"The Three Caravels and Their Return to America"
 
by Sarah Bowen
 
in "Encounters: A Quincentenary Review" (Summer 1990, pp. 28-30)
 
     When Princess Christina, daughter of Spanish King Juan
Carlos I, christened a replica of Columbus' ship the Pinta, not
even she understood the flurry of international celebrations
which was to follow.
     Citizens of Christina Island, Cartagena and Barcelona, where
the Pinta, Nina and Santa Maria were respectively christened,
have witnessed the prelude of what promises to be the gala of the
last five hundred years since Christopher Columbus first stumbled
upon the Americas.
     The christening were by not means reached without a long,
arduous struggle.  Years of investigation and historical research
were poured into the discovery of the ships' plans, and only last
year was construction completed under the supervision of the
Spanish Armada and the ships' owners.  The Spanish National
Commission for the Quincentenary, whose chairman is His Majesty,
King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
     The time has been well spent.  What is to follow will serve
to invest within citizens worldwide a lasting historical appreci-
ation of the depth and magnitude of Iberian culture.
     And yet, Spain's commitment to the past is not surprising. 
To travel backwards in time has long been the aspiration of men
and women in pursuit of a national historical identity.  It is
exclusively within the icons of former glories and defeats that
the roots of the national conscience implant themselves.
     Columbus' voyage represented both a glory and a defeat for
Spain.  The ships will relay the near defeat of Spain by fif-
teenth century thought in that Columbus' initial attempts to
secure financing were defeated.  England, France and Portugal
implicitly decided to sit out of the first round of exploration
to the accompaniment of their disbelief in a westward path to the
orient.  Queen Isabella carefully considered the disclaimers
issued by the other European powers and for six years delayed
answering Columbus' requests for assistance.
     After defeating the Moors and uniting Catholic Spain,
Isabella commissioned Columbus.  Thus, the ships will also tell
of a daring Spain which turned its fragmented history into a
vision focused on courage.  On August 3, 1492 Columbus and his
three ships set sail from Palos de la Frontera and proceeded via
the Canary Islands to America.
     Finally, the ships will communicate that success does not
always hinge upon a correctly thought-out central plan.  If
Columbus was successful in the traditional art of navigation, his
motivation was fundamentally pragmatic rather than visionary. 
His desire to find a quick and efficient path to Cypangu, Japan
offset his rather nonexistent knowledge of the dawning science of
celestial navigation.  Thus, the ends were unrelated to the means
and Columbus' faulted strategy did not prevent what was essen-
tially an unfounded hunch from proving itself true.  The Nina,
Pinta and Santa Maria will recapture the essence of Columbus'
lessons to the world when they, like Columbus, set their sails
for the New World in 1992 from the Canary Islands amidst a flurry
of carnivals, exhibitions, symphonies, and other Iberian festivi-
ties.
     Any lesson carries with it a financial burden.  Texaco, in a
gesture to promote worldwide appreciation of the quincentennial,
has agreed to foot the 15 million dollar bill as the exclusive
sponsor of the voyage.  The Spanish National Commission for the
Quincentenary and its executive branch, the Spanish Society for
the Quincentenary, the Christopher Columbus Jubilee Commission
and the Spain `92 Foundation have reached an agreement to work
together to organize the three year event's festivities.
     As time winds down to 1992, the re-discovery armada is
busily training its crew in the Mediterranean.  This crew,
composed of seamen from both sides of the ocean, will make over
fifty stops in the United States and continental America.  The
ships will first stop in the Bahamas at San Salvador, the proba-
ble site of Columbus' first landing in the western hemisphere. 
When Columbus made the voyage the chief problems he encountered
were two mutinies caused by the psychological uncertainty of the
voyage.
     At all stopping points in the Americas the "Taste of Spain,"
a festival which will travel throughout the Americas with the
caravels, will tentatively feature an IMAX theater in which
spectators may experience vicariously through the screen the
first passage across the ocean made by Columbus.  The cause of
the crews' pandemonium might be understood by this reenactment. 
Other audiovisual presentations may enrapture viewers within the
spells of both past and contemporary Spanish culture.  Whether it
be tasting the Spanish culinary exhibits or meandering through
booths of other artistic creations, cities of an otherwise
subdued character will overnight be transformed to fantastic
proportions.  The formation of Spain's conscience as a nation has
been directed through the dreams of Columbus.  As hundreds of
thousands of spectators worldwide find themselves travelling
backwards in time to the fifteenth century, they will be able to
relive his dreams and gain an understanding of how one country
was able to unite behind a cause and turn the world on its ear.
     The "Taste of Spain" only begins in San Salvador.  The
entire caravan will proceed to Santo Domingo, where the ships
will begin a northward climb to Miami, and then followed by
adventures along the entire eastern gulf and western coast.
     If on July 4, 1992, worldwide attention is drawn to New York
City, it will be because the three caravels will enter New York
Harbor accompanying the Grand Regatta Columbus for a celebration
of the independence of America and the richness of its multi-
ethnic culture.
     Yet if Chicago and Miami or Panama City, Florida and New-
port, Rhode Island or any of the other destination points do not
find themselves sufficiently saturated by the activities planned
jointly by the organizers, other invitations await in the ports,
extended by local organizations.  Spectators may check out a
Spanish ballet recital at the local theatre, dream of laxadazical
summer evenings while listening to a symphony or orchestra, or
marvel at the distinct creativity of Spanish art.  The truly
adventurous may even capture a show performed by the Royal School
of Equestrian Art.
     While the Isthmus of Panama prevented the original expedi-
tion from voyaging beyond the Mayan civilizations which were
found peaceably forging an existence in the fertile valleys, now
the caravels will recapture history's defeat by sailing through
the canal on the way to San Francisco, where on October 12,
Columbus Day, the ships will drop their anchors.
     The trip will not be exclusively limited to the United
States and the Caribbean.  With stops along the way in cities
including Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle, the procession will
visit Vancouver, Canada, which is only one of many Canadian
cities to follow.
     By early 1993 the caravels will once again cross the isthmus
of Panama and begin their Central American and Caribbean tours. 
However, from there a full schedule and intentions of covering
most accessible cities will tentatively lead the ships back up
the east coast to Halifax, Quebec and Toronto.
     Not even cities apparently inaccessible to the maritime
venture will go unnoticed.  From Canada, the expedition will
travel via the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes.  These
cities, occupying land discovered by other European explorers,
will serve as landing points for the Spanish.
     Although all plans are currently tentative and awaiting
local organizations' final proposals, one certain stop is Puerto
Rico, for the marking of the quincentennial of the island's
discovery.  From there the ships will set their sails again for
the Gulf of Mexico and then northward on the Mississippi River.
     The United States Christopher Columbus Jubilee Commission
and the Spanish Society for the Quincentenary hope to reach at
least 12 large cities, such as Chicago, New York and Washington,
D.C., 11 medium-sized cities such as New Orleans and Milwaukee,
and 27 smaller cities, including Panama City, Florida; Newport,
Rhode Island; and Annapolis, Maryland.
 
Permission granted by publisher.