I found this somewhere and found it interesting.

During the centuries past, ships would travel by the breath of the earth, taking course on the oceans between Europe's Belgium, Holland, Spain, and many others. They would ark toward the African coast, pick up their harvest, and continue on back to their home port. It was an ironic space that they filled in the strength of a bustling economy that no one could avoid. This was brought to light even more by the route that many ships would carry out after their southern journey, covering distances nearing the Greenland to gather ice burgs to be hauled back for Kings and Queens of the day.