Allen,
Not a different topic but you raise an interesting point. CLIMATE. Not just cold or warm. Storms. And what is most affected by storms? The sea. Is there a tipping point where sea farers hang it up and stop as you suggested. Not stop as individual voyages but stop. And like most human activity that runs on momentum once seafaring even into stormy country ow becomes no go no matter what. (sea monsters anyone). Now it always restarts. Mans technology balances natures forces and off we go again. But depending on the length of the gap what remains from the past is myth or rumors.
The globe is a big place. and not ALL regions are in synch in development. One region can be exploring (polynesians) and another battening down the hatches(greenland).
