El Galeon Andalucia Sets Sail For Portsmouth

Since the area was settled in 1630, Portsmouth has been well known for its seafaring visitors. The history of our city is well documented, and well appreciated throughout the nation. Another aspect of Portsmouth that is well appreciated is the community of boaters it has; with harbors and rivers all around, it’s not rare to know someone who has a boat you can take a ride on.

El Galeon Andalucia is the only ship like her in the world! Photo credit here

Well, what if we told you that on July 22nd, 2015, history and boats will collide for an incredible week-long event? Enter El Galeon Andalucia and picture her gracefully docking in Portsmouth Harbor. This legendary ship is a replica of a 16th century galen class sailing ship, and get this; it’s the only one of its kind sailing the seas today! Per TallShipEvent these types of ships were constructed from oak, pine and various hardwoods for hull and decking. Hulls were usually carvel-built. Hundreds of expert tradesmen, including carpenters, blacksmiths, shipwrights and pitch-melters worked day and night for months to make a galeon seaworthy.

As far as ships go, El Galeon Andalucia is quite the star. The ship was featured in an episode of NBC’smini-series Crossbones, and since then she’s gained a major following as she has sailed along the east coast.

This is an exciting time for Portsmouth and its residents because El Galeon Andalucia won’t be alone. She’ll be leading a group of vessels up the Piscatiqua River and will be docking for a week, allowing visitors to come aboard and see this historical ship. Although the date has been determined, there are still more details to figure out. Make sure you follow all the new unfoldings at PortsmouthNH.