Sailing across the open sea during the late Middle Ages and later was difficult even under the best of circumstances. Ships were small, relatively fragile things easily dashed to pieces against a reef in a storm.

The Niña and the Pinta, for example, used on Columbus' first voyage, stretched no more than 70 to 80 feet, while the Santa María, though heavier, was not much longer than her sisters.

The further from Europe that Columbus sailed on his first voyage, the closer his panicking crew came to mutiny. Preying on their minds was the age-old belief of sailors that they would eventually sail off the edge of the world, something that would not worry those on subsequent voyages. Columbus even went so far as to falsify the log so that his crew would not learn how far they had really sailed, in the fear that the knowledge would send them over the edge -- no pun intended.

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