Locally Speaking

The Columbus replica ships, the Pinta (L) and the Nina docked at Bucksport Marina, Wednesday for an overnight stop on their way to Beaufort, NC for the Maritime Festival.

The Nina is 65 feet long, has a beam of 18 feet, a draft of 7 feet and 1.919 square feet of sail area. The replica was built in Valenca, Brazil using hand tools by Portuguese craftsmen who using the techniques of construction from the 15th century.

The Pinta is 85 feet long, has a beam of 24 feet, a draft of 7 feet and 4,000 square feet of sail area. The replica was built in Valenca, Brazil. –Captions and Photos by Sun News

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Myrtle Beach Puts Hope In SkyWheel

Yaakov Morovitz sat outside his store off Ocean Boulevard on Tuesday watching the progress on the SkyWheel, with crews scurrying around spinning the wheel, installing decking and putting down landscaping.

"I hope it is going to help us," Morovitz, owner of Good Vibes store beside Plyler Park, said as he held up crossed fingers for luck on both hands. "I hope it is going to be a big push in this area."

The debut of the $12 million SkyWheel and Jimmy Buffett's LandShark Bar & Grill next week is the latest step for downtown Myrtle Beach's efforts to pull out of the post-Pavilion slump that hit the area when that landmark amusement park shut down after the 2006 season. The area got a jolt last summer when the mile-long boardwalk opened, and officials expect another one with the SkyWheel, which is on schedule to open after a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. May 20.

Officials aren't hinging all of their hopes on the new 200-foot-tall attraction, but say it will draw people downtown and could spark other property owners to spruce up their places. It gives downtown an iconic feature that will help restore it as one of the places such as Broadway at the Beach or The Market Common that tourists have to see when they come to the Grand Strand, said Dave Sebok, executive director of the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corp.

"Downtown is taking its rightful place back along with the other attractions," he said. "It's further evidence that downtown is re-establishing itself as one of the major, got-to-see areas when you come to Myrtle Beach." -Read more at Sun News