PRESS PACK
Ships of Discovery TOUR 2017
www.visitalgarve.pt
www.fundacionnaovictoria.org
Ships of Discovery TOUR 2017
Ships of Discovery
The Caravel
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the leg of Atlantic Coast that starts in Cape San Vicente and ends in Cadiz played a very important role in the geographic discovery era. This stretch of coast was the starting point for most of the maritime expeditions that explored the world by sailing naos (carracks) and caravels manned by Portuguese sailors from Algarve and Spanish sailors from western Andalucia.
The Caravel is a ship of Portuguese origins. The term “caravel” appears for the first time in a Portuguese document from the 13th century referring to vessels of little volume used for coastal fishing. They were built in the Portuguese region of Algarve before the discovery era.
Thanks to their seamanship and the perfection of their vessels, naos (carracks) and caravels, these sailors ruled the oceans, discovered new worlds and opened new routes on the sea that would connect the whole planet. This strip of coast of the Iberian Peninsula was the birthplace of some of the greatest mariners and greatest maritime adventures of all times. With the project Ships of Discovery Tour 2017, the two most representative ships of the discovery era will sail for the first time together on a European Tour calling in ports of Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, England and Spain. A unique event in which visitors will be able to board and tour the most symbolic vessels of those times.
From the 15th century it was the vessel used by Portuguese and Spanish explorers. These lateensailed ships, when adapted and improved, turned out to be ideal to face the new Atlantic voyages due to their light hull, their ability to beat to windward and their shallow draft that allowed them to scout new lands. The ships had approximately 20 - 30m of length overall, an average volume of 50 to 75 barrels, and would hold two or three masts with lateen or round sails.
The ‘Boa Esperança’ (Good Hope) is the caravel that the Portuguese seafarer Bartolomé Díaz took beyond the limits of Atlantic navigation in 1488, passing through the Cape of Good Hope and opening the route towards the East. The ‘Nao Victoria’ is the replica of the Spanish vessel that some years later (1529 – 1522) achieved the first tour around the world in history with the work of two captains: Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano.
The Caravel “Boa Esperança” The caravel “Boa Esperança” is a replica the ship used by Bartolomé Díaz when he passed the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. It was built in Portugal by expert shipbuilders that used the same techniques
Ships of Discovery TOUR 2017
of that time while having in mind the current safety requirements. It was launched in 1990 and she started ocean sailing right away. The “Boa Esperança”, has its home-port in the Portuguese city of Lagos, where it functions as a floating museum for the Regional Tourism of Algarve. It promotes the culture and history of the region through the role that the ship had on the discovery era. It also serves as a training vessel for youth to learn about the sea and sailing and participate in nautical events, as well as an archaeological asset to study the maneuvers and behavior of the old caravels. Dimensions Length Overall..................................................23,8 m. Beam....................................................................6,6 m. Draft.......................................................................3,3 s. Capacity...................................................22 pax.
Mats and Sails It has two lateen sails with the Cross of Christ in honor of the Order of Christ, to which Prince Enrique “The Navigator”, great promoter of the Portuguese discoveries was a member of. Height Yard Sail
Main Mast 18 m 26 m 155 m²
Mizzen 16 m 20 m 80 m²
Wood types used Scots pine: overlay, false gunwale, keelson and masts. Oak and cork: frames. Cambela: main deck and bridge.
The Nao (Carrack) The Nao was a bigger ship than the caravel. It has its origins in Cantabria, a region of northern Spain, and it is the consequence of the increasing maritime commerce and the need of vessels with greater capacity on their holds. It is the result of the evolution in shipbuilding and the skill of ship carpenters of the time that kept improving the vessel’s seaworthiness, stability, speed and hold capacity.
Ships of Discovery TOUR 2017
These ships had a quarter deck, a pop deck and a forecastle; as well as a good freeboard and high superstructures and a wide hold. Because they needed to keep a shallowest draft possible, they would have the maximum beam practically on the waterline, which forced them to narrow the beam on the main deck and even more on the forecastle, quarter deck and poop deck. The main and the fore masts were square rigged while the mizzen had a lateen sail. The ship was a milestone in transoceanic sailing and it was the first vessel to keep and important maritime commerce thanks to the capacity of its hold. During the 15th and 16th centuries, these ships carried out hundreds of maritime expeditions that explored the new worlds and travelled across the planet’s oceans. The two most famous Naos in history were: the Nao Santa María, with which Christopher Columbus discovered America; and the Nao Victoria that accomplished the first tour around the world.
The “Nao Victoria” This is a replica of the ship which first sailed around the World, enduring the greatest maritime feat of all times. The original Nao Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastian Elcano, left Seville in 1519 and returned to the same city in 1522, after circumnavigating the globe for the first time in History. This replica was built in Spain in 1991. Previously, a long process of historical research was carried out, directed by Ignacio Fernández Vial, the ship’s designer and builder, to design the shape of the ship and define its characteristics. An exhaustive study, based on documentary sources, chronicles, nautical treaties from the 16th century and iconography of the era, allowed to accurately reproducing the original ship’s main dimensions, spars, sails, and equipment.
In order to commemorate the first sailing around the world and to disseminate the labour of Spanish discoverers, this replica of the Nao Victoria started in 2004 another trip around the globe starting from Seville. Up to 26,894 miles were covered during 2004 to 2006 visiting 17 countries. The replica of the Nao Victoria was the first historical replica to circumnavigate the Earth. Dimensions More than 120m² of visiting area (in different desks). 4 decks, captain cabin and living accommodation on board area. Capacity: 100 people maximum/event. Increased possibilities and at- port installations. Average number of visitors per day: 2.000 Figures 290m² sail area. Length: 26 m / Main beam: 6,70 m 3 Masts / 6 Sails
Ships of Discovery TOUR 2017
DISCOVERY SHIPS · TOUR 2017
Fundación Nao Victoria C/Progreso 20, 2ºA · 41013 Seville (Spain) Tel : +34 954 090 956 www.fundacionnaovictoria.org