A Walk Around the Nao Victoria

Take a stroll around the full scale replica of the boat that played a leading role in the First Tour of the World, 1519–22. The Nao Victoria departed from and returned to the port of Seville, from the Muelle de la Muelas. After an expedition of three years and 14 days, this boat circumnavigated the planet for the first time in history.

The mainsail was the heaviest, weighing around 3,086 lbs (1,400 kg). The crew said that they had to raise it to "hang out the laundry" (a Spanish sailing expression that means to go faster) and lower it manually for more stability.

A sailor's life happened on deck: operating the sails, cooking, etc. Most of the men on board slept there on shelves, as the hold was used for cargo and stores.

During the voyage, it was common for waves to break onto the deck, so hardly anywhere was dry.

On this deck there is the mainmast, the hatch to the hold, the windlass, and bow storeroom—the forecastle-covered deck used to protect spare sails, ropes, and other tools needed for maneuvers and anchoring from the weather. It was also the only covered area where sailors could sleep.

The windlass was principally used to drop anchor and, with the help of pulley systems, to lower the yard arm and do other heavy work like loading the store.

Up to eight men could rotate it using the bars inserted into the top section.

Its axis ran down through the deck to rest on the keel so it could handle very heavy work.

The covered deck was the command center of the ship.

Here, the pilot, the person ultimately responsible for navigation, could see the sails and the horizon and would have basic tools to steer the ship: a nautical needle (compass), logbook, and whipstaff.

This deck was only used by sailors on duty.

The whipstaff was located here—the vertical lever seen in the picture—which was how ships were steered until the wheel was invented in the middle of the 18th century.

By levering the tiller, crew members could control the direction of the ship without losing sight of the sails and the sea. In bad weather, it took several men to move it.

Also on the upper aft deck was the lantern or lamp that was lit at night to carry on sailing in convoy with the other boats. These lamps had a whole set of signal codes.

The forecastle was the deck where foremast sail manoeuvers were carried out—the vertical mast nearest the prow.

The hold was used exclusively for cargo, provisions, and drinking water. When the ship sailed, the hatch was shut to stop seawater and rain from entering the store.

Contrary to popular belief, the crew never slept there, and only the storekeeper was allowed down to gather supplies for daily rations.