how old was christopher columbus when he first sailed
Christopher Columbus was a sailor from his teen years. He first sailed to the New World in 1492 - he was born in 1451 that would make him 41. The Queen of Spain commissioned him in 1492 and he sailed west with 3 ships and a crew of 90. October 12th 1492 he found an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. He thought he reached Asia.