When you see the Nina and Pinta Caravels sailing into port, the first thing you will notice is the magnificent sails. Have you ever wondered about the sails? Questions like what are they made of, how are they made, or how many people does it take to hoist a sail?
I was curious, so I did some research. Sails can be made from natural or synthetic materials. Sails on a caravel were made from natural fibers of flax or cotton canvas. Hoisting a sail on the Nina Caravel isn’t something that is possible to do alone. It takes multiple people working together to hoist each sail. Below is a time-lapse video of the crew hoisting a sail on the Nina. This smaller jib sail in the video took three people to hoist. It would require more people to hoist the mainsail, which is larger.
The sails on Nina and Pinta caravels are the only source of power for the ships. The sail shapes on caravels have changed over time. Earlier caravel ships had triangular sails. The Nina and Pinta Caravels have square sails, which allows for more speed. The average is 4 knots, 90-100 miles in a day. At top speed, a caravel can go 8 knots. This next video will give you an idea of how fast the ship moves through the water. 4 knots is definitely faster than it sounds!
The sails are just one of the many interesting things on a caravel ship. There is so much to learn about these amazing 15th-century replica ships. What is something you would like to learn more about them?