We want to talk about an age in which life at sea is full of a thousand difficulties. The Sail Age reflected just such an age. In this difficult period, seafarers have had to leave their lives on land for months and even years. While living a life away from land, they were struggling with many diseases and bad weather conditions on the sea. Other than that, unexpected difficulties were always waiting for sailors.

From the Age of Discovery until the early 19th century, the lives of seafarers were filled with such difficulties. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Karavela and Karak ships were generally used to cross the oceans. Caravans were fast and easy rudder as ships with 2 or 3 masts. These ships have a low draft feature that easily steers. Their cargo carrying capacity was low, but their use in shallow waters was functional.

Karakas was more durable and larger ships than caravels. They were 3 or 4 poles. Though not very maneuverable, their load or cargo carrying capacity was very high. A common feature of both ships is the storage of cargo or food on a covered deck. This severely limited seafarers' habitat on board. Seafarers, who did not have any qualifications, generally had to sleep on board, although some ships had cabinets for the captain and the crew. This was disturbing for sailors sleeping on the deck.

The ships named Pinta and Nina, which were used by Christopher Columbus for exploration were relatively small, 15 or 20 meters tall. The flagship Santa Maria, which is 17.7 meters tall, was a medium-sized character. All of the ships Magellan used on his world tour were of the character type. In the first years of the 16th century, the design of the caravan and caravan were combined to produce multi-deck 3-barn and 3-mast galleons. With the production of these vessels, the volume of maritime trade has increased significantly. The development of colonies has accelerated.

The increase in the number of ships brought with it a new problem. This time, the lack of crew to work on the ships came to the agenda. In times of war, this deficiency was felt even more. It was difficult to find the crew to work on the crew when difficult weather conditions, heavy working conditions, and low wages were added to the maritime business, which was difficult by nature. The only way to find a seafarer voluntarily was to promise a share of the spoils. This method has been frequently preferred by pirates. In the navy and merchant ships, crews were obtained by different methods.

The way to obtain seafarers through illegal means was preferred. For example, in England, young people who reached the age and maturity of maritime activities were kidnapped by gangs called “press-gang”. These abducted people were also involved in pirate ships when they were attacked by a pirate on board. Hierarchy rules were an important rule to be observed among sailors. The seafarers' tasks were determined by their ability. At the bottom of this hierarchy were peasant children called mi novice boys değişen aged between 8 and 15 years old.

The tasks of these children were generally:

• Cleaning the deck,

• Scrubbing floors,

• Collection of food after dinner,

• Most common jobs.

These children were often subjected to sexual harassment or severe beatings. There was also a group entrusted to the ships by their families to have a career in shipping. These children were given more qualified tasks. For example, tasks such as rotating the hourglass used to determine the ship's longitude would be given at the beginning of each hour. After the novice children, the michos were in the hierarchy. Their ages ranged from 17 to 20 years. They would do the most dangerous jobs in the crew. These children would make an effort to enter the main crew of the ship.

Any mariner considered to be a sailor would share tasks onboard according to their capabilities.

• One of them peeping, the other took it to the bowl,

• One would turn a windlass while the other would watch.

• One would pull the rope while the other would pull the pump.

There was a shift system that changed every 4 hours. The crew was changing duties according to this shift system. Two-thirds of the crew were asleep during the night. Onboard the ships there were higher officials with knowledge and skillful behavior. These:

• Priests,

• Surgeons,

• artillery,

• Carpenter

-They were performing tasks like a helm. Those on duty would not do anything other than their own. The captain was on top of the ship. Second and third captains were also assigned to assist this captain. The captains had the authority to impose some penalties to provide authority. The most important of these penalties was the flogging penalty given in front of everyone. The nine-tailed whip with the tip was bad. There were other penalties such as feathering and finding tar. Sailors found on tar or feather would be tied down on the rope and thrown down, passed under the ship. Those who were convicted of murder or rebellion were hanged in the seren coup. There was also a team of ordinary sailors specializing in a specific field, such as gabs and artillery. Although they do not differ from one of the unqualified sailors, they consider themselves superior in the hierarchy. Each one was in a specialized position.

The main nutrients of seafarers generally consisted of 

• fish, 

• Cheese, 

• Rusks, 

• Pickled meat. 

Beer, wine, and rum were provided for the drink. The portions were small and served as three meals. There were often when food was damaged by moisture. Bacteria were formed in the water stored in barrels. To get rid of this problem, rum was added to the waters and a beverage called 'Grog' was obtained. When the amount of water that could be drunk was reduced, sailing was tried to obtain drinking water. The first task of the crew was to find a source of drinking water.

Many sailors died because of a deadly disease called scurvy. Even the number of sailors who died during a storm or conflict was less than the number of sailors who died of scurvy. Diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery also appeared when drinking water became unhealthy. Seafarers in the tropics had to fight malaria. 

Also among sailors: 

• Yellow fever, 

• Typhoid, 

• Plague, 

• Diseases that spread around, such as flowers, were present. 

Seafarers who were in unhygienic conditions died of gangrene or infection. The developments that emerged in the period corresponding to the second half of the 18th century brought solutions to the maritime problems at certain points, but this change could be generalized until the middle of the 19th century. Developments in the health sector in the 1700s have made the seafarers happy. To prevent scurvy caused by vitamin C deficiency, it was decided to include foods such as sauerkraut and lemon in meals. This reduced the number of deaths from this disease. The development of pocket timepieces is also an important development during this period. These stopwatches were certainly not affected by sea voyages. This makes travel times much shorter. In the following periods, mechanization increased and led to a decrease in labor power at sea. Thus, the life of seafarers has become easier.