Ocean Voyages

The discovery of the New World was made possible by advances in sailing and ship technology. Some the more critical advances were the arrival of the compass from Asia, the astrolabe, which allowed sailors to calculate their latitude or position between the two poles, the caravel ship design, and the lateen sail, which made it possible to sail almost into the wind. With these technologies, the Portuguese were able to begin working their way south along the coast of Africa and eventually around it to India. Columbus relied on these same technologies to get across the Atlantic to the New World. Ocean voyages in this age were very dangerous. Although ship technology had made great advancement, ships were still small and vulnerable in heavy seas. Supplies of dried and salted foods were limited and liable to spoilage, as were fresh water supplies. There was no understanding at the time of what caused scurvy; any voyage of several months or more risked much of the crew getting ill or dying. Sailors of the age had no way to calculate their longitude (their position east-west around the Earth), and relied on dead reckoning for several hundred more years. Voyages of exploration were inherently dangerous because they went into uncharted waters. Reefs and hidden rocks could wreck a ship on an unknown coast with no chance of rescue. The annals of the age are filled with records of ships lost and explorers who disappeared with no trace. The explorers of this age were intrepid men who faced great hardship and danger in their quest for glory and wealth.

From the game's History encyclopedia, AoE3: DE 100.19.18309.