In 1960 the Columbus Day Cruising Regatta Club flew the 17th Duke of Veraguas, Cristobal Colon, direct descendant of Columbus, and his Duchess, from Spain to Miami to witness the annual regatta. While here the Duke gave the committee permission to use the coat of arms of the original Columbus as a club emblem.

After the voyages of discovery, the crown honored Columbus with an appointment as Admiral of the Ocean Seas and gave him his own crest with the top quarters for the Spanish crown and the bottom quarters for Columbus.

In the top left quarter the castle is for the Kingdom of Castile, for Queen Isabella I. The Lion, in the top right quarter, is for the kingdom of Aragon for Ferdinand II. Their marriage unified Spain before Columbus went to them for support of his voyages. The two bottom quarters represent the islands that Columbus discovered and the naval rank bestowed on him by the crown (the five anchors indicate the highest possible naval rank of Admiral of the Seas).

The artwork for this year’s Columbus Day Regatta, created by Astrid Dalins, brings to life the history and meaning of the Crest that appears each year on the Columbus Day Regatta flags.

The Map of the New World, according to Christopher Columbus – this is an updated version so you can recognize the places.

The map was later drawn upside down as people living in the New World were afraid they would fall off the earth if the world was really this way up – which it is!