My boss was out this morning since he had to drive back from Cleveland in the wee hours of Thursday. He had attended a gala event last evening, the christening/renaming of one of our client’s freighters. Renaming a Great Lakes freighter is a big deal and a joyous occasion, so the company gathered friends, family and colleagues to celebrate the renaming of the freighter to honor the founding father of VanEnkenvort Tug & Barge.
I knew Robb would be arriving at the office later today, thus affording me some extra time to dawdle a bit at Council Point Park if I wanted to, or, perhaps to go on a different excursion than my usual morning journey.
So, I scurried out the door very early to head to the River … the riverfront at Bishop Point Park to be exact. I decided if Robb was going to be checking out the big ships, I too, should go to the pier and catch a glimpse of the Christopher Columbus replica ships, the “Nina” and “Pinta”, that are docked at Bishop Park through Sunday evening. I had already read about the two ships at http://thenina.com/
I decided to get there early to avoid any crowds and so I could take some photos of them. The riverfront was quiet and peaceful with the two ships clearly visible in the background.
I managed to get a silhouette effect of the largest ship, the “Nina”, in this shot.
Just as I suspected, more people arrived and they began to linger throughout Bishop Park, cameras or phones in hand, to capture images of these two ships. The “Nina” is billed as “the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus ship ever built” and the “Pinta”, a smaller ship, is equally impressive.
A pleasure boat drifted by, causing gentle waves that lapped against the dark wooden hulls of both ships, causing them to move ever so slightly. As you can see, there was a fence around the sidewalk near where the ships were docked, to keep visitors from accessing them until the museum/tour was open. I was disappointed there were no sails rigged but I thought it was still a picturesque scene nonetheless.
As I moved in for a closer shot of the “Nina”, there was not a single crew member to be found, but there was some hustle and bustle going on inside the ship; perhaps breakfast was being served or Captain Stephen was commandeering the crew to do their ship chores before company was expected later. I tried to peer inside, but it appeared dark. The living quarters for the crew are located way below deck since the rest of the space is essentially a floating museum and where the tours are conducted.
So, I took these photos, mostly after strolling along the riverfront looking for the best angle to beat the sun’s rays and capture the glory of these replica ships. I turned around for one final shot …
… and then it was time to explore a bit, pounding the paved sidewalk which runs along the riverfront. There I dodged a few walkers, joggers, dogs and their owners, plus moms pushing baby strollers. Then, I walked along the pier from end to end, where I passed a half-dozen fishermen, their lines cast and hoping for the best.
I was not the only one this morning with my ducks in a row as you see below. This entire group of ducks suddenly swam out from beneath the pier where I was standing, quacking their heads off.
If you closed your eyes, and only heard the screech of the seagulls, who were either lined up along the riverfront railings, or constantly dive-bombing nearby, you would swear that you were at the seashore.
I walked along the riverfront twice, and each time I saw this one seagull who was more stationary than the rest of his brethren, so I figured I’d get a photo of him sitting on the railing. Soon, I found myself chatting with a couple of walkers who pointed out that this sedentary seagull was standing on one foot because the other foot was injured by a fish hook and line that was hanging from it.
I told them that I would contact the DNR when I got online today, which I did via e-mail, and hopefully they have a local veterinarian who could help this poor seagull in peril.
To boost my steps some more, after leaving the riverfront area and Bishop Park, I checked out all the shops on both sides of Biddle Avenue.
The excursion was a change of pace from the usual stomping grounds at my favorite nature nook and this outing gave me a chance to see a little bit of history and understand better Christopher Columbus’ ships and crew that we youngsters learned about, and chanted about, in that childhood rhyme all those years ago … “in fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Miss Linda…………………………that’s going to make us get out up there at Bishop Park to see the 2 historic ships…………………………..thank you for calling the DNR about the duck with the fish hook and line caught on his leg……….that’s just awful
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Hi Ann Marie – yes it is worth it to go and see the two ships and you and Steven have the ability to go during the week when it is not as busy. They are there until Sunday evening. You can get a little walk in while you are at it. They were here three years ago, and I wanted to go then, but did not. Years ago I saw the tall ship “Christian Radich” when it was in Detroit and again in Toronto a week later when I visited my grandmother. Then, I took a tour of the ship – very interesting. You can read more about the two ships and tours at this link from “The News Herald” which is where I heard about it … I follow that newspaper’s headline stories on Facebook: http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/replica-columbus-ships-return-to-wyandotte-after-three-year-hiatus/article_86c0b301-fe50-5968-bc04-a01cb2f0ccb8.html
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My husband and I took a walk thru years ago. It was very interesting. The men on the ship were very short so you had to stoop. It was compact. It was well worth the tour. One that was not easily forgotten.
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On these same ships Marge? They have been touring across the U.S. for quite a few years now. They do look very compact and a little cramped and I heard a bystander ask someone (not a crew member, but he was associated with the tour) how many crew members and/or people were on those ships back in Columbus’ time and he said 300 … I can’t imagine 300 people on that small ship. They must have been crammed in like sardines. I took the tour on the tall ship “Christian Radich” back in 1976 when it was here in Detroit for the Bicentennial, and then a week later when I visited my grandmother in Toronto and it was docked at the shoreline there. It was a Norwegian ship and the crew members were all very young, just teenagers and spoke no English, but it was very interesting. We did get to see their sleeping quarters, the galley and meet the Captain as well. I was glad I took the tour – both of the tours were free, and the second time I went I had my camera. The first time I was at work and went on my lunch hour, and it was a spur-of-the-moment idea to go there, and I had no camera with me. In the 80s, there was a submarine that was down at the Detroit riverfront and I took a tour on it as well. It was fun, and you got to see the crew’s living quarters but you had to climb down a ladder – not so fun as it was a narrow ladder and a little scary.
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Believe it or not I was at the park taking a walk alone when the ships were there. I sat fairly close and ate a hot dog and drank a vernors. I was thinking about Marge and wishing I could go get her. It was on this Friday. I had been at this park several times a week , for over forty years. The young me, middle aged me and older me. Marge and I would take the Diamond Jack river cruise from here about once a week. Plus years ago my children and I would catch the Boblo boat from here. Those were the days I thought they would never end. I thought my friendship with Marge would also never end. But she flew with her brand new angel’s wings out of the hospital and over the river early Monday morning. Our friendship will never end and I will have sweet memories of her forever. But I wish with all of my heart, that we had many more years together. Now I will come alone and enjoy the park for both of us.
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You are so right with everything you say Glennaray … I have a deeper appreciation of Bishop Park for the times I stopped there with Marge. And I know she really loved it there. When she was feeling better, she told me she liked going to the river and reading. Read a bit, looked at the water, read a bit more. I think we are all still in shock at Marge’s sudden departure – even though we knew she was gravely ill, we thought she would come back home again, and be accessible to all of us, then go away and to the hospital where she would be pumped full of medicine to make her feel better, certainly not 100%, but at least ready to take on the day once again. We will always think of Marge whenever we are there at her favorite spot – it is a given and she will be looking down on us, I am sure. I wish we had had more time together as well … life is uncertain sometimes.
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That was great! Too bad the sails weren’t unfurled. I need to get my tickets bought soon, as they are expecting over 100,000 people to come over the weekend event. I feel sorry for that poor seagull, hope someone was able to help him out.
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