Replica of Spanish galleon arrives in Morro Bay

The San Salvador arrived Thursday in Morro Bay, breaking through the mist to a welcome from a small flotilla of boats, kayakers, paddleboarders and Salinan tribe members in tule canoes.

The fully rigged replica of the first European ship to sail up the California coast in 1542 will be in town through Oct. 9. The Spanish galleon was captained by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who was in search of new trading routes.

Daily public tours will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the South T-Pier, across the street from the newly established Maritime Museum of Morro Bay at 1210 Embarcadero.

The Maritime Museum of Morro Bay worked with the Maritime Museum of San Diego to bring the ship to Morro Bay, which is in the midst of a two-month maiden voyage.

Proceeds from the tours will go toward a fundraising effort by the Morro Bay museum to break ground on a new interpretive center in 2017.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 4 through 12. Tickets are available at www.morrobaymaritime.org.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Replica of Spanish galleon arrives in Morro Bay."