Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

No steering wheel

Miniature San Salvador replica
Miniature San Salvador replica
Place

San Salvador Village at Spanish landing

4216 North Harbor Drive, San Diego

The San Salvador, a replica of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s Spanish galleon being built by the Maritime Museum of San Diego, should hit the water in mid-January.

Facts I learned about Cabrillo while visiting the build site at Spanish Landing:

• Our confusion over how to pronounce his name’s double “ells” probably occurs because — though he’s considered Portuguese — Cabrillo was likely born in Spain. He was sailing under the Spanish flag when he entered San Diego Bay (which he named “San Miguel”) in 1542.

Sponsored
Sponsored

• He owned 12 vessels, which is why the viceroy of New Spain commissioned him to explore the northern waters. Cabrillo would have benefited from captured treasure.

• He had two wives at the same time, an indigenous woman and a woman in Spain. Descendants of his five children live in Guatemala.

• Cabrillo died on his return voyage from a broken leg when he incorrectly stepped off a landing boat on Catalina Island.

• He had not planned to make his historic voyage. His captain got himself shot prior to sailing, so Cabrillo assumed command.

Facts I learned about the San Salvador while visiting the build site:

Plastic petroglyphs re-created at the San Salvador build site

• There are no detailed drawings of the ship. The replica’s design was first taken from petroglyphs near Jacumba — reflecting what the natives saw coming into the harbor. (The maritime museum staff examined the petroglyphs after reading the June 3, 2009, story in the Reader describing the trail to the petroglyph cave.) Secondly, early sailing vessel requirements were found at Lloyd’s of London; thirdly, from other sunken ships along the West Coast.

• Doug Sharp, a yacht designer and engineer, researched and provided the plans for the replica. He was recently knighted by the king of Spain for his San Salvador research of early Spanish sailing.

• The 100-foot vessel would have carried a crew of 100–150, mostly sleeping on the deck, working in two or three shifts.

• In the 1500s, a vessel would not be seaworthy after five or ten years. The poor workmanship of the time probably explains the many shipwrecks off our coast. The replica’s craftsmanship could last for 200 years.

• There’s no steering wheel, which came later in the 17th Century. The rudder is guided by a “whipstaff,” a vertical stick connected the rudder

• The heavy ship did not tack well in the southbound winds and currents off California. When traveling north, it’s probable that Cabrillo had to drop anchor in the same place he started on some days.

The maritime museum’s build site is open for viewing of the ship’s progress and historical displays. 4300 North Harbor Drive. 619-234-9153. Open 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily. $5 admission. Free four-hour parking.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Miniature San Salvador replica
Miniature San Salvador replica
Place

San Salvador Village at Spanish landing

4216 North Harbor Drive, San Diego

The San Salvador, a replica of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s Spanish galleon being built by the Maritime Museum of San Diego, should hit the water in mid-January.

Facts I learned about Cabrillo while visiting the build site at Spanish Landing:

• Our confusion over how to pronounce his name’s double “ells” probably occurs because — though he’s considered Portuguese — Cabrillo was likely born in Spain. He was sailing under the Spanish flag when he entered San Diego Bay (which he named “San Miguel”) in 1542.

Sponsored
Sponsored

• He owned 12 vessels, which is why the viceroy of New Spain commissioned him to explore the northern waters. Cabrillo would have benefited from captured treasure.

• He had two wives at the same time, an indigenous woman and a woman in Spain. Descendants of his five children live in Guatemala.

• Cabrillo died on his return voyage from a broken leg when he incorrectly stepped off a landing boat on Catalina Island.

• He had not planned to make his historic voyage. His captain got himself shot prior to sailing, so Cabrillo assumed command.

Facts I learned about the San Salvador while visiting the build site:

Plastic petroglyphs re-created at the San Salvador build site

• There are no detailed drawings of the ship. The replica’s design was first taken from petroglyphs near Jacumba — reflecting what the natives saw coming into the harbor. (The maritime museum staff examined the petroglyphs after reading the June 3, 2009, story in the Reader describing the trail to the petroglyph cave.) Secondly, early sailing vessel requirements were found at Lloyd’s of London; thirdly, from other sunken ships along the West Coast.

• Doug Sharp, a yacht designer and engineer, researched and provided the plans for the replica. He was recently knighted by the king of Spain for his San Salvador research of early Spanish sailing.

• The 100-foot vessel would have carried a crew of 100–150, mostly sleeping on the deck, working in two or three shifts.

• In the 1500s, a vessel would not be seaworthy after five or ten years. The poor workmanship of the time probably explains the many shipwrecks off our coast. The replica’s craftsmanship could last for 200 years.

• There’s no steering wheel, which came later in the 17th Century. The rudder is guided by a “whipstaff,” a vertical stick connected the rudder

• The heavy ship did not tack well in the southbound winds and currents off California. When traveling north, it’s probable that Cabrillo had to drop anchor in the same place he started on some days.

The maritime museum’s build site is open for viewing of the ship’s progress and historical displays. 4300 North Harbor Drive. 619-234-9153. Open 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily. $5 admission. Free four-hour parking.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.