The Crossing

Episode number 3 of Series “Columbus and the age of discovery”.
This episode takes us sailing in Columbus’ wake, a journey recreating his world to better understand our own. Travelling in the recreation of Columbus’ ships, the “Santa Maria”, the “Nina” and the “Pinta”, the modern crew duplicate the original preparations for the voyage in Palos de la Frontera in Spain, then follow Columbus’ route south to the Canary Islands (where he may have had a romantic interlude with the female governor!) and westward across the Atlantic. Although the ships, navigation and shipboard routines were all duplicated by the modern crew, they could not possibly recreate the anxiety suffered by the original crew sailing into the unknown, nor the relief experienced when land was finally sighted.