Nautical knowledge

OK I won't relate the differences between a ship and a caravel and all sorts of fascinating facts about 15thC sailing vessels even though you would be riveted by the knowledge. I was most impressed by how small they were - the Nina was only 50% longer than my boat!
⦁ And I hadn't realised that they could change their rigging from what you see to square-rig for crossing the ocean. This lateen rig is very useful for inshore work, making the caravels more manoevrable than the ship. This may be the main reason that after landing in America on 12/10/1492, the Santa María foundered but the other two ships returned to Palos on 15/03/1493.
⦁ Captain Juan de la Costa: Santa Maria (30m / 60Tonnes)
⦁ Captain Martin Alonso Pinzon: Pinta Pinta (15m / 60T) and
⦁ Vincente Yaniz Pinzon: Nina (13m/45T).
Here is another piece of trivia to thrill you. The first hydroplane to cross the Atlantic, the Plus Ultra flying boat, took off from Palos on 22/06/1922. The journey, done in six stages, ended at Buenos Aires, Argentina.Read more