NINA ARRIVES IN CAPE; REPLICA OF FAMED SHIP ON DISPLAY

The ocean still beckons modern-day explorers, including Cesar Sarento and Morgan Sanger.

Sarento, first mate on the new Nina, a caravel ship and replica of Christopher Columbus' Nina of 1492 fame, and Sanger, captain of the ship, will set sail for ports in Spain and Portugal in 1999.

"I want to be on that voyage," said Sarento, a native of Brazil whose family had a hand in construction of the replica.

"I want Sarento on the voyage," said Sanger, who will captain the ship to Spain, Portugal and back.

The Nina is docked along the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau. It arrived Tuesday.

Many of the people who gathered to watch the Nina dock here don't share the enthusiasm of Sarento and Sanger.

First words shared by the majority of onlookers concerned the size of the ship. "It's so small" or "I can't believe the size of it," some said.

The Nina, the smallest of the three ships Columbus used to sail on his first ocean voyage some 500 years ago, is only 93 feet long.

The length is deceiving, including the distance from the tip of the bow sprint to the end of the boomkin.

The actual length of the deck is more like 65 to 67 feet.

Visitors weren't permitted aboard the Nina Tuesday. But the schedule, starting at 9 a.m. today for school-group tours, is full through Sept. 25, when it is to depart for an eight-day stay at Paducah, Ky.

"All tour time slots from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily have been filled," said Mary Miller, director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Nina is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other visitors are encouraged to visit the ship after 2:30 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Cost of boarding is $3.50 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2.50 for students.

Tour visitors will be permitted on the Nina deck to view the tiller (steering mechanism), a collection of pictures showing the construction of the ship, and a treasure box of artifacts.

"Crew members will be available to answer questions," said Sanger.

The ship has a crew of eight, including the captain.

"We take on new crew members occasionally," said Sanger.

Dave Snyder is one of the newest crew members, having joined the Nina at Beardstown, Ill., less than a week ago. Bill Dempster has been with the Nina about three weeks and Dale Wing joined the crew more than a month ago.

Another newcomer to the crew is Hank Biles, shore coordinator, who has been aboard about two months.

"We're always looking for crew members," said Sanger. "We have applications at the ship."

Most new members are encouraged to sign on for at least four months.

Although the Nina is rigged with masts for sailing, the ship is primarily powered by a 128-horsepower, six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz diesel engine. The motor is used most of the time on rivers and about 60 percent of the time in larger bodies of water.

Sangor is a veteran sea captain. "I've been sailing ships 42 years," said Sanger, who formerly owned two shipyards in the Caribbean.

"I sold both shipyards to devote more time to the Nina," he said.

The Nina rides comfortably, said Sanger.

"I've been involved in some heavy storms with other ships, and I've been through three minor storms with the Nina," he said. "I've really been surprised at the comfort of this ship in bad weather."

The Nina is heavy, weighing about 100 tons.

Life on the Nina is much better than it would have been on the 1492 Nina, said Sarento.

"We have quarters below the deck," he said. "They include eight bunks, a kitchen, table, and bathroom." The ship has a draft of about 7 feet.

The Nina, three years in construction, left the banks of the Rio Uno at Valenca, Brazil, in December 1991. The ship has visited more than 170 ports in the U.S., and appeared in a movie, "1492," filmed in February and March 1492.

"I was in the movie briefly," said Sarento, who has served as first mate since the ship left Brazil.

"I enjoy the cruising," said Sanger. "I enjoy going to new places, and the Nina is always going to new places."