelva, following the traditional planes and techniques of the time, can be visited until Sunday. Aboard the ship, according to the newspaper Portsmouth News, An immersive experience is offered to those who wish to explore life aboard the great ships that sailed five centuries ago from the Andalusian coast to cross the Atlantic, cross the waters of the Caribbean Sea and cover the Pacific route.
The Andalusia Galeon, which reaches 55 meters in length and six covers, has almost 1,000 square meters of fabric spread over seven candles. The Nao Victoria Foundation, which is responsible for its construction and the dissemination of the project, presents it as a tool for pedagogical purposes, but also as the floating ambassador of the Spanish naval legacy. “The Andalusia Galeon is a unique replica of the galleons that departed from the Andalusian coast between the 16th and 18th centuries: the Atlantic crossed, they entered the Caribbean, toured the American coasts and completed the Pacific Route, connecting the world in all its dimensions,” the entity explained.
The Andalusian Galeon, docked in the port of Blyth, city of the southeast of England.
On their PortSmouth scale, visitors can go up aboard the Spanish galleon to travel the covers, look out the inner cabins and see both the rig and all the elements used during navigation. Part of the crew forms volunteers that explain in detail what life was on board and what were the routes, techniques and conditions of those crossings. The visit allows to relive the experience of the Golden Age although in a radically different environment: under the watchful eye of the Spinnaker Tower, One of the most recognizable architectural icons in the south of the United Kingdom, surrounded by stores, terraces and shopping centers.
The scale in Portsmouth is part of an international tour that will take the Andalusian galleon through several ports of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The choice of this English city is not casual either. In fact, it houses one of the most important naval bases in the country and there the HMS Victorythe historic ship in which Admiral Nelson participated in the battle of Trafalgar. The encounter between the two maritime traditions, the Spanish and the British, adds symbolism to the visit of a ship turned into a floating ambassador of the naval legacy that sails five centuries later.
