Nao Santa Maria (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France)
Photos - Info - Meteo - Tips - Geo Info - Starry Sky [- Tides].
General information about Nao Santa Maria
The "Nao Santa Maria" is a replica of the original ship "Santa Maria" on which Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas in the 15th century. It was the flagship of this a small fleet. "Nao" is a type of ship:, more specifically, a "karrak." There were about 40 sailors on board who lived mainly on deck. This ship was accompanied by 2 more ships of the "karrak" type: the Pinta and the Nina. There were another 26 and 24 sailors there. Together, then, about 90 people left in 1492 in search of the "new world."
However, nothing is what it seems:
1) During the renovation process, an innovative system was used in the field of building historical replica ships, combining a fiberglass construction with a wooden coating. After 14 months of intensive work, the Nao Santa María was launched on March 16, 2018. The ship weighs 200 tons, has a maximum length of 28.30 meters, a width of 7.96 meters and a draft of 3.49 meters.
2) No plans exist of Christopher Columbus' original ship. Every maritime historian has such ideas. Hence, several different replicas were built. To name just one parameter: length. In the replica of the 400th anniversary (1892) it was 22.60 m long, Martinez Hidalgo's replica (1964) was 23.60 m long and in the case of the caravel built on the occasion of the 500th anniversary (1992) it was 26.60 m long. So you see: you have "replicas" and you have "replicas." So it's all to be taken with the necessary grain of salt, too 😉
The one and only "Santa Maria" sank off the coast of Hispaniola on December 24, 1492. This island is located in the Caribbean, in the Greater Antilles (east of Cuba).
The replica ship comes from the big 5-yearly "Sail Amsterdam" event. On August 29-30-31, 2025, this ship can be admired and, upon payment, visited. It is virtually moored at Nausicaa in the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. If you wish, you can obtain the informative booklet below, published by the Fundacion Nao Victoria, at the entrance gate:
She left on September 1, 2025 at 3h in the morning.
Tips related to the Nao Santa Maria
Tip 1: Would you like to listen again to the legendary music composed by Vangelis for the film "1492 - Conquest of Paradise"? You can do so via this YouTube link.
Tip 2: Did you know that ... you can track the current position of many ships online and through several websites ? Those ships must be equipped with the AIS system. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is a worldwide used vessel tracking and identification system. If you want to know where the Nao Santa Maria is "now," see MarineTraffic, for example. You sometimes have to put the word "now" in perspective: not every ship transmits an AIS message every few minutes. If they are moving, in principle, they are.
All in all, very interesting information for photographers: if you know that a certain ship will participate in a maritime event, you can see and estimate in advance when it will enter the port. Often, when they are still at sea and entering the port, you can get the best shots 😉.
Geographical information
Address: Quai Gambetta, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hauts-de-France, France
Geographical coordinates:
- Google Maps: Latitude = 50.727247 - Longitude = 1.599015
- Open Street Maps: Latitude = 50.727247 - Longitude = 1.599015
- Altitude h = 9 m
Indication of Nao Santa Maria on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen - Google Maps - OpenStreetMap.
Route to Nao Santa Maria: Route via Google Maps
Meteo
13°C
| Day | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tomorrow
22:00
|
 cloudy
|
11° | 13°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 93 % | 1017 mb |
|
Sun Nov 09
22:00
|
 cloudless
|
8° | 15°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 14 Km/h | 94 % | 1018 mb |
|
Mon Nov 10
22:00
|
 light rain
|
7° | 13°°C | 1 mm | 100% | 27 Km/h | 92 % | 1015 mb |
|
Tue Nov 11
22:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 12°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 20 Km/h | 96 % | 1014 mb |
|
Wed Nov 12
22:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 15°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 25 Km/h | 93 % | 1013 mb |
| Hour | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tomorrow
01:00
|
cloudy
|
11° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 87 % | 1010 mb |
|
Tomorrow
04:00
|
cloudy
|
11° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 90 % | 1010 mb |
|
Tomorrow
07:00
|
cloudy
|
10° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 87 % | 1011 mb |
|
Tomorrow
10:00
|
cloudy
|
11° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 84 % | 1013 mb |
|
Tomorrow
13:00
|
cloudy
|
12° | 12°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 83 % | 1014 mb |
|
Tomorrow
16:00
|
cloudy
|
13° | 13°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 8 Km/h | 89 % | 1014 mb |
|
Tomorrow
19:00
|
cloudy
|
11° | 11°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 92 % | 1015 mb |
|
Tomorrow
22:00
|
 slightly cloudy
|
10° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 93 % | 1017 mb |
Starry sky above Nao Santa Maria
Tide predictions
Want to see the tides for another date?
Internet information from and about Nao Santa Maria
Nao Santa Maria:
Website - Facebook - Instagram
Wikipedia:
- the explorer Christopher Columbus(EN - FR - EN)
- the ship Santa Maria(EN - FR - EN)
- the island of Hispanola(EN - FR - EN)
Tourist Office "Office du Tourisme Boulogne-sur-Mer":
Website
Our photos about Nao Santa Maria
Our photos, videos, ... are all (c) 2004-2025, Top.Vlaanderen, Belgium. They may not be copied or used "just like that". However, they can be licensed. Would you like us to photograph your own tourist attraction, B&B, vacation home...? Please contact us via our Contact form .
Exterior shots (Aug. 30, 2025)
Indoor recordings (Aug. 30, 2025)
Detail shots (Aug. 30, 2025)
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