A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable, two- or three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish for long voyages of exploration from the 15th century. Its origins date back to the qarib used by muslim Andalusian explorers in the 13th century. Although the carrack (or Nau) represented the state of the art in later medieval shipbuilding, there were purposes for which it wasn't appropriate. Initially carracks were used for exploration by the Portuguese venturing out along the west African… (More on Caravels)