— For ships that look as if they could have sailed 500 years ago, the Nina and Pinta arrived in Muskogee with amazing timing Tuesday.

They came 10 minutes early, in fact, pulling into Three Forks Harbor just before noon as a small crowd greeted them from the Arkansas River bank.

The Nina and Pinta, replicas of two ships that sailed with Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage, will be open for individual and group tours through Dec. 8.

With a blustery wind and strong current from the north, the ships obviously did not sail into Three Forks Harbor. Their sails were tied to masts.

“We were under motor power the whole time,” said Ian Bova, a crew member on the Pinta.

The two ships had sailed Monday from Fort Smith, Ark., and docked Monday night at Webbers Falls, he said.

The Nina’s captain, Kyle Friauf, said the wind blew against the ships the whole morning. Gray clouds loomed overhead as the ships pulled into harbor.

“It was cold this morning, a little chilly,” Friauf said.

The five-member crew slept in what would have been the original Nina’s cargo hold, Friauf said. On the original ship, 24 crew members would have slept outside on the 65-foot deck, he said.

The Nina and Pinta were Portuguese caravels, small trading ships with tall masts.

“People are amazed at how small these ships really were,” Friauf said. “These sailors were going to a land they didn’t know was there, looking for a new trade route to Asia.”

Instead of Asia, Columbus landed on an island in what is now the Bahamas and claimed it for Spain. Europeans at the time called it the “New World.”

This is the third visit of the Nina to Muskogee, following stops in 2000 and 2003. The Nina was built in 1991 using materials and building techniques of the 15th century. The Pinta, with an 85-foot deck, was built with modern materials and techniques. It is used as a charter vessel.

Friauf said the Nina and Pinta have sailed together for about three years.

Crystal Platt of the Nina crew said the ships make three tours each year. They spend a third of the year touring the East Coast, a third around the Great Lakes and a third along rivers.

The ships will be open for tours each day, even Thanksgiving, Platt said.

The Pinta’s newest crew member, Alex MacDonald of Fort Smith, said he was getting the hang of sailing, even after being on the ship for two days.

“My father was a sailor and I grew up reading books about tall ships,” he said. “The opportunity presented itself.”

MacDonald said he was “gainfully unemployed,” so he can volunteer his time.

“I learned that the single most important requirement is to get along with other people in a small space for a long time,” he said. “They can teach you what you need to know, but they can’t teach you how to get along with others.”

Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.

If you go

WHAT: Replica Nina and Pinta ships visit Muskogee.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, through Dec. 8.

WHERE: Three Forks Harbor, Arkansas River by the U.S. 62 Bridge.

INFORMATION: To book group tours (787) 672-2152.

ADMISSION: Adults, $8; ages 5-16, $6; senior adults, $7; groups of 15 or more, $5 each.