The Journal of Christopher Colombus's First Voyage

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Journal of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage

Christopher Columbus began his journey on May 12th, 1492 where he traveled to port of

Palos where he prepared 3 vessels, well equipped with provisions and crew. On August 3rd he

began his sailing with the purpose of reaching the Indies to carry out Your Majesties’ orders. As

he traveled he proposed to himself to write his experience with every detail he remembered.

As Columbus and his men traveled, he had to reprimand the crew because they let the

ship fall off a point and some days later they saw a bolt of fire fall from the sky into the sea

which caused the crew to get disturbed and depressed feeling that they took a very dangerous

course. As they continued the course the saw rafts of weed in the distance which caused

Columbus’s men to be afraid, after they passed them, the fear reduced.

The next day, they saw a large number of dolphins which came from the west. Columbus

says “where I trust that the great God in whose had all victory lies will give us a landfall.”, in

which he expresses his confidence in God being the most powerful and who has the control of

what will happen next, which he expects to be good. Also he saw tropical birds, which he knows

don’t spend the night at sea.

A couple days later, Columbus had their exact coordinates and gave his men the lower

figure to encourage them. The further they sailed from Spain, the more they believed they were

sailing into a new world from which they would not be able to go back from. The continued to

see birds, but no land was seen. More days passed and they saw another bird, the crew was

getting restless.

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The crew was complaining again about the voyage’s length, claiming it was too long.

Even though Columbus tried to convince them of the benefits they would gain from it the crew

continued to be uncomfortable. Yet again Columbus mentions God, as the one who has total

control of what’s going to happen. He talked to his men about the grace God showed them by...