Championed by Portuguese explorers during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Caravel is a small yet nimble sailing ship that was esteemed as the best sailing vessel of its time. Fitted with lateen sails, caravels were speedy and could venture up shallow rivers, making them indispensable during the Age of Discovery.

These vessels also played a crucial role in the spice trade, setting the stage for the Portuguese and Spanish maritime empires. Being small shops, they do have the drawback of limited capacity when it comes to cargo and crew - we’re talking ten pirates, max. On the flip side, their size and maneuverability made the caravel ideal for exploring unfamiliar waters and coastal shallows where larger ships would easily get stranded on sandbanks or damaged by rocks.