Transatlantic Sailing Times in the 1500s–1600s

Crossing the Atlantic in the 16th–17th centuries took weeks to months, depending on route, season, ship, and weather:

• Columbus (1492): ~2 months 9 days (Canaries to Bahamas).
• Northward route (Spain to Caribbean/N. America): 2–3 months (prevailing headwinds).
• Southward route (Spain to South America): 1.5–2.5 months (better trade winds).
• Mid-1600s regular crossings: 6 weeks–3 months as ships/navigation improved.
• Record: Sir Francis Drake, Plymouth to California in ~6 weeks (1578).

Steamships in the mid-1800s cut this to under 3 weeks. Sailing was perilous—storms, becalming, navigation errors, disease, and piracy were constant threats.