Caravel Exploration Timeline

Becoming A Crew Member

May 20, 1510

About a week ago the caravel we are sailing on set out to sea. Since then I have not had much sleep. I've been working very late and waking up very early which is making me exhausted. Scrubbing the deck makes my arm sore.The food isn't that great either. Hardtack gets old after a while.

1 Month After Setting Sail

Jun 22, 1510

It's been a month now and our ship is faster than I imagined. It is probably because of how small it is and how easy to manage it is. I learned not to sleep on the job. I will always remember not to sleep because of the scars on my back. I don't think I'm getting the right amount of nutrition either. But soon we will make it to India.

Exploring Goa

Aug 17, 1510

Our ship has made it to Goa and we have got some more new supplies to take for our journey. I'm very relieved because our water wasn't in good quality and our food supplies were being scavenged by varmints. Goa is what we call this port. Next we are going to find a way to get to the Pacific Ocean.

Port Goa

Aug 18, 1510

Goa is a small state on the west coast of India. It was one of the major trade centres of India. It has attracted merchants and seafarers since it's earliest known history.

Port Hormuz

Aug 20, 1510

Prosperous port city and trading center at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. This port was captured by the Portuguese. Was a city that was partly Arab but mostly Persian.

Port Diu

Aug 22, 1510

The Portuguese defeated a large Muslim fleet in a battle.This was in the Arabian Sea off the northwest coast of India, near Diu. Diu was heavily protected by artillery and gunners.

Port Malacca

Aug 24, 1510

The Portuguese captured Malacca while the emperor of China didn't care who dominated the seas of Southwest Asia. This port was in Indonesia which was the center of spice production. This port also gave the Portuguese control over a narrow waterway farther east.

Something is terribly wrong.

Aug 24, 1510

So, it has been about a week from when we were in Goa. While we were at Goa, more rats and varmints got aboard our ship and contaminated our food with feces and urine. The crew has to eat, so we had to push through and digest the disgusting food. But another problem has surfaced. Today a crew member was found out to having an illness. He had spots on his skin in the legs region and swollen gums that bled. This caused him to not be able to eat. We are all worried about our own health.

Port Pegu

Aug 26, 1510

Pegu was the capital of the United Kingdom until 1599 and again from 1613 to 1634. many europeans visited it and described it as magnificent. Some of the visitors were the Venetian trader Cesare Federici (1569) and the English merchant Ralph Fitch (1587–88).

Returning Home

Nov 16, 1510

Most of the crew has the illness now, including me. Those who haven't died because of the disease have wanted to return home for a while now, due to the pain and suffering. A lot of my teeth have fallen out and I can barely eat, but I still am pushed to work. For some reason the Captain doesn't have the illness, so he doesn't know our pain. Today we were told that we finally get to start heading home because even if we do get to a port, they might not even trade with us because of our condition.