15th Century Technology… Due to technological advances in new ship designs, and innovations to the science of navigation, Europeans were able to master the seas Ships, such as the Caravel model, were now more manoeuvrable Navigation was much improved due to the development of more accurate instruments (telescopes, compasses, etc.) With better navigation came new knowledge Knowledge = master of seas

The new ships… The Caravel ships were more manoeuvrable due to the new lateen sails that they were equipped with Their round shape allowed for the ships to carry plenty of supplies and cargo (known as the “hold”) Knights of Christ (crusaders who funded voyages) The Hold

Navigation knowhow… Knowledge of how the winds of the world flow proved quite valuable to the European sailors The winds of the World flow like rivers of air The Prevailing winds of the Northern hemisphere are from the west, once a ship made its way south of the Tropic of Cancer, the winds became easier to sail with from Europe to America at this point

Further technological modifications… Eventually large Galleons were made that could carry large cargoes. The larger the cargo the greater the profit. Life aboard these new “super ships” was not all that is was cracked up to be Diseases such as scurvy would kill off much of the crew. Lack of Vitamin C Further to this, a captain had to have ruthless control over a crew that was ignorant, superstitious and sometimes mutinous. Why superstitious?

One last look at Navigation… Traditionally 15th Century captains would “hug the coast” Meaning: they would stay within sight of familiar land, moving from one landmark to the next Due to poor navigation instruments, venturing out into the open sea was too dangerous Captains did have the compass to use, however, many chose not to use it Superstitious sea captains thought that such a mysterious device must be a tool of the devil Prince Henry was the first captain to recognize the value of this instrument, soon the compass was common used tool on the sea

The role of the Captain… Captains and crews often accepted the risks involved in sailing because they could make a considerable amount of money on just one trading trip. Captains were usually the only one who had the knowledge to determine a ship’s route; sailors had unshakable fate in their commander