A unique tall ship arrived in Whitehaven last night.
The El Galeón Andalucía sailed into the town at high tide yesterday, Tuesday July 8 at around 11.30pm.
It will dock in the town’s harbour, on the Sugar Tongue, for five days from today, Wednesday, July 9, until Sunday, July 13, offering people a rare chance to step aboard and explore it.
The full-scale 17th century replica Spanish Galeón is unique to other tall ships, as it operates as a floating museum.
Visitors will be able to wander and take photos and videos on its decks, talk to the ship’s actual crew members, enjoy interactive exhibits, videos, projections and see historical documents onboard.
It also marks the first time in two decades that a ship of this size and calibre has visited Whitehaven.
he replica was originally built in Spain in 2009 and is modelled on the galeóns used by the Spanish during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is around 160ft or 49 metres long and weighs around 500 tonnes.
In its heyday, the real armed cargo ship would have been used for discovery expeditions and for inter-oceanic trade between Spain, America and the Philippines as part of the Fleets of the Indies.
The ship has welcomed thousands of people over the years and has previously toured around the USA, Canada and the Caribbean.
Tickets for families, friends, individuals and groups are still able to be bought online and Gerard said interest so far has been huge.
He added: “The response has been great, we’ve got a lot of school trips booked in as well. Obviously it’s something new and different and exciting and we haven’t had this type of ship here in a long time.
“I think people are used to making a £1 donation and going to the top deck of a tall ship for a photograph, but with this you’re basically floating a Tully or Beacon museum into the harbour, so you’ve got a whole new tourist attraction in the town for five days.
“This isn’t just a photograph experience, it’s a different concept altogether, so when the crew arrive they take a few hours to strip away the modern things they use for sailing and turn it into a floating dockside museum.”
The ship will open to visitors from 10am until 8.30pm at night from Wednesday July 9 until Sunday July 13.
