After eight years of hard work trying to get Spanish monarchs to help support him, he finally got recognized for the plan, ("Enterprise of the Indies"), and they decided to take the risk of investing in the enterprise.

On August 3rd, 1492, Columbus departed on a ship from Palos, Spain. Columbus was traveling with three ships named: Santa Maria, Pinta, Niña. Columbus was proudly commanding the Santa Maria while Martín Pinzón was commanding the Pinta, and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón commanded Niña.

Traveling for some time directly west, Columbus decided to take a new approach and turned southwest. It resulted in the ships to first explore the southern lands of the New World later on. The New World was yet sighted on October 12th early in the morning by a crew member named Rodrigo de Triana. The crew ended up meeting the first sight of land what they knew was the New World: The Bahaman Islands.

When Columbus first stepped foot on the island, he took possession of it for Spain. Afterward, Columbus went and looked at the other islands nearby. On October 29th, 1492, Columbus arrived in Cuba. Later on, the first day of December, Columbus then arrives in Hispaniola.

On Christmas day, tragedy happens and flagship Santa Maria is wrecked in Hispaniola.

This voyage ends on January 16th, 1493, as Columbus and the crew return from Hispaniola back to Spain.