Nao Trinidad: The ultimate expedition

SANDUSKY — Sandusky's Festival of Sail will offer guests a step back into history with the arrival of the Nao Trinidad, a 16th-century Spanish ship with a rich history. The Nao Trinidad is a near-exact replica of the ship that led Ferdinand Magellan's voyage of circumnavigation in 1519, Nao Trinidad project manager Angel Rosa said. "The replica ship was built in 2018, it took 14 months to build and 14 months to research for the rebuilding of the ship," Rosa said. Back in the 1500s, the Trinidad was funded by King Charles I of Spain, Magellan had sold his expedition with the promise of finding the Spanish a western route to the spice islands of Moluccas. The eastern trade route was already dominated and heavily guarded by the Portuguese. Rosa said that traveling west in that era was bold and full of uncertainty. The style of ship — in Spanish, "nao," — was known as a carrack and was built with a large hull to hold rations of food and water. "In that era, explorations to the west were to the unknown," Rosa said. "They were dangerous explorations, they didn't know where they were really at and they didn't know how long they would be gone for. That puts great increase on of the value of food for this kind of journey." The fleet, an armada of five, sailed out of Seville on Sept. 20, 1519. The group was led by the flagship Trinidad. "The flagship was the captain vessel, the first one to sail into weather, the one to be in the front," Rosa said. "It was the one that the commander would be in, so Magellan would have been on the Trinidad." Of the five, only two of the ships made it westward through the Atlantic, around the southern tip of South America, across the Pacific and to Cebu in the Philippines. After a conflict with the native population, Magellan was killed during the Battle of Mactan and the crews carried on sailing past Burnei finally landing at the Island of Tidore in the Moluccas, an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Rosa said that at that point, the Trinidad had suffered major damage through rough waters and weather. The crew cycled through phases of starvation, dehydration, hypothermia and scurvy. The Trinidad started with 54 sailors, when they landed in Tidore, there were just 17 sailors. "They sailed and continued to Spain, they were cold, hungry and thirsty, scurvy had taken a toll on them causing many deaths," Rosa said. "As they tried to make it back to Spain they found horrible storms, and when they reached the 42nd parallel north a strong wind broke the mast almost causing a wreckage." Cutting their losses, the crew sailed back to Tidore with their ravaged ship where they were arrested by Portuguese troops shortly after. The Victoria was the only ship to complete the circumnavigation. Of the whole 240 that set out, only 20 returned. Rosa said it was the pinnacle expedition of its time. "They were taking a big risk, but they were looking for glory," Rosa said. And now, Sanduskians will have the opportunity to experience some of that adventure when the Nao Trinidad makes its first United States appearance at the Festival of Sails. The Trinidad will be docked at Jackson Street Pier from Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4. Tickets are available to board and tour the ship at sandusky.festosail.com. Ship details Type: Barque Built: 2018 Sails: Year-round Home port: Huelva, Spain Sparred length: 28.3 meters/84.9 feet Draft: 15 Hull: Wood Source: Tall Ships America