Answer:
The first European to sail to Africa was likely a Phoenician sailor who sailed down the coast of Africa around 600 BC. However, if we are talking about a specific individual who is widely recognized as the first European to sail to Africa, that would be the Portuguese explorer Gil Eanes.
In 1434, Gil Eanes became the first European to successfully navigate around Cape Bojador, a rocky headland on the western coast of Africa. This achievement marked a significant breakthrough in European exploration of the African continent, as it opened up a new route for trade and commerce with sub-Saharan Africa.
Eanes' voyage paved the way for further European exploration and colonization of Africa in the centuries that followed, as other explorers such as Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama followed in his footsteps and expanded the reach of European influence on the continent.
Step-by-step explanation: