Profits could be so enormous, taking a cargo that was cheap in one place to where it was super valuable and expensive, that sailors were willing to take what we today would consider wild risks.
I don’t know about the BC Med, but I’ve read estimates that during the first centuries of trans-Atlantic voyages, ten percent of ships were lost at sea.
Yet they kept going. The rewards were enormous. Even for migrants, getting to the “new world” could be a huge life changer. Peasants could rise to land owners, nearly impossible in Old Europe. Minor nobles could live like kings.
Yup. Cargo capacity and cost per mile was much better (no animals to feed, no wheels or axles to break), and range was enormous, and of course the speed of transit was great (’round the clock).
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