DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYEES TO VISIT NINA

Downtown Cape Girardeau residents and employees will have an opportunity to experience life on the Nina Sunday.

The Nina, a replica of one of three ships commanded by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage of discovery, is docked along the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Downtown residents can visit the 93-foot sailing museum at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, courtesy of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Downtown Merchants Association.

Appetizers will be available, but visitors can bring their own favorite food. Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant and In the Wine Cellar will provide beverages.

Attendees are asked for a $10 donation to help defray the costs.

"It will be a time for fun and relaxing," said a spokesman of the Downtown Neighborhood group. "Visitors are asked to bring a musical instrument if they play one."

The Nina, which docked here Sept. 29, will leave Monday evening.

The boat weighs 73 tons, including 32 tons of rock to keep it from turning over. It cost about $600,000 to build in Brazil. The boat is built entirely of wood.

The ship, which was used for the movie "1492: Conquest of Paradise," is owned by the British Virgin Islands-based Columbus Foundation and has been touring the world since 1992.

The original Nina crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the Pinta and Santa Maria in 1492. Its twin allows visitors to see what life was like for its Spanish crew.

While in narrow river channels, it is powered by a 128-horsepower diesel engine and travels 8 to 9 mph. A sail is used on wide-open waters.