Vasco Da Gamas Voyage To India

Two great events dominated the Age of Discovery: the discovery of America and the opening of a sea route to India. New advances in the techniques of ship building and navigation played an important part in this fascinating period of maritime history.

The compass, probably invented by the Chinese, was widely used as a direction-finding instrument on board ship, and seafarers learned to calculate their latitude by measuring the elevation of the sun or major stars. Neither method was very precise, but nor were the charts of the day. Sea-men had to be first-class coastal pilots able to feel their way along strange shores by sounding with a weighted line and by using their own sea lore.