VIDEO: Tall ship El Galeón arrives at New London's City Pier
Editor's note: This version corrects the starting date for public self-guided walking tours Thursday, July 30.
New London — The tall ship El Galeón, a 170-foot, 495-ton wooden replica of a ship from Spain's West Indies Fleet, arrived at New London's City Pier shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
"I was just down here doing business and I saw this thing coming in, and thought, 'Holy cow,'" said Bill Allen of New London. "Beautiful."
The replica of the 16th-century merchant ship has a crew of 19, but back in the day, a galleon would have held 150 people, said Fernando Viota Pecharroman, who guided the ship toward the pier.
The replica was built in 2009, sailed to China and then back to Spain, Pecharroman said. Two years ago, the ship crossed the Atlantic. Now it is touring the East Coast.
The ship will be open to the public for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, from July 30 through Aug. 10. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger.
Once aboard, visitors are free to roam above and below the five decks and to interview the crew, who live aboard.
Pecharroman said the ship has done well with weather, though it hit a strong storm about two months ago between New York and Georgia.
"The hull is totally round," he explained, so it can tip 25 degrees with waves, he said.
Jeanne Mitchell of Waterford said she could see the ship from Fort Trumbull.
"The size of the boat, it was just like this image," she said, adding, "Just maneuvering something that's so large is amazing also."
El Galeón spent several months in Florida as a main feature to the City of Saint Augustine's 450th commemoration and includes exhibits, videos, historical documents and displays. The ship will be docked at Waterfront Park in New London.
Tickets to visit El Galeón may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event.1978581, or from 1 to 5 p.m. daily at the Custom House Maritime Museum, or from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekends at the kiosk at City Pier.
The Downtown New London Association and New London Maritime Society will also host a private "Party with the Pirates" featuring re-enactors from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Aug. 6. For more information, go to www.nlmaritimesociety.org.
The ship may also be rented for private events by contacting the maritime society at (860) 477-8700.
d.straszheim@theday.com
Twitter: @DStraszheim
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