By Isle of Wight Observer
The Spanish galleon, Nao Santa Maria, will sail from Spain to the Isle of Wight next month, promising a spectacle reminiscent of the Spanish Armada’s attempt to invade English shores in 1588.
The historic replica ship will fire a four-cannon salute on Wednesday, May 21, as part of the Isle of Wight’s Armada Coast 1588 commemorations. The ship will then dock in Cowes until May 26.
The event, organised by Ventnor Town Council, will also feature the launch of the Coastal and Downs Armada 1588 Heritage Trail, and celebrations in Ventnor, to include a festival of sea shanties sung by shantymen and -women at the Spy Glass Inn.
The commemoration marks the beginning of a major heritage project, designed to highlight the Island’s overlooked significance during the Spanish Armada, when the Isle of Wight played a role in national defence against the fleet of King Philip II of Spain. History books will need to be re-written as a result of the re-interpretation of a letter, written at Carisbrooke Castle by Captain George Carey, Governor of the Island at the time, describing the 5-hour battle. His reference to six leagues (18 miles) is now believed to refer the distance the fleet travelled during the engagement, not the distance off the Island’s coast as previously thought.
Ventnor Town Councillor, Steph Toogood, can trace her family’s roots on the Island back to the 16th Century. She said: “This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle and an amazing day of family fun as well as a celebration of Island history.
“As I watch the ship sail into Ventnor Bay I will wonder if my ancestors stood in Ventnor and watched similar galleons approaching and how they would have felt.”
Isle of Wight Observer 
Mal Butler