Santa Maria replica ship sails into Sandusky

SANDUSKY, Ohio (WNWO) -- It's a history lesson that you probably remember from grade school -- Christopher Columbus' voyage across the Atlantic Ocean that led to the discovery of the America's.

Well a special ship made a similar voyage to Sandusky to remind residents about that first trip.

"It's all about history and Christopher Columbus coming and discovering America, so one of the reasons why we're here," said Jeff Gordon, Sandusky resident.

The Santa Maria replica sailed across the Atlantic Ocean just like Columbus over 500 years ago.

"We left Spain last November, it took us pretty much a month to reach America, 29 days, 6 days the first part going to Canary Islands and then 23 days going to Puerto Rico," said Angel Rosa, Nao Santa Maria project manager.

After Puerto Rico, the replica ship spent the following months touring the U.S. along the East Coast allowing Americans to take a step back in time.

The tour commemorates the original journey while sharing a piece of history.

"You sort of feel like you're part of history, you do, and part of nature as well. I feel like reaching a new place not by car, not by plane, but sailing in is a very different think," said Sonia Rames, Nao Santa Maria crew member.

Rames is from Paris, France and spontaneously joined the ship while she was traveling in Spain.

"A crew member talked to me and he told me yeah we’re going to cross the Atlantic on a replica of the ship of Christopher Columbus so of course yeah that caught my eye so I got on board," said Rames.

The 200-ton, 93-foot long ship has five decks and the main mast tops a height of over 82 feet.

But this version has a bit more technology than Mr. Columbus did centuries ago.

"We crossed the Atlantic under sail, but here in the Great Lakes because the wind changes so much, it's so much more difficult so we also have engines of course, they're John Deere 240 horses, and we use them quite often here," said Rames.

Inside the ship serves as a floating museum with exhibits, maps and a real feel of what the original Santa Maria looked like.

"It's beautiful inside, it's still got a lot of the antique-style stuff, like the original stuff would've been on board and it was well worth the tour, it's got a lot of history in it," said Gordon.

The ship will be in Sandusky until August 20th. It costs $10 for adults, $5 for kids or $25 for the whole family.

It is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Visit their website for a list of all the ships port stops and tickets.