Answer;
-They were recovering from a series of disasters during the previous century. They also had sailing school.
Step-by-step explanation;
-Some European nations lagged behind Portugal in overseas exploration because they did not concentrate enough funds to explorers. Portugal delegated explorers and gave them proper equipment and funding to go and look for new opportunities.
-The Portuguese navy had very powerful ships, carracks and caravels, as well as other types of ships. They also possessed a wide variety of naval instruments, such as astrolabes, compasses, and a number of maps. That, and the fact that we were always a seafaring nation, led to Portugal being a pioneer in the discovery of the world.