There were three brothers then in this family--Martin Alonso, Vincenti Yanez, and Francisco Martin, all pilots themselves and owners of ships.

These three brothers saw some hope of profit out of the enterprise, and they exerted themselves on Christopher's behalf so thoroughly that, not only did they afford him help in the obtaining of ships, men, and supplies, but they all three decided to go with him.
There was one more financial question to be settled--a question that remains for us in considerable obscurity, but was in all probability partly settled by the aid of these brothers.

The total cost of the expedition, consisting of three ships, wages of the crew, stores and provisions, was 1,167,542 maravedis, about L950( in 1900).

After all these years of pleading at Court, all the disappointments and deferred hopes and sacrifices made by Columbus, the smallness of this sum cannot but strike us with amazement.

Many a nobleman that Columbus must have rubbed shoulders with in his years at Court could have furnished the whole sum out of his pocket and never missed it; yet Columbus had to wait years and years before he could get it from the Crown.