| Zarco, a knight in service to Prince Henry, had commanded the caravels guarding the coast of Algarve from the incursions of the Moors. |
| Its tall twin bell towers were the first sign of port for the caravels making the long voyage from Lisbon, Africa or Macau. |
| The three caravels that set sail from Spain in that year signalled the encounter of the old world and the new, which would bring exchanges of all kinds, some painful and some beneficent. |
| The local fishing caravels and brigs appeared small and insignificant, overshadowed by the tall ships. |
| Square-rigged sails were particularly effective on the lighter ships known as caravels, which is why the Nina and Pinta were apt choices for Columbus's first voyage. |
| He then sailed north to Paracoa Bay where he built a palisade to protect his caravels before he careened them in order to repair their poorly maintained hulls. |
