Sorry, but your submission has been removed because we don't allow hypothetical questions. If possible, please feel free to rephrase the question so that it does not call for such speculation, and resubmit. Otherwise, this sort of thing is better suited for /r/HistoryWhatIf.

You have two questions here:

1) If Columbus's three ships sank on the way to the new world how much longer would it have taken for Europeans to make a voyage West?

This is the "what-if" part and is not acceptable here.

2) Were there any other known plans to sail West to reach East?

This is an acceptable, and interesting, question about history. Consider reposting this as its own question.