Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – The business group that owns the Marigalante, which tragically sank in Banderas Bay on October 10, has announced a swift replacement for its popular pirate ship tour. The vessel designated to take its place is the Jolly Roger, currently operating in Cancún.
While belonging to the same operating company, the Jolly Roger and the sunken Marigalante have distinct features. Both are replicas of the Santa María, the flagship used by Christopher Columbus during his 1492 voyage to the Americas. However, the Marigalante’s original owner designed it as a close tribute to Columbus’s caravel. The Jolly Roger, in contrast, was built in 2009 with a design more specifically focused on modern tourism service.
The replacement galleon, which weighs 700 tons and combines a steel and wood structure, was built and assembled in the Mazatlán, Sinaloa, shipyard in 2009. It was immediately taken to the Mexican Caribbean, where it currently provides tourist services from the mainland near Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo.
Following the sinking of the Marigalante, the Jolly Roger is now preparing for a lengthy sea voyage from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Although the exact departure date has not been set, the company anticipates the vessel will arrive in Puerto Vallarta before the end of December 2025. The demanding route will take the ship along the coast of Central America and through the Panama Canal before reaching Banderas Bay.
The company is considering retaining the name “Marigalante” for the incoming vessel. This decision would continue the legacy of the ship that became a symbol of Puerto Vallarta after its arrival on the coast nearly 30 years ago, giving the replacement vessel significant symbolic value.
Current Jolly Roger staff will be invited to participate in the new phase of operations in Banderas Bay. This inclusion is motivated, in part, by the emotional connection felt by the crew members who will accompany the ship on its long interoceanic voyage.
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