caravel sailboat

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• Epheria Sailboat and Caravel Guide

Introduction

The Epheria Sailboat is a ship that can be upgraded into the Improved Epheria Sailboat or the Epheria Caravel, and finally the Carrack Advance/Balance ship. These ships have high max weight limit and inventory slots, making them the recommended ships for the Bartering Lifeskill .

The Epheria Frigate, Improved Epheria Frigate, Epheria Galleass, and Carrack Valor/Volante ships are the other types of Epheria ships, and are more focused on Naval Combat, with more cannons, better reload speed, and slightly faster speed/accel/turn/brake.

This guide covers everything related to the Epheria Sailboat, Improved Sailboat, and Epheria Caravel ships.

Links to our other ship guides:

• Ship Basics
• Epheria Frigate and Galleass
• Epheria Carrack
• Panokseon Ship
• Guild Galley
• Improved Guild Galley
• Bartering Lifeskill
• Sailing Lifeskill

Epheria Sailboat > Improved Epheria Sailboat > Epheria Caravel > Epheria Carrack

Although you can upgrade an Epheria Sailboat to an Improved Epheria Sailboat, it is not really really recommended because the upgrade is a lot of extra materials for just a cannon upgrade and the ability to use the ship cannons from the wheel. I would recommend skipping that upgrade and going straight from the Epheria Sailboat to the Caravel.

How to obtain the Epheria Sailboat

There are currently 4 different ways to obtain the Epheria Sailboat:

• Purchase the Epheria Sailboat from the Central Market (approx 500 million silver)
• Craft the ship yourself at the Port Epheria Shipyard
• Upgrade the Bartali Sailboat into an Epheria Sailboat
• Exchange [Event] Radiant Shakatu’s Seal x20 for an Epheria Sailboat

In most cases, it is recommended to just purchase the Sailboat from the Central Market if possible, since 500 million silver is easier and faster to obtain than the materials needed to craft the ship.

To craft the ship yourself, you will need the Port Epheria Level 3 Shipyard (2nd Floor, Epheria 3-5).

You will need a minimum of 13 CP for the Shipyard and a single worker.

However, it is worth noting that you can send multiple workers to build your Epheria Sailboat, cutting down on the time it takes to craft the ship. Use as many goblin workers as you can to process the materials as quickly as possible.

Epheria Sailboat Gear

The Bartali Sailboat, Epheria Sailboat, Epheria Frigate, Improved Epheria Sailboat, and Improved Epheria Frigate all use the green-grade Old Ship set.

Each of the pieces can be purchased from Philaberto Falasi in Port Epheria for 3 – 4 million silver each.

You need an enhanced +10 of each piece to upgrade your ship into the Epheria Caravel/Galleass

Enhancing this ship gear is easy, since it is 100% chance and requires a set amount of Black Stones.

To enhance a single item, you will need 10 Tidal Blackstones, and for the full set, that is 40 Tidal Blackstones.

Improved Epheria Sailboat

The Improved Epheria Sailboat is a stepping stone from the Epheria Sailboat to the Epheria Caravel.

To upgrade the Epheria Sailboat into an Epheria Caravel:

• Check the Epheria Sailboat into a wharf at the wharf manager
• Select the upgrade option from the menu

However, in most cases, it is not really recommended to upgrade to the Improved version since it only upgrades the cannons and reload speed, which is not needed for Bartering.

You also still need the same amount of materials to upgrade to the Epheria Caravel, so it is better to just skip the Improved Epheria Sailboat and upgrade straight to the Caravel.

Upgrading to the Epheria Caravel

To upgrade the Epheria Sailboat or Improved Epheria Sailboat into an Epheria Caravel:

• Check the Epheria Sailboat/Improved Epheria Sailboat into a wharf at the wharf manager.

You will need the materials below to upgrade the ship into an Epheria Caravel.

You can get a good amount of the materials simply by completing Ravina’s Ship Upgrade Log. More information about this can be found in our Bartering guide .

This should give you:

• Graphite Ingot for Upgrade x50
• Timber for Upgrade x50
• Adhesive for Upgrade x50

Other daily quests you must do for the Caravel upgrade can be found on Oquilla’s Eye:

• Obtained from Ravikel on the west dock of Oquilla’s Eye
• Barter 5 times
• Reward: Deep Sea Memory Filled Glue x8 (you will need 4 of these for the Caravel and more for the Carrack)
• Obtained from Curio the Otter Merchant on the south beach of Oquilla’s Eye ( location )
• Give coral pieces x10 (you can just buy these from the central market)
• Reward: Seaweed Stalk x4

Epheria Caravel Gear

There are 2 different equipment sets for the Epheria Caravel.

• The green set can be bought from Philaberto Falasi in Port Epheria for 7 – 9 million silver each,
• The blue set needs to be crafted at the level 4 Ship Part Workshop in Epheria (2nd Floor, 1-4, Epheria).

The green set enhanced to +10 is required to craft the blue caravel set, and then to upgrade to the Carrack ship, you will need the blue grade gear enhanced to +10 .

Enhancing Caravel Gear

For the Epheria Caravel/Galleass, you use special black stones to enhance the ship gear:

Enhancing the green gear is not difficult and doesn’t really require any failstacks or low failstacks, for the recommended failstacks to use when enhancing the blue gear, use our failstack recommendations .

Caravel Blue-grade Gear Crafting and Stats

Total crafting materials required for the full blue set can be found below:

• Tide-Dyed Standardized Timber Square x180
• Cox Pirates’ Artifact (Combat) x120
• Moon Scale Plywood x400
• Bright Reef Piece x180
• Pure Pearl Crystal x45
• Cox Pirates’ Artifact (Parley Beginner) x60
• Ruddy Manganese Nodule x90
• Enhanced Island Tree Coated Plywood x300
• Seaweed Stalk x205
• Great Ocean Dark Iron x150
• Cox Pirates’ Artifact (Parley Expert) x30
• Luminous Cobalt Ingot x30
• +10: Epheria Caravel: Brass Prow x1
• +10: Epheria Caravel: White Wind Sail x1
• +10: Epheria Caravel: Enhanced Plating x1
• +10: Epheria Caravel: Verisha Cannon x1

Epheria Caravel: Black Dragon Prow

 Epheria Caravel: Upgraded Plating

 Epheria Caravel: Mayna Cannon

 Epheria Caravel: Stratus Wind Sail

Check these out before you go!

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The Ages of Exploration

Age of discovery.

Quick Facts:

The Caravel was slightly smaller than the Carrack and was generally used for carrying cargo and fishing. They were faster than most vessels and therefore favored by pirates.

Date : 1400 CE - 1600 CE

The Nina, History of Hernando Cortez, 1855, From The Library at The Mariners’ Museum, F1230.C8.A1.

The Caravel was slightly smaller than the Carrack. It was generally used for carrying cargo and fishing. Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal created the Caravel for long distance trade. It boasted two or three masts that had interchangeable sails. Square sails were used for open water while lateen sails were used for shoreline sailing. The also had a rounded bottom, making them faster than other vessels of their time. Subsequently, they were also favored by pirates. Columbus’ ships, the Nina and the Pinta, were both designed as Caravels.

• Original "EXPLORATION through the AGES" site
• The Mariners' Educational Programs

The surprising role of tiny caravels in global exploration

Whenever studying the history of European exploration, references to ships called ‘caravels’ appear frequently. Many people are therefore surprised to learn that one of the most important ships that explorers relied upon was incredibly small and unassuming.

Even though they were modest workhorses of the sea, during the 15th and 16th centuries, these vessels were central to mariners’ ventures into uncharted waters, linking distant worlds through trade and conquest. 

The unique design of caravels

Caravels distinguished themselves from other ship types of their era primarily through their innovative design features that enhanced maneuverability and speed.

Unlike the heavier carracks and galleons, which were typically used for carrying large cargoes and armed troops, caravels were lighter and faster, making them ideal for exploration and quick voyages. 

Developed primarily by the Portuguese for the open seas, they were intentionally designed to be nimble, were typically ranged between 50 to 200 tons, whereas galleons and carracks could exceed 500 tons.

This difference in size allowed caravels to access shallower waters and navigate more safely near coastlines, critical for charting new territories. 

Among the key differences was the rigging system. Caravels used a combination of square and lateen sails, which allowed them to harness winds more effectively for oceanic voyages.

By contrast, the larger galleons predominantly relied on square sails, suited for bearing heavy loads but less efficient against headwinds.

This rigging versatility in caravels significantly reduced the limitations posed by wind directions, enhancing their capability to explore against prevailing winds.

With these design advantages, caravels could undertake voyages with reduced crew sizes, typically 20 to 30 men, compared to the crews of up to 200 required for the larger ships. 

From a construction perspective, caravels utilized a lighter, more flexible frame system.

This method, known as the ‘carvel construction’, involved laying the planks of the hull edge to edge, a technique that differed markedly from the clinker construction used in earlier Norse ships where planks overlapped.

Consequently, caravels required less maintenance due to their smaller size and simpler construction, which translated into lower operational costs.

This economical aspect made caravels particularly attractive for exploratory missions that were funded with uncertain prospects of immediate financial return. 

Caravels in the Age of Discovery

Caravels first proved their worth in the pivotal voyages of the Age of Discovery. Integral to their functionality was the caravel's ability to carry considerable cargo despite its modest size.

This feature was critical for long voyages where provisions and trade goods needed to be stored.

Additionally, the rounded stern and forecastle improved the ship's stability. In 1492, Christopher Columbus embarked on his historic journey across the Atlantic in the Santa Maria , a nao or carrack, flanked by two smaller caravels, the Niña and the Pinta .

The nimble caravels proved ideal for traversing the vast and unpredictable Atlantic.

Their ability to sail windward significantly outperformed older ship designs. 

By the late 15th century, caravels were at the forefront of European maritime exploration, heavily used by the Portuguese during their expeditions along the African coast.

Vasco da Gama 's voyage to India in 1497 was a key example of how far caravels could travel: beyond the coastal waters of Europe to the challenging environments of the Indian Ocean.

On these journeys, their capacity to handle various wind patterns and sea conditions was unmatched. 

As a result, the caravel became a symbol of exploration and conquest during this transformative period in history.

Their robust construction and versatile capabilities made them indispensable in the quest for new routes and territories. 

Why caravels became so crucial to global trade

The impact of caravels on global exploration can be quantified by examining the expansion of trade routes and the increase in maps and navigational charts that followed their widespread use.

By the early 16th century, European maps began to include details of coastlines and island chains previously unknown to Europeans, with data collected from voyages undertaken on these ships.

In a matter of decades, caravels helped increase the known world's size by an estimated 50%.

Moreover, the speed and agility of the caravel allowed for the faster relay of information and goods, reducing the time taken for round-trip voyages by up to 25% compared to older ship types. 

Moreover, caravels enabled navigators to undertake multi-year voyages across previously unnavigable waters.

This led to the discovery of lucrative trade routes to Asia and the Americas. As a result of these expeditions, European nations gained access to exotic new products, which significantly impacted their economies and societies.

The widespread adoption of caravels was instrumental in establishing Europe's maritime dominance and ushered in a new age of prosperity and cross-continental influence. 

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The Ships of Christopher Columbus Were Sleek, Fast—and Cramped

By: Dave Roos

Updated: July 28, 2023 | Original: October 9, 2019

On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew set sail from the port of Palos in southern Spain on three vessels: la Santa Clara (Niña), la Pinta and la Santa Gallega (Santa Maria). Two of the ships, the Niña and Pinta, were tiny by today’s standards—only 50 to 70 feet from bow to stern—but prized for their speed and maneuverability. The Santa Maria, Columbus’s flagship, was a larger, heavier cargo ship.

For 35 days, Columbus and his crew of 86 Spanish sailors sailed westward searching for a passage to China and India. With the men close to mutiny against their “foreign” captain, Columbus was about to turn back when the cry went out at 2 a.m. on October 12 that land had been sighted .

Columbus hadn’t found a western route to India, of course, but his success in crossing the Atlantic was due in large part to the ships he chose for the perilous voyage, particularly the diminutive Niña and Pinta, which were a speedy type of ship called a caravel.

When the royal decree went out in 1492 from Queen Isabella of Spain to fund Columbus’s first voyage, it read , “By these presents, we dispatch the noble man Christoforus Colón with three equipped caravels over the Ocean Seas toward the regions of India for certain reasons and purposes.”

Caravels Were Cutting Edge in the 15th Century

Though only two of Columbus’s ships ended up being caravels, Isabella’s decree speaks to the popularity of the vessel during the 15th-century “ Age of Discovery .” Starting with Portuguese explorations of the African coast in the mid-1400s, caravels were prized for their sleek, lightweight hull and their uncanny ability to sail into the wind.

Luis Filipe Viera de Castro, a nautical archeologist at Texas A&M University, says that the earlier Portuguese caravels, known as the caravela latina , were rigged with lateen (triangular) sails that hung at 45-degree angle to the deck.

“Lateen sails are […] almost like wings,” says Castro. “You can point the bow of the caravel with an angle of just 20 degrees off the wind and still get enough lift on the outer edge of the sail to propel forward.”

The lateen-rigged caravels were critical in the Portuguese voyages to sub-Saharan African, where strong coastal winds blow north to south. The versatile caravel could speed south along the coast and easily return to shore against the wind.

For Columbus’s maiden journey, he used a Spanish update to the caravel known as the caravela redonda , a three-masted ship where the first two masts were rigged with conventional square sails for open-ocean speed, and a third was rigged with a lateen sail for coastal maneuverability. That rigging combination made ships like the Niña and the Pinta some of the best sailing vessels of their time.

In addition to their versatile rigging options, 15th-century caravels moved the rudder to the rear center of the ship. In the 14th-century caravels popular in the Mediterranean, the rudder was still on the side, says Castro, like Viking ships. The new position allowed for far greater control.

Small Ships Offered Advantages—But Also Discomforts

Small caravels like the Niña and Pinta could only carry between 40 and 50 tons and were crewed by fewer than 30 sailors each. Their lightweight design and rounded bottom meant that they rode high in the water. This proved critical when Columbus needed to navigate the shallow island coastlines near modern-day Cuba.

The bulkier Santa Maria, which was a 110-ton cargo ship called a nau , ran aground on Christmas Day 1492 and had to be abandoned.

Yet the main advantage of the Spanish caravel, namely its compact size, was also its greatest disadvantage. Life aboard a short ship like the Niña or Pinta would have been absurdly crowded and uncomfortable.

Unlike the Santa Maria, which at least had tiny cabins where sailors could sleep between eight-hour shifts, the Niña and Pinta had a single small deck at the rear of the ship with only one cramped cabin reserved for the captain.

“If you’re a sailor on a caravel, you’re living on the deck and sleeping on the deck,” says Marc Nucup, public historian at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. “You’re trying to stay out of the way of the sailors who are working. There’s almost no private space.”

Work was relentless on any 15th-century ship. The 20 sailors on the Niña and the 26 crewing the Pinta would have been constantly engaged with adjusting the rigging, trimming the sails, inspecting for leaks and plugging them with spongy scraps of old rope called oakum.

“Cathedrals, castles and ships—those were the most complicated things that humans had built up until that time,” says Nucup. “There was always something to do.”

The round-the-clock workload meant that even if you were off-duty, good luck trying to sleep on the deck while the other sailors stomped around you. Hammocks weren’t yet in use on ships in the 15th century, says Nucup.

Food Aboard Ships Was Dry and Often Filled With Maggots

And then there was the food. Columbus stocked a full year’s worth of food for the journey, not knowing how long it would be before they could return to Spain. For food to last at sea, it needed to be dry. Staples included dried and salted anchovies and cod, pickled or salted beef and pork, dried grains like chickpeas, lentils and beans, and, of course, hardtack biscuits.

The word biscuit comes from the Latin bis coctus for “twice-baked.” The hardtack biscuits “enjoyed” by Columbus’s crew would have been prepared by baking a hockey puck of flour and water multiple times, then crushing it into tiny pieces, reconstituting it with water and baking it again. Hardtack biscuits were so rock solid that they could only be eaten if softened with water or dipped in the communal slurry served every meal in a large wooden trough.

Yet tooth-breaking, dry biscuits were still preferable to those that had been spoiled by exposure to water in their storage barrel. Ferdinand Columbus, the explorer’s 14-year-old son, reported on the conditions on Columbus’s fourth voyage to the Americas.

"What with the heat and dampness, our ship biscuit had become so wormy that, God help me, I saw many who waited for darkness to eat porridge made of it, that they might not see the maggots,” wrote young Ferdinand, “and others were so used to eating them that they didn't even trouble to pick them out because they might lose their supper had they been so fastidious."

HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage

Ten years after his 1492 voyage, Columbus, awaiting the gallows on criminal charges in a Caribbean prison, plotted a treacherous final voyage to restore his reputation.

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The Caravels

The Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española defines the caravel as a vessel 'very swift, long and narrow, with only one deck, a beak at the prow and a flat poop, with three masts for lateen sails and some with yards for square sails on the main and foremasts'.

According to the Encyclopedia of Ships and Seafaring edited by Peter Kemp (Stanford Maritime Press), caravels became the preferred ships of explorers of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, mainly because they were small, roomy, easy to handle and drew so little water that they could approach unknown shores with little danger of running aground.

The caravel was first employed by the Portuguese around 1440 on voyages of discovery to the western African coasts, but the oldest caravels were those used by Portuguese fishermen from the middle of the thirteenth century. The name 'caravel' had been given to certain vessels which appeared in that century in documents such as the Foral of Vilanova de Gaia (1255), and notes in Os descovrimentos Portugueses defined them as ships with high sides, lateen rigged and fitted with one, two, three or even four masts. Their capacity was about 100 tons. In the fifteenth century they reached 150, and up to 180 tons.

Lopez de Mendoza provided documentary evidence of the history and development of the caravel up to the beginning of the sixteenth century. The characteristic vessel which emerges from his work is a swift ship of less than 200 tons, with one, two, three or even four masts, exclusively lateen rigged. Nevertheless, extant contemporary documents reveal many differences in vessels falling within the definition of the type. Quirino da Fonseca, for example, records no fewer than twenty-four different types of bow, all taken from nautical charts, manuscript illustrations and other documents, in his A Caravela Portuguesa.

Certain characteristic features can, however, be identified. Caravels all had a continuous main deck and no forecastle, but rather a small covered space at the prow known as the tilla. The hull was relatively narrow, the transom square, and the rudder hung on the sternpost, with the tiller entering the space under the quarterdeck through an opening known as the limera. The gunwales were not always bulwarks; sometimes they consisted simply of stanchions with a handrail. Some of the larger caravels had a cabin or chupeta at the quarterdeck, with a poop deck or toldilla above. The Guillén reconstruction of the Santa Maria represents a typical armed caravel, known as a carabela de armada, distinguished by a top on the mainmast.

The simplicity of these ships as fishing vessels is evident from drawings of single-masted caravels which accompany the signatures of Spanish fishermen in documents kept in the Archivo de Indias in Seville.

The lateen rig was dominant for caravels in the Mediterranean. It is recorded that King Joao II of Portugal promoted the belief that strong currents and contrary winds impeded the return of square sailed ships from the west coast of Africa, and that only lateen rigged caravels, then an exclusive Portuguese type, would be able to trade with the newly explored lands. His confidence in a secure Portuguese monopoly was soon shaken, however. Caravels operating beyond the Mediterranean were increasingly modified to carry a square sail on the foremast and the mainmast, with a spritsail and a lateen mizzen, or a mixed rig adapted to the prevailing winds.

It may be that the square rig for caravels originated in Spain, where square-rigged versions of the vessel appeared in the second quarter of the fifteenth century, and where they survived until the beginning of the sixteenth. As in the case of the Niña and Pinta, lateen-rigged caravels were frequently converted to square rig, even by the Portuguese, as the advantages of square sails became apparent.

The general arrangement of Portuguese and Spanish lateen-rigged caravels, as well as those with square sails and a lateen mizzen, is shown in illustrations on the chart of Juan de la Cosa (circa 1500). Vessels illustrated include three Portuguese caravels of two and three masts off the Cape of Good Hope, several lateen-rigged versions off the coasts of Ethiopia and Arabia, and two Spanish caravels (one with a top), both lateen rigged.

Further fine illustrations of lateen-rigged caravels appear in the chart of Pedro Reynel (dating from 1516) now in the Bibliotheque National in Paris.

Early Portuguese records mentioning caravels frequently also refer to other ship types, including barcas, barineis, ureas and fustas; none of these

Table 4 THE CARAVEL NIÑA, SQUARE RIGGED

Hull maximum length Keel length Breadth Depth

Light displacement Load displacement Mainmast height upon deck Foremast height upon forecastle Mizzen mast height upon quarterdeck Mainsail area Foresail area Mizzen sail area

48.6 tons 100.3 tons

115.7sq m 40.6sq m 22.5sq m

70ft 2'/2in 51ft

52ft 6in 32ft 1 in

26ft 8V?in 1245.8sq ft 437.2sq ft 243sq ft

6ft 6in types survives in the chronicles of the voyages of discovery. Only the caravel, clearly an exceptional vessel, ensured its place in history as a recognisable ship type.

The Niña was owned by Juan Niño of Moguer (in Huelva, southern Spain), who took part in the first voyage as her master, under the captain Vicente Yáñez Pinzón of Palos. Her original name was Sa?ita Clara> and the name Niña ('Little Girl') was an allusion to her owner's surname. She was built in Moguer, on the banks of the Rio Tinto, where Spanish shipwrights competed in skill with the Portuguese of the nearby Algarve.

Columbus himself had a great fondness for the Niña, and sailed some 25,000 miles in her. He eventually became her half-owner, and captained the ship himself on the second voyage.

The last record of the Niña relates to a voyage she made to the so-called Coast of Pearls (modern Venezuela) in 1501. This coast had been explored by Juan de la Cosa (the Santa Maria's owner and master on Columbus's first voyage) and Alonso de Hojeda in 1499. The ship's part in this enterprise has been investigated by Alice Gould, to whom is due the credit for the most reliable study of Columbus's crews.

The Pinta belonged to Christóbal Quintero of Palos, who also accompanied his ship on Columbus's first voyage. Her captain was Martin Alonso Pinzón of Palos, and her master his cousin Francisco Martin Pinzón.

In his reconstruction of the caravels which accompanied Columbus, Martinez-Hidalgo was careful to take into account the lines and characteristics of related ship types which are more fully documented. The lines of the xebecs on display in the Museu Maritim at Barcelona were particularly informative, given that the xebec and the caravel are closely related vessels. Notable features in common are the relation between length and breadth, the run of the planking at the bow and the stern and the extraordinary ability of both types to sail close to the wind. Similarly, the main frame and stern of the baghala and the sambuk, both of which are similar to the later caravels, were taken into consideration. It was also necessary to take note of the illustrations of two-masted lateen caravels on the chart of Juan de la Cosa, which show a square tuck at the stern with diagonal planking.

Martinez-Hidalgo used the method described in the Livro Náutico, a unique Portuguese source for the study of caravels from somewhat later than Columbus's time, for calculating the dimensions of the reconstructions from the tonnage of the original Niña and Pinta. Miguel de Cuneo, who returned from Cuba in 1494, recorded the tonnage of the Niña as about 60 tons; other data in the Recolta Colombina suggest that she embarked some 51 tons of cargo and supplies. The hold capacity of the somewhat

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Readers' Questions

How many decks on a caravel?

A caravel typically had one to three decks, with the main deck being the largest and often the only one open to the elements.

Did carvels use ballast?

Carvel construction refers to a method of boat building in which the planks of the hull are laid edge to edge and fastened together to create a smooth surface. Ballast is a heavy material (usually stones or lead) placed in the hull of a boat to improve stability and balance. In traditional carvel construction, ballast is not typically used as the weight of the hull itself provides the necessary stability.

How tall were the sides of a mideavel caravel?

A typical medieval caravel had sides, also known as a hull, that were approximately 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) in height from the waterline to the deck. However, the exact height could vary depending on the specific design and purpose of the caravel.

What did they put in carabels back then?

Carabels is not a specific product or brand, so it is difficult to provide a specific answer. However, if you are referring to the general type of products or ingredients used in food or beverages back then (not limited to Carabels), it could include ingredients such as sugar, flour, eggs, butter, milk, chocolate, fruits, and various flavorings and spices commonly used in baking and cooking.

Did carabels have sternpost rudders?

Yes, Caravels did have sternpost rudders. Caravels were a type of sailing ship that was popular during the 15th and 16th centuries. They were known for their distinctive design, which included a high stern and a smaller forecastle. These ships were equipped with a single mast and lateen sails, and their steering was controlled by a sternpost rudder at the back of the ship. The sternpost rudder allowed for better maneuverability and control of the ship compared to earlier designs.

How to set sails on a caravelle type ship?

Hoist the mainsail: Hoist the mainsail first. Have the crew stand on the main deck and raise the main halyard, which is the rope used to hoist the sail. This should be done slowly and carefully so that the sail does not get damaged. Attach the jibs: Next, attach the jibs and the staysail. These are the smaller sails that are placed in front of the mainsail. The jibs and the staysail should be attached to the mast using the appropriate halyards. Trim the sails: Have the crew trim the sails to ensure their optimal performance. This means that they should adjust the sail direction and angle so that it catches the wind efficiently. Be sure to check the rigging and lines to make sure that they are secure and not chafing. Rigging: Finally, secure the rigging. This is a crucial step as it ensures the safety of the crew. Make sure all the running rigging, such as the sheets and halyards, are correctly attached.

How caravels were constructed in the fiftinghundres?

Caravels in the fifteenth century were constructed out of a wooden frame, covered with planks of wood and fastened with iron nails, iron straps, and iron dowels. The planks of wood were protected from the weather and sea spray by layers of tar and pitch. The caravels had two masts – a large mainmast and a smaller foremast. Both masts had square sails. The caravels also had an aftcastle where the helmsman and captain stood, and often had a small cabin in the aftcastle. The hull was propelled by oars, either giving the boat extra speed when entering a port or when in light wind conditions. Caravels were built slightly more narrow than other sailing ships of the time and had a deep draft so that they could sail in shallow waters. To be able to turn quickly and easily, caravels had a protruding bowsprit.

How to make a real caravel boat?

Gather the materials necessary for building a caravel boat. Generally, you'll need a large piece of wood, such as pine or cedar, as well as wood screws, nails, and other hardware. Cut out two strips of wood that are roughly the same size and shape. These will be the sides of your caravel boat. Attach the two strips of wood together using wood screws and other hardware. Cut out a middle plank of wood that will serve as your boat’s deck. Nail this plank to the sides of your boat. Cut out a piece of wood that will serve as the keel of your caravel boat. This should run the length of your boat and be the main support structure. Nail this to the sides of your boat. Cut out a large piece of canvas or sailcloth and attach it to your boat’s mast with rope. Attach your boat’s rudder, which is a movable part that controls the direction of the boat. Place your boat in the water and test her out!

How much water does a caravel draw?

A caravel typically draws between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 and 1.8 meters) of water when fully laden.

What makes the caravel unique from other ships?

The Caravel is unique from other ships because it is characterized by its small size and its ability to be sailed closer to the wind than many other large ships, which made it an ideal vessel for long-distance exploration. Additionally, the caravel is unique because it was the first ship to bring the full rigging, which allowed it to sail in all directions, and its round shape created more stability and allowed it to handle rougher seas than other ships. Lastly, the caravel was highly maneuverable, making it ideally suited for coastal navigation and exploration.

What were the caravel ship planks made out of?

Caravel ship planks were typically made of oak.

What features made the caravel an excelent ship?

The caravel was considered an excellent ship for several reasons: Versatility: The caravel was a highly versatile ship that could be used for various purposes, such as exploration, trading, and warfare. Its design allowed it to sail both close to the shore and in open seas. Maneuverability: The caravel was a small and highly maneuverable ship. Its triangular sails, known as lateen sails, made it easier to navigate against the wind, allowing sailors to sail closer to the wind than other contemporary ships. This enhanced maneuverability made the caravel ideal for coastal exploration and navigation through narrow channels. Speed: The caravel was faster compared to other ship types of the time. Its design, lightweight construction, and efficient sail configuration allowed it to attain higher speeds, making it an excellent choice for long-distance voyages and exploration. Ocean-worthiness: The caravel was designed to withstand harsh weather conditions at sea. Its sturdy and robust construction, combined with a shallow draft, provided stability and seaworthiness. This made it possible for sailors to venture into the open ocean and endure long journeys with greater safety. Accessibility to shallow waters: The caravel's shallow draft facilitated navigation in shallow waters, allowing it to explore coastal areas, rivers, and estuaries that were inaccessible to larger ships. This feature made the caravel highly suitable for exploration and trade in regions with shallow coastlines. Capacity: Although relatively small, the caravel had a larger cargo capacity compared to the earlier ships of the time. It could carry more provisions, supplies, and trade goods, enabling longer voyages and more profitable trade expeditions. Innovation: The caravel incorporated several innovative features that enhanced its performance and capabilities. These included the adoption of multiple masts and sails, improved rigging systems, and the addition of a stern-mounted rudder. These innovations played a significant role in making the caravel an excellent ship for its time. Overall, the caravel's versatility, maneuverability, speed, ocean-worthiness, shallow draft, cargo capacity, and innovative design all contributed to its excellence as a ship, enabling navigators during the Age of Discovery to undertake long and successful maritime expeditions.

What features made the Caravel an excellent sailing ship?

The Caravel was an excellent sailing ship due to its combination of features such as its shallow draft which allowed the ship to navigate rivers and inlets, its broad beam which provided greater stability and made it less prone to capsizing and its large hull which allowed it to carry more cargo while still remaining fast and maneuverable. The Caravel also featured a combination of lateen and square sails which allowed it to sail efficiently in a variety of winds, and its shallow keel gave it greater maneuverability and speed.

What was the caravel ship made of?

The caravel ship was primarily made of hardwoods such as larch, pine, and oak. Some additional components used in its construction included tar, pitch, flax, hemp, canvas, and iron.

What were caravels made of?

Caravels were made of timber and canvas sails. They often had a single deck and three to five masts. They were light and maneuverable, allowing them to travel long distances quickly.

What defines the caravel ship class?

The caravel ship class was defined by a small, maneuverable wooden sailing vessel from the 15th to 17th century. It was used by the Portuguese and Spanish for trade, exploration and warfare. The caravel had a high rounded stern and large square rigged sails, allowing them to sail on any point of the compass. They were able to sail closer to the wind than other sailing ships of the time and were highly valued for their agility and maneuverability.

How thick is the deck of a caravel?

The deck of a caravel typically ranges between 10 and 20 cm thick.

What was the deck of caravel ships made of?

The deck of a caravel ship was typically made of oak planks fastened to wooden frames and secured with iron nails and rope.

How were caravels constructed?

Caravels were constructed with a light wooden frame over which a strong and flexible structure was built. This structure was composed mostly of planking and timber frames fastened together by pins, nails, and rope lashings. The hull of the caravel was usually carvel-built, meaning the planking was fitted edge-to-edge, curving up and around the frame to create a smooth, curved, and seaworthy shape. The mainmast and foremast of the caravel, which held the sails, were usually single masts. They were triangular in shape and attached directly to the ship's frame. The simplest caravels had two masts, but some more advanced models had three. The sails of the caravel were large and square, and were traditionally rigged with four or more square sails.

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Explain how Europe benefited from cultural diffusion during the period c. A.D. 1000 - 1500.

The Caravel is the first and most famous ship of the European age of exploration. The caravel comes at the very beginning of the age of sail and of exploration, and is the direct forebear of most European sailing ships.

A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.

The caravel was developed in about 1450, based on existing fishing boats under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal and soon became the preferred vessel for Portuguese explorers.

The caravel gets its name from the shipbuilding term, carvel, which is a method of butting the planking on the hull so that the planks form a tight smooth surface.

Caravels were agile and easy to navigate, with a tonnage of 50 to 160 tons and 1 to 3 masts, with lateen triangular sails allowing tacking into the wind.

Being smaller and having a shallow keel, the caravel could sail upriver in shallow coastal waters. With the lateen sails attached, it was highly maneuverable and could sail much nearer the wind, while with the square Atlantic-type sails attached, it was very fast. Its economy, speed, agility, and power made it esteemed as the best sailing vessel of its time. The limited capacity for cargo and crew were their main drawbacks, but did not hinder its success.

The exploration done with caravels made possible the spice trade of the Portuguese and the Spanish. However, for the trade itself, the caravel was later replaced by the larger nau (carrack) which was more profitable for trading.

The caravel comes at the very beginning of the age of sail and of exploration, and is the direct forebear of most European sailing ships. Caravels discovered America and sailed as far around Africa as China. The Caravel was the transportation technology that enabled Columbus to cross the Atlantic westward to the Americas.

What is a Caravel? History, characteristics and much more!

Last Updated on August 28, 2023 by Hernan Gimenez

Indice De Contenido

• 1 What is a caravel?
• 2.1 First constructions
• 2.2 What were they used for?
• 4.1 The Niña
• 4.2 The Pinta
• 4.3 The Santa Maria

What is a caravel?

The caravel is the famous light sailing ship that sailed the world’s seas and oceans in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

Originating in Europe, it was widely used by Spanish and Portuguese navigators on their famous long expeditions in search of new territories for their countries.

Apparently developed by the Portuguese to explore the coast of Africa, the caravel’s main advantage was its ability to sail to windward, i.e. in the direction of the wind. It was also capable of remarkable speed.

According to the definition of important dictionaries such as the prestigious Merriam Webster, a caravel is a “small ship of the 15th and 16th centuries with a broad bow, a high and narrow stern, and usually three masts with lateen or square and lateen sails”, these being its most outstanding characteristics.

In later years, the term caravel was also applied to the small fishing boats that sailed along the French coast, but it was also used to describe a Turkish warship.

Caravels were the main vessels of the Age of Discovery, especially in the Portuguese exploration of Africa in the 15th century. At this time, the relatively small size of the ship and the small crew were advantageous.

This kept the costs of the early expeditions down and allowed the ships to sail along the African coasts and rivers, where most of the trade took place, as the West Africans had no real ports on the sea.

It is difficult to define a single basic type of 15th century caravel. Most of the literature simply describes it as a two-masted lateen-sailed ship with a stern staysail, a full deck, a relatively shallow draft, a deadweight of around 60 tonnes and a crew of up to 20 men.

By the 16th century its role had become secondary as the long-distance trade to India and the Americas began to develop, highlighting the need for more cargo space for goods, supplies and large crews.

We suggest you read Top 10 Shipwrecks to learn more about this topic.

In these circumstances, the caravel was too small, so it was increasingly replaced by large ships, which the Iberians called naos, while the caravel was reduced to a ship used for escort, exploration and the transmission of messages.

History of the caravel

These vessels were fragile, with a single mast and a fixed square sail, and could not cope with the navigational difficulties of southern ocean exploration, where strong winds, shoals and strong currents easily overwhelmed their capabilities.

It is not really known when the caravel appeared as a ship, especially in a recognisable form. However, there are some records of ships described as a variation of the world “caravel” scattered in archives dating back to the 14th century, but we really have no idea whether they were referring to the same type of ship.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that the term “caravel” indicates the type of planking a ship could have, so in some records the term could be used for any ship with such planking rather than a specific type of ship.

However, some historians have pointed out that the caravel has its origins in Portuguese fishing boats built in the 13th century on the basis of the medieval Islamic qarib, the first boat developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Who invented the caravel? The caravel as such would have been created around 1430 under the patronage of Henry the Navigator of Portugal, based on existing fishing boats, and soon became the vessel of choice for Portuguese explorers such as Diogo Cão, Bartolomeu Dias or Gaspar and Miguel Corte-Real, and Christopher Columbus.

By the time of Henry the Navigator, the range of Portuguese explorers and traders had expanded to such an extent that conventional ship types had reached their limits.

As a result, Portuguese shipbuilders began to build ocean-going vessels based on existing types. The result was the caravels, sailing vessels with two to four masts.

Improvements added to the caravels to outperform the existing vessels of the time included a displacement of 100 to 180 tonnes, a shallow draft, a high stern and, usually, a sheet rig.

Sailing ships with crews of 20 to 60 men were fast and performed well in the wind, but very soon caravels became the standard ship for both Portuguese and Spanish voyages of discovery.

They were designed for this:

• Explore the sea route south along the west coast of Africa.
• To explore the currents and wind conditions in the South Atlantic
• Sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
• Successfully complete the Atlantic crossing.

In terms of discoveries, the caravel began to appear with the Portuguese explorations of the African coast from the 1430s.

In Azurara’s Chronicle of the Conquest of Guinea, there is a clear difference between the first expeditions up to the 1430s, in which the ships are described as “barcha” or “barinelas”, and from 1440 onwards, in which all the ships are described as caravels.

In the 15th century, the Venetian merchant Alvise Cadamosto, hired by the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, sailed in a ship provided by Henry, the size of “90 Venetian boats”, with a capacity of about 55 tonnes of cargo.

For reference, this allowed him to carry at least seven horses in his hold, along with other goods and about 100 African slaves on his return, in addition to his crew, provisions and other cargo.

Exploration by caravel made the Portuguese and Spanish spice trade possible. However, for the trade itself, the caravel was later replaced by the carraca or nao, which was larger and more profitable for this type of trade.

The caravel was one of the most important ships in the development of the Iberian navy between 1400 and 1600.

First constructions

The first caravel constructions for exploratory purposes date back to the beginning of the 15th century.

Historians record, for example, that Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, driven by his expansionist ideals, chose this type of vessel to meet the demands of his voyage to the west coast of Africa in the 1440s.

Earlier explorers had used barges of about 25 tonnes with only one mast. They also experimented with longer and larger barinelas, but none of these vessels were suitable for the increasingly long voyages.

The caravel was built to perform the functions of an explorer. Although by the early 15th century the caravel had very admirable qualities, it was still far from ideal.

The main reasons it was chosen to explore the African coast were speed and the ability to sail to windward.

However, the caravel’s large lateen sail required a large crew, which was dangerous because the tiny explorer could not carry large quantities of fresh water for a large group of sailors.

Then, in the middle of the 15th century, Iberian shipbuilding entered a new phase of design, adapting to the requirements of the voyages of discovery. To give an idea of the level of sophistication of shipyards and navigation in the 15th century, Don João II of Portugal had a 1000-tonne nao built at a time when they rarely exceeded 300 tonnes.

The keel of this huge ship was 31.50 metres long and 50 metres wide. There are records of other impressive Portuguese ships, such as the São João of 1533, which was one and a half times the size of the largest Indian ships.

Such ambition also required changes to the caravel as a ship of exploration. Instead of relying on the expertise of naval architects, these demands were met by skilled craftsmen who were able to adapt the ship’s geometry to the needs of an explorer.

What were they used for?

Initially used for maritime trade, the caravel later became one of the best ships for this type of voyage due to the boom in the discovery of new territories by both the Portuguese and the Spanish.

Its manoeuvrability and light weight made it ideal for long voyages, considerably reducing the total time spent at sea.

The caravel was particularly useful on the trade routes, as it was able to cope with the winds and currents often encountered in the Atlantic and was also well suited to navigating inland rivers.

At that time, important technical inventions were already in use, such as the compass, the astrolabe, Jacob’s staff or rod, or the very precise nautical charts, which reinforced and made more effective the caravel’s mission.

As the distance from home ports increased, the Portuguese needed more and more ships that could cover long distances quickly and, if necessary, without stopping.

The caravel proved to be the ideal vessel, not only because of its ability to sail upwind, but also because of its capacity to carry enough provisions and spare parts for a long voyage.

Navigators and explorers needed ships that could be refitted and repaired in the most inhospitable places, without the technical facilities of a shipyard.

Moreover, in order to continue the Portuguese discoveries, these ships had to be able to cope with the adverse conditions of the Atlantic currents and winds, as well as being able to navigate shallow coastal waters and rivers.

Drawing on the experience of Portuguese sailors in the Atlantic, the caravel increasingly became such a vessel from the 1940s onwards.

The caravel thus made a significant contribution to the history of navigation and the discovery of the world.

Characteristics of the caravel

The design of caravels changed over the years, but a typical caravel of the late 15th century can be described as a broad-sailed vessel of 50 or 60 tonnes of cargo; some were up to 160 tonnes. It usually had two parts: a narrow, flat hull and a square-rigged sail to make better use of the wind.

It was between 18 and 25 metres long and 5 to 8 metres wide. The caravels of the late 16th century were even larger and, above all, wider.

The typical design had two or three masts of spars, rigged with lateen sails, i.e. triangular sails. These caravels were called “caravela latina”. The rudder was midships.

Later, in the last quarter of the 15th century, caravels were equipped with light artillery.

They were more manoeuvrable and easier to sail than the barque and the barinela, and because they were smaller, had a shallower keel and a relatively shallow draught, the caravel could sail upriver in shallow coastal waters.

It was very capable in strong winds, but a poor sailor in a downwind.

With lateen sails it was very manoeuvrable and could pass much closer to the shore, while with square-rigged Atlantic-type sails it was very fast.

Her economy, speed, agility and power made her the best sailing ship of her time. Limited cargo and crew capacity were her main drawbacks, but they did not prevent her success.

Later versions, which appeared at the end of the 15th century and with the increase in ocean voyages, added a fourth mast with a square sail to get ahead of the wind. These caravels were called “caravela redonda”.

The Armada caravel of the mid to late 16th century had a square rigged foresail and lateen sails on the main and mizzen masts, and there could even be two mizzen masts.

Caravels were usually built with a double tower at the stern, called a sterncastle, and a single tower at the bow, or forecastle.

As a type, caravels were smaller and lighter than the Spanish galleons of the 16th century.

The caravel was first built with a lattice of rails, with one deck, sometimes several decks, a steep stern with a stern rudder and some form of sterncastle.

A distinctive feature of the caravel was its relatively large length for its width, known as the keel-to-beam ratio.

The ratio started out at 4:1 or even 5:1 on early caravels, but over time, as the caravel grew in size and ocean voyages put the ship to the test, it widened to 3.5:1, then 3:1 and sometimes even 2.5:1.

In the 15th century, around 1450, the crew of Portuguese caravels usually consisted of:

• the captain
• pilot/navigator, who would be the one who actually piloted and steered the ship itself
• Scribe, who seems to have been placed by Henry the Navigator on each ship travelling to Guinea as part of his control of such voyages.
• A few men-at-arms, depending on the mission possibly more.
• Sailors, whose exact duties are not known.
• A slave interpreter, who would be rented to his owner and presumably taught Portuguese for the price of a new slave on the expedition.

Provisions, food and water

The sailors were fed with biscuits, dried fruit, salted meat and fish. They drank water and wine stored in barrels in the hold, and the captain was responsible for the distribution and safety of the provisions.

In addition to the common food, each sailor had an assigned trunk (or part of a common trunk space) into which he could put whatever he wanted.

It was customary to use at least part of this space for additional, personal food and drink. The other part of the room was often used for things brought in to trade and earn money.

Weapons and armaments

Records found in 1455 mention several cannons or ‘bombards’ on board. The exact number and types are not specified. Crossbows, spears, swords and bats are also mentioned as weapons for self-defence. Much later, arquebuses or hand cannons appeared on ships bound for the Indies.

The caravel had a watertight hull made of wooden planks supported by transverse frames, often called ribs and bulkheads, joined by longitudinal stringers or roofs.

The strength of this hull ensured proper support for all the structures that were installed in what would become the tank areas, as well as the various components of the deck, such as the rigging and the rigging and deckhouses.

The line that connects the hull to the surface is called the waterline. This important structure, which was mostly submerged, provided the ship with its buoyancy and manoeuvrability.

Columbus’ caravels

Among the most famous caravels in nautical history are those used by the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus on his mission to discover a new route to the Indies, under the patronage of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.

It was on the 3rd of August 1492 that he set sail from Puerto de Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia, with his three ships, the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña, towards the island of Gran Canaria.

On board these ships were 90 sailors, led by Columbus and assisted by Cristóbal Quintero, the Pinzón brothers and Pedro de Velasco.

Two of the three ships in which Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage were caravels, the Niña and the Pinta, while the Santa María was a nao, although it has always been called a caravel.

What are the names of Christopher Columbus’s ships?

La Niña was one of the two caravels in the fleet of three ships that Christopher Columbus used to sail west in 1492, discovering the American continent for the Europeans.

La Niña was a lateen-sailed caravel that originally belonged to the Niño brothers of Moguer, hence the name by which it was known, although it was actually called Santa Clara, in honour of the Santa Clara convent in that city.

This ship, built in the town of Moguer, was chosen by the Pinzón brothers for its manoeuvrability and was paid for by the City Council of Palos.

It was a caravel with a capacity of 50 tonnes and a length of 20 metres, which Columbus used to return to Palos, where he arrived on 15 March 1493.

La Niña’s sails did not have ropes, so there was no system of ropes to reduce the surface area in the event of strong winds.

The anchors that supported the masts were attached to the sides of the ship. The caravel had no fore deck and the anchor was quite small.

The captains responsible for manoeuvring the ship were Vicente Yañez Pinzón and Juan Niño, the owner. They arrived in America with 26 men on board.

This was a caravel, also built in the Palos shipyards, chosen by Martín Alonso Pinzón for the expedition to the Indies that Admiral Christopher Columbus was to lead.

The ship weighed 60 tonnes and had a crew of 24. It was the fastest of the three and it was from this ship that Rodrigo de Triana sighted land on 12 October 1492.

It was the first ship to carry the news of the discovery of America or, as they believed, the course of a new route to the Indies.

It returned to the port of Baiona in Pontevedra on the 1st of March 1493, captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón, bringing with it the newly discovered products.

It was also used to bring the good news of the discovery of America or the new route to the Indies, depending on what was believed at the time.

The Santa Maria

It was the largest of the three ships and, as mentioned above, was more of a nao.

It was about 36 metres long, had three masts and a large carrying capacity of up to 200 tonnes, which meant it was the slowest of the three.

Thirty-nine men sailed on it, with Christopher Columbus as its admiral.

It was built in a shipyard in the city of Galicia, which is why it was originally called La Gallega. It belonged to Juan de la Cosa, a sailor who worked as a cartographer for the Catholic Monarchs.

It should be remembered that none of the ships with which Columbus arrived in Hispaniola were new, and the Santa Maria in particular ran aground off the coast of Haiti on 25 December 1942.

It was abandoned and its wood was used to build Fort Navidad, the first Spanish settlement in the Americas.

5 Technologies That Changed Exploration Forever

S ince the earliest humans set out to pursue herd animals for sustenance, exploration has been humanity's prerogative. Even after the advent of grain production and animal domestication, explorers continued to seek what was beyond the horizon. As people migrated and developed complex economic and political systems, finding an accurate route to a destination became a matter not just of survival but victory in warfare and billions of dollars of economic activity.

Humanity has developed several technologies, both rudimentary and advanced, to determine its position on the globe. The most challenging type of navigation applies to oceangoing travelers. With no roads or landmarks on a planet that is mostly water, the ability to navigate the seas was integral to the formation of human civilization and its complex national systems. From the earliest tools to search for what's over the horizon to the latest space-age gadgets, here are a few technologies that changed exploration forever.

Read more: Major Car Wheel Brands Ranked Worst To Best

Traverse Board

The traverse board resembles a Chinese checkerboard and emerged among northern European and Scandinavian mariners during the 15th century. These navigational tools were crucial in helping sailors accurately record a ship's course of travel using a system known as dead reckoning. This method requires three bits of information: compass heading, speed, and time spent on each heading. It was a vital part of a sailor's toolkit. To measure a ship's speed, they would drag a piece of wood, known as a log, behind the vessel. A rope with evenly spaced knots would unfurl from the log, and the number of nodes that played out in a specific amount of time was recorded as the ship's speed, giving us the nautical unit of speed known as knots.

The practical application of the traverse board was a significant advancement in maritime history. It allowed more specific notations of a ship's course and speed. Each circular traverse board had several pegs attached to strings and a series of holes marking along 32 compass points. During each watch — a period of four hours on a ship — sailors would insert a peg into the hole corresponding to the vessel's course. They did this every half-hour, as measured by an hourglass. Some later traverse boards had additional attachments along the bottom to record speed.

At the end of each watch, the ship's master meticulously recorded the information from the traverse board in a log book, thereby creating a detailed navigational record of the voyage. The precision provided by the tools was instrumental in helping many sailors reach their destination safely and in good time.

[Featured image by Anneli Salo via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Before the industrial age, exploring the earth's oceans required the cooperation of wind and tide. Square-rigged sailing ships cruised with the wind, meaning it essentially had to be blowing in the direction of desired travel for a successful voyage. Sailors and explorers of the time studied the routes and direction of the air current to determine when a trip would be most beneficial.

Arab trading ships in the eastern Mediterranean developed a type of sail known as a lateen. It provided one enormous advantage: It could tack against a headwind or travel against the air current. The Portuguese, a great maritime nation during the Age of Exploration, adapted this technology to a revolutionary ship called Caravel. These were small, maneuverable, and lightly-manned exploration vessels with triangular lateen sails. The reduced crew meant supplies lasted longer during a voyage — a critical consideration at a time when scurvy and malnutrition reportedly killed more sailors than storms and naval attacks.

The lateen sail was attached to a crossbar on the mast, with its loose rear-angle attached to the stern by a rope. This allowed the ship to catch the wind on the port or starboard side and tack in a zigzag pattern against the air current. Caravals were also compact and light and required only a small crew, which required fewer victuals. The Portuguese put the Caravel to great use, exploring the coast of Africa, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, opening a sea route to India, and accessing its lucrative spice trade, bolstering their empire as a maritime superpower.

Magnetic Compass

Simultaneous use of magnetic compasses for navigation first occurred in Europe and China around the 12th century. The first known compass appeared in the 4th century B.C., though not as a navigational device. Chinese fortune tellers used a natural magnetic ore known as a lodestone to align the environment into an optimal layout, a Toaist practice known as Feng Shui.

Mariners noticed that the lodestone floated on a piece of wood, setting itself north-south. The earth itself is essentially a magnet, with magnetic poles in the north and south , so the magnetized stone aligned itself with the poles. Rubbing a piece of steel or iron against the lodestone would also temporarily magnetize the metal.

The earliest magnetic compasses in ships were bowls of water with a floating lodestone within. As the ship changed course, the ore continued to point north, allowing sailors to extrapolate their relative direction. Initially, these tools only marked north and south, but soon, explorers developed 32 individual points around the compass's border to further delineate direction. Ultimately, 360 individual degrees allowed for more accurate readings.

The addition of a compass to a traveler's toolkit  whether at sea or on land, made it possible to determine direction irrespective of whether the stars or landmarks were visible. A ship could now navigate out of sight of land with a reasonable expectation of making it back. This paved the way for Chinese mariners to explore as far away as Africa and Australia and European explorers to sail beyond horizons. Today, wayward travelers have easy access to  compass apps for their smartphones .

Celestial navigation was the primary means of determining direction and location before the adoption of technologies like compasses and radio navigation. Astronomers studied the path and position of heavenly bodies, predicting future positions hour by hour, years into the future. They collected the data and published them in books known as almanacs. Navigators carried these listings to inform them of the proper position of a celestial body on any given day and time.

Navigators needed a precise measurement of the angle between the horizon and an astral body. Coupled with a precise chronometer and a sight reduction table with published values, the information provided the latitude of the sextant's user, accurate to a few hundred meters. The device looks like a mathematical compass, with a telescope mounted to a rigid frame. Scientists and scholars used tools similar to sextants — such as an astrolabe — to measure the angles of stars above the horizon. Still, the sextant began life as a navigational instrument during the 16th century. Viewing a celestial body through its telescope indicated its angle above the horizon for comparison with the sight reduction tables, giving sailors a relatively accurate representation of how far above or below the equator they were sailing. If you want to try some celestial navigation of your own, Harbor Freight can sell you a sextant of your very own. 

Global Positioning System

Almost every item on this list has been rendered obsolete by a groundbreaking new technology. The story of global positioning satellites began when the United States Navy needed a method to track its submarines. The Armed Forces branch conducted experiments in the 1960s, a time marked by the space race, and found that tracking a satellite was possible by following its shifting radio signals. The U.S. government soon adopted this method to help nuclear submarines pinpoint their exact location.

Recognizing the potential of a fully formed Global Positioning System (GPS), the Department of Defense (DOD) built on the Navy's work to launch a series of satellites with this specific mission. Between 1978 and 1993, 24 devices were introduced into orbit, culminating in creating a fully operational system in 1993. The current system relies on 31 GPS satellites working in concert with a wide range of ground stations to provide precise location information to anyone with access to the system. Though the DOD operates the network, the benefits of GPS are available to anyone in the world with a smartphone or dedicated global positioning unit.

The GPS has separate levels of access. The Standard Positioning Service is available to anyone who wishes to use it free of charge. Meanwhile, the Precise Positioning Service is accessible only to the U.S. military, its federal agencies, and its allies. NASA even uses GPS to protect exotic wildlife , and DARPA is currently developing an underwater positioning system for ocean exploration. Gone are the days of the astrolabe and dead reckoning that would see travelers safely home. With the proper devices , millions of people can access crucial navigational information.

Read the original article on SlashGear .

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Definition of caravel

Illustration of caravel, examples of caravel in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caravel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French caravelle , from Old Portuguese caravela

1527, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near caravel

caravansary

Cite this Entry

“Caravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caravel. Accessed 20 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of caravel, more from merriam-webster on caravel.

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• Electrostal History and Art Museum

You can spend time exploring the galleries in Electrostal History and Art Museum in Elektrostal. Take in the museums while you're in the area.

• Cities near Elektrostal

• Places of interest
• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
• Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino
• Peter the Great Military Academy
• Bykovo Manor
• Balashikha Arena
• Balashikha Museum of History and Local Lore
• Pekhorka Park
• Ramenskii History and Art Museum
• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall
• Malenky Puppet Theater
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center
• Saturn Stadium