Jeff
Perhaps you should read about Saint Brendan's Voyage. Circa 500 AD. Monks sailing in a leather ship from Eireland to the "New World". And let's not forget Hyerdahl on a balsa raft, and a papyrus ship. Mankind had been sailing from East to West for a long time before a certain Italian who probably read about St Brendan, and Leif Erickson, Circa 1000 AD, when he (Columbus, whose name was Colon) was studying navigation (and didn't learn his lessons too well, hehe) .
I wouldn't be surprised if some enterprising, adventurous soul had carved a boat of sorts out of a log and headed West to where the Dragons (beyond this point there be Dragons) lived. Just to see what happened to that humungus ball of fire after it fell over the edge, hehe.