r/Tallships • u/FireFingers1992 • Dec 11 '24
Americo Vespucci docked on Mumbai, India
I was very lucky to find myself in Mumbai, coinciding with the ship's visit. Not open to international tourists, I was fortunate enough to be in India on a buisness visa which granted me access. In the 90 minutes I spent aboard I was the only non-Indian or Italian I came across. She is immaculately kept, the pin rails of staggering scale whilst still being neat and tidy. On the neighbouring dock was an exhibition of all things Italian, along with an orchestra playing Italian opera (and the Indian national anthem which the locals very much appreciated).
On returning to dry land I had some baffled Indian Naval guards confuse me for an Italian jumping ship! It was all resolved I'm a few minutes but it was rather dramatic.
Being from a country skipped over on her current world tour it was great to have the chance to go aboard "the most beautiful ship in the world".
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u/Mikey24941 Dec 11 '24
Why do they have so many ship’s wheels lined up like that?
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u/FireFingers1992 Dec 12 '24
Think of it like power steering: more wheels means in rough weather you can have more people holding the rudder under control. She is huge and made of steel, so keeping her under control must be quite a task.
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u/feed_me_tecate Dec 13 '24
I saw her in Los Angeles and it was a madhouse. Waited in line for almost two hours, was maybe onboard for 10 minutes max. Glad I did it, but it looks like you got to see way more than me. Thanks for sharing photos.
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u/FireFingers1992 Dec 13 '24
I queued about 20 minutes for the bus (to get round the secure dockyard to the ship itself) and then probably half an hour to get on board. They seemed to be doing a good job of crowd control, it was all (free) pre booked tickets which helped. They also stopped people coming on for five minutes to allow the crowds to clear. But it was certainly still busy on board, and getting shots not filled with photos was a bit of a challenge. But a proper once in a lifetime experience.
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u/RefrigeratorMain7921 Dec 11 '24
Damn now I regret not going home on my annual Christmas holiday! It would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to see this in person! Cries in cold, dull and dark European winter...