The Santa Maria, one of the three legendary ships of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage, sank on Christmas Eve when the ship ran aground on a Haitian reef shortly after making its historic landfall in the Bahamas.

The Santa Maria lives on in its replica, the Nao Santa Maria, built to celebrate the 525th anniversary of the ship’s circumnavigation. And the ship will soon berth in Boothbay Harbor. The ship’s current port of call is Portland, and since its long tour of the Great Lakes, the ship has recently stopped at Georgetown, Prince Edward Island and Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. After landing in Boothbay Harbor, the ship will move on to Provincetown, Massachusetts and conclude its North American tour with two stops in New York.

Nao Santa Maria is a project of Fundacion Nao Victoria, which has also created other replicas including one of Ferdinand Magellan’s famed ship Victoria. The foundation seeks to spread the history of Sevillian and Galician shipbuilding. Learn more at https://www.fundacionnaovictoria.org/the-foundation/

According to Fundacion Nao Victoria, Nao Santa Maria weighs in excess of 200 tons, measures 92 feet long and 82 feet high from waterline to knob, and boasts nearly two miles of rigging. A textbook translation of the replica ship’s name is “not Santa Maria,” but the type of ship was referred to as a “nao” in the large cargo vessel’s heyday, so the name is a Spanish pun of sorts.

The visit will be more than just a pretty ship to look at. Sept. 25-29, locals and visitors will see the ship docked at Pier 1; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., tours are available. Go to https://www.naosantamaria.org/en/nao-santa-maria/57-boothbay-mn-nao-santa-mar%C3%ADa-2509-2909.html

Fisherman's Wharf Inn will host a deck party on the ship from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-maria-in-boothbay-harbor-community-deck-party-tickets-70520714355

Proceeds go to the ship.