Have you ever heared of GALEON ANDALUCIA? If not, me too!!!
According to the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) the
Galeon Andalucia is a 95 percent replica of the original galleons used during the Galleon Trade between
Manila and Acapulco, Mexico, in the 17th century. It was designed by Ignacio Fernandez Vial. It was built by the Nao Victoria Foundation out of Spanish, Finnish, African, and American pine and oak wood, unlike the original galleons, which were made of Philippine wood. Its sails, however, were made in the
Ilocos region in the Philippines.
It's a six-deck vessel, carrying treasures from the Orient for trading. It sailed from Spain three months ago to retracing the galleon trade and crossed the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to get to the Philippines. Its length is 47 meters while its breadth is six meters, and it weighs 495 tons. Its maximum speed is 12.4 knots (23 kilometers per hour). It has four masts, seven sails and ten cannons.
The flags of the Philippines, Spain and the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia, where the galleon was built, are hoisted on the galleon.
Galeon Andalucia is primarily wind-powered, but has two built-in engines that are used when necessary. It has a 30-man draft composed of Spanish crewmen.
I did not know it until it arrived here in our place. I found out that it docked at Pier 13, South Harbor within the
Philippine Ports Authority compound last October 6, 2010 until October 11, and will travel to
Cebu and
Bohol, to remain in Philippine waters until October 25 for the celebration of the
Dia del Galeon (Day of Galleon) in the
Philippines.
We're not part of the ports of call but its crew was persuaded by our local government and tourism officials to visit the city. It docked here last November 1, 2010 and will depart early morning November 7 for Singapore. “So far this is the best experience we had in our journey to the Philippines,” said Andalucia chief engineer Pepino Breton. “We had the biggest crowds so far. An average of 4,000 people a day has visited us.”
It's like history come alive, especially the Philippines is a part of it. Out of curiosity, together with my cousins we went there at around 1:00 in the afternoon. Even if the sun's so hot, i wonder why we did not complain. We examined every detail of the ship, imagining what happened before, as if we're back in the future. Only our outfits did not match.
Galeon Andalucia relived Ferdinand Magellan’s historic landing on the island more than 480 years ago. It is the centerpiece of the Dia Del Galeon festival in the Philippines, which started on 21 September 2010. The festival is organized by the NCCA and the city government of Manila in commemoration of the 250 years of the Galleon Trade (1565-1815). The Dia Del Galeon showcased an exchange of Spanish and Filipino culture, with exhibits, workshops, cultural performances, and educational discussions regarding the Galleon Trade.
Now, i can say that there are still many things i need to learn about our history. We are lucky it visited our city. At this point, I can share a little something about it , giving everyone an idea of what it's like before.
To Galeon Andalucia, Bienvenido de nuevo!
