Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships, the Pinta and the Nina arrive at Heritage Landing in Muskegon, Tuesday. The Pinta has a 40 foot air conditioned main cabin down below.
MUSKEGON (AP) - Replicas of two of 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus' ships will be staying in Muskegon for a week.
The 65-foot Nina and the 85-foot Pinta, both of which made it to town on Tuesday, will remain docked at Heritage Landing until Sept. 2. They will be open for tours beginning on Wednesday.
"They're just awesome to see. To see back in history is great," Cheryl Eyestone told The Muskegon Chronicle.
Eyestone, of North Muskegon, said she didn't see the replicas when they last visited Muskegon in 2011, but she will be bringing her five daughters to see them this time around.
The ships' Muskegon stop is part of a tour that has taken the vessels to Maine, New York and Ohio. They were in Wyandotte and Frankfort earlier this month.
The ships, which each are manned by six crew members, sail 11 months out of the year and have traveled more than 300,000 miles in 21 years, said Capt. Morgan Sanger, who navigated the Pinta into Muskegon.
Ten school groups totaling about 400 people are expected to take a tour on the first day.
"We're going to packed, which is good," Sanger said. "Muskegon has always been good to us."
