Genoa is at the shore of the Ligurian Sea part of the Mediterranean When Christopher and others looked out over the water they saw no end to it Christopher was a tall boy with a thin face and freckles He worked in his father’s shop but he dreamed of going to sea
When Christopher was young he took short trips on the sea When he was older he became a sailor In 1476 when he was twenty-five Christopher was sailing on one of a group of ships headed for England French pirates attacked and the ship on which he was sailing sank Christopher was injured and thrown into the sea He grabbed onto some floating wood and made his way to the nearest shore
