Lateen: (noun) A triangular sail which is effective on sailing against the wind, and doing sharp turns

Rudder: (noun) A flat material placed vertically at the stern of a ship. This used for steering.

Artillery: (noun) Vast guns used for war on land

Christopher Columbus gathered his crew and captains in the church of St. George in Palos, preparing to set sail on a journey to Asia on Friday, August 3rd, 1492. The three ships set sail from the left bank of the Tinto River. They headed on their ships to the Canary Islands. There, they would gain much needed supplies like food and water. They also replaced the Nina’s lateen sails with square ones. Square sails were much better for speedy sailing because they had more surface area. From then on they set sail to what they thought was Asia. On October 12th, land was sighted.