The city sent out a request for proposals and posted a virtual tour of the boat online in 2018. Replicas of the ships constructed over the years help us envision the remarkable journey of Columbus and his sailors as they crossed the vast ocean in three small ships. The Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria are synonymous with the first voyage of Columbus. At one point, six potential buyers, including Aransas Pass, expressed interest. At left is the Niña, completed in 1991 and the Pinta, completed in 2005. The ship, which is owned by the city of Corpus Christi, has been for sale since 2018. Parts from those two ships were used to help restore La Niña. La Niña’s sisters, the Pinta and Santa Maria, were demolished several years ago after deteriorating in dry dock at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. At one point, the city of Aransas Pass had expressed interest in buying the ship, but that idea sank as well. The association had hoped to raise enough money after the ship last sank in April 2019 to move it to a shipyard in Aransas Pass for repairs. Click here for the current port schedule. In Fall of 2017, the Niña and Pinta will be making port and will be open for tours in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. “It was decided that the La Niña would be destroyed because she was becoming an increasing liability for the city of Corpus Christi where she was in the marina.” For 10 months every year, these ships dock for tours at 30 to 40 locations across the Western Hemisphere. “We were informed that we could not wait any longer for the money to get her across the bay and restore her as planned,” said Kim Mrazek, president of the Columbus Sailing Association. The last of three replicas of the ships sailed by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century was dismantled in Corpus Christi Bay on Thursday, January 16, after she once again sank at her perch in the city marina.
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