Excerpt from Marco Polo Part 2
John H. Haaren

4 The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea. It was a long and perilous voyage. Stops were made at Borneo, Sumatra, Ceylon and other places, until the ships entered the Persian Gulf and the princess was safely landed. After they reached the capital of Persia the party, including the three Venetians, by the Persians for weeks in a magnificent manner and costly presents to all.
The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea. It was a long and perilous voyage.

Which correctly uses a semicolon to link these two sentences?

A) The fleet with the wedding; on board sailed southward on the China Sea, was a long and perilous voyage.
B) The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea: It was a long and perilous voyage.
C) The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea; it was a long and perilous voyage.
D) The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea however; it was a long and perilous voyage.
Eliminate