Answer :
A lot of technology wasn't developed, so things like direction were difficult. At the very beginning, there were few cartographers (map makers) and the maps that were available were usually wrong. Often, because of this, they couldn't travel farther than the sight of land. It would be difficult to get adequate funding, too, because people were weary about practically betting their investments on voyages that could be lost or stolen. The weather was also a component, but there were few forecasting tools, so you could be headed straight into a storm and not know it. hope that helps! please vote this answer the branliest, too!