Engineless Replica Junk Arrives from China

For generations, San Francisco Bay has attracted all sorts of vessels. But the arrival yesterday of the 54-ft Chinese junk Princess Tai Ping was unique to the Bay’s maritime history.

Launched earlier this year at Jinjiang, this flat-bottomed, engineless junk is an historically accurate replica of the 15th century trading vessels which plied the maritime ‘Silk Road’. She was built with strict adherance to ancient Chinese shipbuilding techniques, using only "natural materials."

It took Captain Nelson Liu and his crew 65 days to sail across the North Pacific from Hong Kong to the West Coast, making landfall last week at Eureka where city officials greeted them with apple pie and ice cream — a much-appreciated American treat.

Ironically, they saw the roughest conditions of the entire voyage between Eureka and San Francisco — up to 40 knots, with 20- to 30-ft waves. Remarkably, the junk reached a top speed of 14 knots during this southbound run!

Partially funded by the National Geographic Society, one goal of this voyage was to test the theory that Chinese vessels may have traveled to North America before Columbus. This fascinating ship will be in port for the next two weeks, but a schedule of Bay sails and public tours has yet to be established. Stay tuned for updates.