Spanish Caravels, 19th century. The Conquistadors by Hammond Innes, page 205. The caravel was a small ship made of the common beachwood found on the shores of Europe. These ships had three masts, the mizzen carrying a lateen sail, while the fore and main were square rigged. Larger ones had a square rigged foremast, while the main, mizzen and bonaventure were lateen rigged. Christopher Columbus' Pinta and Nina were caravels. Also, Vasco Da Gama and other Portuguese explorers used the caravel to reach India via the Cape of Good Hope. Caravels were capable ships and ideal for the first voyages out from the shores of Europe by Spain, Portugal and England. They were faster than many other ships, but carried few guns. They were essentially merchant ships ranging from 60 to 200 tons.