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Introduction

Two recent events have focused attention on the Atlantic. On the one hand a young women has crossed from the Canaries to Barbados alone in a rowing boat albeit one specially constructed and equipped. On the other hand last winter’s gales have demonstrated the ferocity of the weather that can occur on the western coasts of these islands. Newspaper reports suggest that what kept the oarswoman going was the support she was conscious of receiving especially from those sending messages to her website. In the gales there were at first no reports of ships wrecked or even in danger. Later only two were reported in difficulties and of these only one was driven ashore. The conclusion we might draw from all this is that a trans-Atlantic voyage is not really a very difficult undertaking especially with all the communication aids available to the modern sailor. Navigation and position finding can safely be left to electronics and the GPS which never makes mistakes and deep depressions can be predicted accurately in enough time to avoid their consequences.

It was, of course, all very different in the fifteenth century, but, given the circumstances of the period, were English seamen at this time actively seeking out new routes and new lands or were they plodding along following well-known paths to well-known destinations, more or less ignoring the activities of the Portuguese and Spanish seamen and pilots which were to lead before the end of the century to the European discovery of the New World?

There would seem to be certain pre-requisites for a long ocean voyage, especially one to an uncertain destination. The seamen must have confidence in their ship; the vessel must be, according to the standards of the time, truly sea-worthy, able to keep close to the wind and to ride out heavy seas. They must have confidence in their master, his navigational and ship-handling skills and his experience. They must also, it seems to me, if the voyage involves venturing outside the usual limits, trust not only their master’s skills but also his vision. Finally, as exemplified by the story of the solo oarswoman, they perhaps need to feel secure in the support of their colleagues, that others see their expedition as not only potentially exciting but also potentially successful and rewarding. Could these pre-conditions be fulfilled in England at any time in the later fifteenth century?