Why did it used to be harder to sail over deep ocean, compared to shallow waters
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Waves are much bigger in open ocean. The waves are made by wind so the large open oceans allow the waves to build up over days and grow huge. When they get close to land they get broken up by outer islands and shallows so the waves become much smaller. The wave speed is also much slower in shallower water which can help reduce their power.
In addition to smaller waves a coastal traveler can easily seek safe harbor in case of bad weather while an open ocean sailor does not have such luxury and need to ride out the bad weather. There were also issues with navigation, getting lost on the coast is much harder then in open ocean.
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