La Niña replica ship floats again after sinking days before in Corpus Christi Bay

The last replica of Columbus' iconic ships is finally above water after sinking days before in Corpus Christi Bay.

La Niña, which is a 75-foot-long and 20-foot-wide ship, was raised out of the water early Saturday morning. 

Gina Sanchez, the city's marina superintendent, said divers were able to patch holes and pump water out of the ship, which caused the boat to sink this past week, around 3 a.m. while the water was in low tide.

Sanchez said by 10 a.m. the ship was floating above water in Corpus Christi Marina near Joe's Crab Shack.

"We are so excited to see her floating again," said Columbus Sailing Association president Kim Mrazek. "The ship sinking was a bump in the road and it has turned up very well. We are proud to be back on track as we get her ready for repairs."

More:La Niña replica ship sinks in Corpus Christi Bay: Here's what's next for this last ship

Mrazek said the association still has plans to tow the ship to a shipyard in Aransas Pass to repair the bottom hull in the next few weeks.

Mrazek said in the past few years the ship has been in need of repairs but because of a lack of funds the association has been doing their best to keep it afloat.

The ship partially sunk in August 2017 three days after Hurricane Harvey. Because the electricity was out, the ship's pumps did not run. 

Bringing the ship back above water took three months and caused interior and exterior damage. The association used about $20,000 in donations for the task.

Mrazek created a Go Fund Me page in October 2017 that the association still uses to collect donations.

The association president said the community is encouraged to continue donating to the page to help restore and maintain the ship so it can sail again.

Plans are still in the works to save La Niña with the transfer to a new owner, which should come to fruition later this year, Mrazek said. 

"We're staying very positive — everything is going to come out just fine," she said. "I believe in this little ship ... She is going to survive another 50 years or so."

The history of the Columbus replica

The La Nina is the last of three ships that were built by the Columbus Foundation in the late 1980s. 

The Columbus ship replicas, La Niña, La Pinta and La Santa Maria, first sailed to Corpus Christi in 1992 as part of Spain’s 500th anniversary of the “Voyage to the New World” celebration.

In 2006, the Spain-USA Foundation gifted the ships to the city.

More:Everything you need to know about Corpus Christi's Columbus ships

Two of the ships were deemed too costly to repair, but the association salvaged parts to use to restore the La Niña. The two ships were destroyed in 2014. 

Mrazek sailed on La Niña from 1995 to 2000 in the Corpus Christi area.  She was a sailing instructor on the ship and taught 15th century sailing practices. More than 350 people graduated from the sailing class, she said.

"She's been a part of my life for a long time," Mrazek said.  

Caller-Times reporter Kathryn Cargo contributed to this report.

Meagan Falcon covers entertainment, things to do and trending news in South Texas. Consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.

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