Civilization and Sail, An Ancient Marriage

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Published: July 3, 1992

THE first people to gather on the shores of New York Harbor and gaze out on the grace and beauty of the sailing ship were Indians. The date was April 17, 1524, and the ship was La Dauphine, commanded by the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano.

One ship was all they had for Operation Sail 1524, and not a single clever promoter to coin such a name for this encounter between people not only of different worlds, but also of different technologies. [more ...]

Photo: Celebrating the Columbian Quincentenary, replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sail into New York Harbor for Op Sail '92. (Keith Meyers/The New York Times) (pg. C24)