Volta do Mar Rounding Navigation

Timeline

1. c. 1434–1450West African coast to the North Atlantic · MacaronesiaPortuguese fleets sailed south along the West African coast with the northeast trade winds; the coastal return meant sailing against both wind and current. Sailors gradually turned northwest into the open Atlantic to find the westerlies at higher latitudes. Written records of this return route existed by about 1441, and the Azores were repeatedly located in this process, becoming maritime landmarks for resupply and turning.
2. 1451–1488Azores-to-Lisbon route · AzoresIn the mid-to-late 15th century, the volta do mar became the standard return route on the West African run: after completing trade and exploration on the Guinea or Gold Coast, ships headed west-northwest into the open ocean and turned toward Lisbon via the Azores. The caravel's ability to sail close to the wind made this offshore leg more feasible. Voyages by Diogo Cão, Dias, and others all relied on this same wind-system knowledge, enabling them to push operations to the mouth of the Congo River and the Cape of Good Hope.
3. 1492–1499North and South Atlantic routes · LisbonAfter learning the North Atlantic wind system in Portugal, Columbus sailed west to the Caribbean and returned to Europe on the westerlies. When da Gama departed in 1497, he applied the rounding principle to the South Atlantic: first heading west, then turning toward the Cape of Good Hope, reaching Calicut in 1498 and returning via the ocean wind system in 1499. Thereafter the carreira routes of the Portuguese and Spanish empires were all built on the deliberate use of ocean gyres.