Why is it said that Vasco da Gama faced many difficulties in the earlier part of his voyage?

 

               Bartolomeu Dias, the predecessor of Vasco da Gama faced many difficulties during his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. Like Dias, Vasco da Gama’s voyage too was full of perils and difficulties.

               Wind and the coastal currents made the journey difficult. After a good passage, Gama made a landfall on what is now called St Helena Bay. While continuing his voyage, unfavourable wind and currents delayed circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope for many days.

               Vasco da Gama anchored at Mossel Bay, where Dias had erected a padrao during his expedition. He faced the next challenge at Mossel Bay. His convoy was hit by a ferocious storm, and the ships drifted away from each other. However, they eventually came together. The fleet soon reached the Quelimane River, which they called the Rio dos Bons Sinais or the River of Good Omens, and erected another padrao.

               By this time, many of the crew members fell sick with scurvy. The expedition took a break for a month. Meanwhile, the ships were repaired. Unlike Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama was determined that he would reach India without being dispirited by the hurdles on the way.