ISSUE NO. 1658
13 - 19 April 2017
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
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All at sea
Battle over floating restaurant By Jack Troughton A replica of the historic Santissima Trinidad, a Spanish warship lost during the Battle of Trafalgar, has sailed into a new battle. Moored in Alicante harbour, the floating restaurant and bar has hit a reef of safety regulations and the port authority is refusing to renew her licence. The replica, modelled on a ship once the pride of Spain, has been tied up at Alicante since 2011 when it was towed from Malaga. However, its licence has been revoked by the Port Authority of Alicante after the ship failed a safety inspection and must undergo dry dock repairs. The concession ended last December and was being renewed on a monthly basis; the authority initially agreed to extend the licence until 2018 as long as the replica passed an underwater check. Owners Santissima Trinidad SL planned to carry out work and convert the ship into a gastrobar to show off the best of local food and produce. Company spokesman Rafael Ibanez complained: “They do not
PRIDE OF SPAIN: The replica of the Santissima Trinidad.
give us time for anything... we were willing to talk to the hotels and to the port authority if the problem was noise.” The original Santissima Trinidad was built in Cuba and launched in 1769 as a 112-gun
three-deck ‘first rate’ ship of the line. In 1796 her forecastle and quarterdeck were joined to create a fourth gun deck and she is fitted with 130 cannon, becoming the most heavily armed ship in the world.
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