Picanco (Henry The Navigator)
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:43 pm
Infante Dom Henrique de Avis, Duke of Viseu; (1394–1460), better known as Henry the Navigator, was an important figure in 15th-century Portuguese politics and in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and the Age of Discoveries. He was responsible for the early development of European exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the beginning of the systematic exploration of Western Africa and the islands of the Atlantic Ocean.
He financed expeditions intended to push the boundaries of the known world -- for profit, and to spread Christianity.
The voyages were made in very small ships “the caravel”, (ship that depicted on the stamp “Picanco”) a light and maneuverable vessel that used the lateen sail which had been the prevailing rig in Mediterranean navigation since late antiquity.
For more info about Portuguese Caravel, “See Topic; Portuguese Caravel by Mr. Auke Palmhof”
Diogo Gomes (1420 – 1500 a Portuguese navigator, explorer and writer) was a servant and explorer of Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator. His memoirs were dictated later. He does mention a ship 'Picanço' were used in most of the explorations.
New technology for shipbuilding was key for the voyages, and this is what it looked like, circa 1440: A ship with triangular sails. It was called “The Caravel”, an ocean-going version of smaller fishing boats. The caravel revolutionized exploration.
The advantage to the type of rigging, "you could sail very close to the winds, meaning that you would sail basically where and when you wanted to." In a caravel you weren't restricted to winds that just pushed you along from behind, as square-riggers were.
For more info about square rigged vessels, See Topics; Brig, Galleon, Full Rigger Ship, Drakkar, Viking Longship, etc.
Prince Henry the Navigator seldom left his home in Portugal, but he helped make it possible for the first Europeans to explore Africa. In Henry’s time, the ocean was very dangerous and Africa was a mysterious place that seemed to contain endless miles of sand. Today we know this sand as the Sahara Desert. Although it isn’t endless, the Sahara is the largest desert in the world. On the other side of the Sahara were many great cultures that were isolated from the rest of the world.
Nobody used the nickname 'Navigator' to refer to prince Henry during his lifetime or in the following three centuries. The term was coined by two nineteenth-century German historians: Heinrich Schaefer and Gustav de Veer. Later on it was made popular by two British authors who included it in the titles of their biographies of the prince: Henry Major in 1868 and Raymond Beazley in 1895.
Umm Al Qiwain, ????, S.G.?, Scott;?
Source: Wikipedia and various web-sites.
He financed expeditions intended to push the boundaries of the known world -- for profit, and to spread Christianity.
The voyages were made in very small ships “the caravel”, (ship that depicted on the stamp “Picanco”) a light and maneuverable vessel that used the lateen sail which had been the prevailing rig in Mediterranean navigation since late antiquity.
For more info about Portuguese Caravel, “See Topic; Portuguese Caravel by Mr. Auke Palmhof”
Diogo Gomes (1420 – 1500 a Portuguese navigator, explorer and writer) was a servant and explorer of Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator. His memoirs were dictated later. He does mention a ship 'Picanço' were used in most of the explorations.
New technology for shipbuilding was key for the voyages, and this is what it looked like, circa 1440: A ship with triangular sails. It was called “The Caravel”, an ocean-going version of smaller fishing boats. The caravel revolutionized exploration.
The advantage to the type of rigging, "you could sail very close to the winds, meaning that you would sail basically where and when you wanted to." In a caravel you weren't restricted to winds that just pushed you along from behind, as square-riggers were.
For more info about square rigged vessels, See Topics; Brig, Galleon, Full Rigger Ship, Drakkar, Viking Longship, etc.
Prince Henry the Navigator seldom left his home in Portugal, but he helped make it possible for the first Europeans to explore Africa. In Henry’s time, the ocean was very dangerous and Africa was a mysterious place that seemed to contain endless miles of sand. Today we know this sand as the Sahara Desert. Although it isn’t endless, the Sahara is the largest desert in the world. On the other side of the Sahara were many great cultures that were isolated from the rest of the world.
Nobody used the nickname 'Navigator' to refer to prince Henry during his lifetime or in the following three centuries. The term was coined by two nineteenth-century German historians: Heinrich Schaefer and Gustav de Veer. Later on it was made popular by two British authors who included it in the titles of their biographies of the prince: Henry Major in 1868 and Raymond Beazley in 1895.
Umm Al Qiwain, ????, S.G.?, Scott;?
Source: Wikipedia and various web-sites.