Christopher Columbus

"The Voyage of Discovery Begins"

Date of Article: 1991

Headline: "The Voyage of Discovery Begins"

Author: Lorenzo Camusso

Article Source: The Voyage of Columbus

Christopher Columbus' 1st Voyage, the very same that started the "Age of Discovery". Columbus gathered his crew in Palos, Spain, and himself and his men on 3 ships sailed south, down the Tinto River.

The ships cut East, on a route to the Canary Islands. It iis true that the islands were Spanish territory, but it was also true that Columbus loved one of the natives, a woman who governed on the island of Gomera.

There was no lack of trouble in the long, long journey to the Canaries. Not only was it a great distance- over 3,000 nautical miles, but there had been no land in sight, and none of Columbus' crew had been far from land for more than a couple of days. At one point in the journey, Columbus' crew refused to sail any further, and wanted to go back. Columbus and the captains had convinced them to hold out for just one more day. And on this day, on October 7th, the crew spotted the birds that would lead them to the Canary Islands.

Vocabulary

-- Words from the text that you may not know --

Helmsmen: a person (or people) who steers a ship or boat

lateen: a triangular sail on a ship

sovereigns: A ruler, or a "supreme ruler"