ABSTRACT
The crew becomes anxious by September 20 and Columbus, in response, orders his first course change, hoping to site an island. Five days later, no land was sighted, and Columbus brought Martín Pinzón on board the Santa Maria in an attempt to consider options. Unknown to Columbus, magnetic variation increased daily, moving the compass needle more to the south. October 1 arrives and still no land is sighted. Winds and currents appear to favor Columbus and the crew waits to see if land will appear. By October 10, the crews of all three ships had given up hope, but Columbus continued. Then on the next evening, land was sighted
