Countdown to tall ships visit in Plymouth’s historic Sutton Harbour
Plymouth’s historic Sutton Harbour is preparing to welcome two spectacular replica tall ships next month.
The Nao Victoria and the Boa Esperanza ships will sail for the first time together to visit Britain’s Ocean City from 15 – 20 August as part of the Discovery Ships Tour.
The two tall ships will be moored alongside Quay Road and open for the public to climb aboard and explore how 15th and 16th century seafarers lived.
Eduardo Almagro Blanco, General Manager of Fundacion Nao Victoria, said: “We are delighted to be coming back to Plymouth this year with our spectacular vessels to teach visitors about the history of Iberian navigation and showcase the era of Discovery to the public.
“Plymouth has a great maritime history, and we are excited to be a part of that with both of our replica tall ships in Sutton Harbour this summer.”
The 28-metre Nao Victoria, a replica of the first ship to ever circumnavigate the world, visited Plymouth last year on her inaugural visit to the UK, and proved a real hit with visitors. This year she will be accompanied by her sister ship, the 24-metre Boa Esperanza, a replica of a Portuguese Caravel, which has never visited the city before.
Mark Brimacombe, Manager of The Marina at Sutton Harbour, said: “As we approach the summer holidays here in Plymouth, we expect lots of visitors to Plymouth and Sutton Harbour, and we are delighted to welcome both the Nao Victoria and the Boa Esperanza tall ships during that time.
“We expect these spectacular replica tall ships to be a real crowd pleaser, and look forward to welcoming them both to our marina. The visit is the latest in a series of tall ship stopovers at Sutton Harbour and we’re sure members of the public can’t wait to get on board both the Nao and Boa when they berth in Plymouth.”
The Nao Victoria is a replica of the first ship to circumnavigate the world between 1519 and 1522. It was built for EXPO, the World’s Fair held in 1992 in Seville.
The original Boa Esperanza made several voyages of discovery in the 15th Century, sailing along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts and as far as the Indian Ocean and was the first ship to sail around the Good Hope Cape in 1488. The replica was launched in 1990 to promote Portuguese tourism in the Algarve.
Visitors will be able to board both ships from August 15 to 20 between the hours of 11am and 9pm for the duration of their stay. Tickets will cost £5 for adults, £3 for children under 11, and entry will be free for children under five.
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