Seafaring 550 years ago

European sailors, like John Cabot, had begun to use boats more similar to those of Zheng He. The boats were pointed at the front and square at the back, with a rudder to help them steer. The boats had many sails and used rigging to support and control the sails to help them catch as much wind as possible. European sailors had also begun to use the compass to navigate, like the Chinese before them, and the astrolabe. European sailors, like John Cabot, used lead lines to work out how deep the water they were sailing in was.