The Pinzons, rich men and skilful mariners of Palos, joined in the undertaking personally, and aided it with their money, and, by these united exertions, three vessels were manned with ninety mariners, and provisioned for a year.
CHARACTER OF VESSELS AND CREWS.
The vessels were all of small size, probably of not more than one hundred tons' burden each, and, therefore, not larger than the American yachts, whose ocean race from New York to Cowes was regarded as an example of immense hardihood, even in the year 1867.

But Columbus considered them very suitable for the undertaking.

The Santa Maria, which Columbus himself commanded, was the only one of the three that was decked throughout.

The official persons and the crew on board her were sixteen in number.

The two other vessels were of the class called caravels, and were decked fore and aft, but not amidships, the stem and the stern being built so as to rise high out of the water.