The Atlantic Crossing of the Mayflower Pilgrims

After all the troubles with the Speedwell were over, the Mayflower finally set off alone, on September 6, 1620. The weather was good, and the wind remained near perfect for many days. Most all the passengers became very sea-sick. It was not long after that they lost their good wind, and the Atlantic storms hit them in full force. Powerful cross-winds and extremely high seas tossed the 180-ton Mayflower violently. The upper deck started leaking badly, keeping the passengers below deck very cold and wet.

Suddenly the main beam of the ship bowed and cracked, putting the entire voyage in jeopardy. Captain Christopher Jones, his crew, and the leaders of the Pilgrims had serious discussions about what they should do. Should they turn back and just try and make it back to England? Or should they continue on to the New World, and risk their safety and lives?

After long, serious, and heated consultations, it was finally decided they would continue on. Captain Jones knew his ship was strong, and would hold up; besides, they were already more than half the way there. The cracked beam was pushed back into place and supported with a giant screw the Pilgrims had brought from Holland. Many historians believe this giant screw may have come from Edward Winslow's printing press.

The fierce Atlantic storms continued for many more days, however, and for days on end the Mayflower was forced to drift, going wherever the wind would happen to take it. It was during one of these powerful storms that a man named John Howland, about 27 years old, was, with a violent roll of the ship, thrown into the sea. From Gov. Braford's writings: "But it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards which hung overboard and ran out at length. Yet he held his hold (though he was sundry fathoms under water) till he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim of the water, and then with a boat hook and other means got into the ship again and his life saved." This young man was savied by grabbing hold of a halyyard.

At some point during the voyage, Stephen Hopkins pregnant wife Elizabeth went into labor and gave birth to a son. They named him Oceanus, because he was born at sea.

The Mayflower's voyage was very long and difficult, and the passengers were getting desperate to reach land. Exactly two months into the voyage, on November 6, 1620, a young servant to Dr. Samuel Fuller, named William Butten, died from disease, and had to be thrown overboard. It was a sad day for the passengers, William being the first of the Pilgrims to die.

Just three days later, however, the Pilgrim's sorrow would turn to joy. Sixty-six days after starting their voyage, about 6:30 in the morning on Thursday, November 9, 1620, the two greatest words the passengers could possibly have heard were yelled out loudly and with great enthusiasm.

"Land Ho!" The quiet and calm daybreak was interrupted by the excited passengers joyously trying to get a glimpse of the newly-sighted land in the morning light. At 6:55, the sun began to peer over the east horizon; the day was calm, and the wind was fair. Christopher Jones and his pilots identified the land they were approaching as Cape Cod.

The Mayflower Pilgrims Prepare and Start the Voyage to America

When the Pilgrims reached Delftshaven, Holland, they found everything was ready for them to go the next morning. The Speedwell was to take them into Southampton, England, where the Mayflower was waiting to receive them. After twelve years of living with their friends and fellow Separatists in Leyden, there was just one night left before they would have to say their final goodbyes. In many cases husbands were leaving behind wives and children. Bradford writes about this very emotional night and the next morning:

"That night was spent with little sleep by the most, but with friendly entertainment and Christian discourse and other real expressions of true Christian love...

"The next day (the wind being fair) they went aboard and their friends with them, where truly doleful was the sight of that sad and mournful parting, to see what sighs and sobs and prayers did sound amongst them, what tears did gush from every eye, and pithy speeches pierced each heart;

But the tide, which stays for no man, calling them away that were thus loath to depart, their reverend pastor falling down on his knees (and they all with him) with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers to the Lord and His blessing. And then with mutual embraces and many tears they took their leaves one of another, which proved to be the last leave to many of them."

The Speedwell was soon on its way, and shortly thereafter arrived at Southampton, England, its scheduled destination. They were greeted upon their arrival by John Carver, Robert Cushman, William Brewster and some of the Merchant Adventurers including Thomas Weston.

At the beginning of August, 1620, the Pilgrims were still £100 short of money after having put in nearly £1300. Thomas Weston stubbornly refused to help pay this additional cost, instead choosing to get angry and threatened to cancel the whole deal if they did not come up with the money. To get £100, the Pilgrims were forced to sell off some of their provisions, primarily the excess butter of which Christopher Martin had purchased too much.

The Mayflower had several other passengers on board as well to fulfill specific purposes. Myles Standish was hired to organize and instruct the Pilgrims on the defense of the colony. John Alden was hired to be the Mayflower's cooper. John Clarke and Robert Coppin were two of the Mayflower crew members who had been to the New England region before, and were hired for their knowledge of the coastline.

On August 5, 1620, the Mayflower captained by Christopher Jones and governed by John Carver and the Speedwell captained by Mr. Reynolds and governed by Christopher Martin started on their voyage to America. Shortly after getting underway, however, the Speedwell started leaking badly;

so, Captain Jones and Reynolds got together and decided to come ashore at Dartmouth, England to have the ship mended. This cost the Pilgrims more money, of which they had almost none. It also meant another month of repairs, another month of delay, another month of food supplies, and another month to spend trapped on a ship governed by Christopher Martin.

After the Speedwell was mended of some of its leaks and deemed fit for sailing again, the two ships started on their voyage to America once more. But Captain Reynolds and his crew had other plans...

They had decided they no longer wanted to make the voyage to America, believing the Pilgrim adventure was doomed from the beginning. So they secretly overmasted the sails, causing the ship to again leak badly. The passengers were unable to bail the water out fast enough, and it was forced to turn back once again.

The Pilgrims, seeing that the ship was apparently unfit for travel, were forced to leave it behind. All the goods and supplies were transferred over to the Mayflower. Many of the passengers had now become quite frustrated, and decided they would rather stay behind and not make the trip to America.

All those passengers that wanted to continue were combined together on the Mayflower.
More than a month had now passed since the first attempt to make the voyage took place, but finally on September 6, 1620, the Mayflower was ready to depart for good.

Copyright 2009 Little Pines Multimedia

Next: The Voyage at Sea

About the Author: Linda Cullum is from Cape Cod, MA, with a second home in Vermont. She is the author of "The History of the Pilgrims: In their Own Words" Ebook, co- written with Caleb Johnson, Mayflower descendent and historian, and "Learn to Sail! with Multimedia!" an Interactive Sailing training CDROM which teaches all aspects of Sailing including Knots, Rules of the Road, Weather with digital video from Sail Magazine, narration, animation and quizzes. Visit her websites at
http://historyofthepilgrims.com/ and http://learntosail.net

Why Did the Mayflower Pilgrims Leave?

True facts about the Mayflower Pilgrims.

This history starts in Holland where the Pilgrims were living, having left England.

In 1609, Holland had signed a truce with its former war adversary, Spain. The truce was negotiated to last twelve years. English troops which had been stationed in Holland during that time to protect them from the Spanish were withdrawn.

Among these troops was most likely a 25 year old soldier by the name of Myles Standish, who would make acquaintance with the Separatists, and eleven years later would become their military captain, leader, and one of the most prominent citizens of the Plymouth colony.

In 1621, the truce would expire, and there was the grave possibility that Holland would again go to war with the still powerful country of Spain. It soon became apparent that the wisest thing they could do was to find a new place to live.

They had many other reasons for wanting to leave Holland as well. They were just barely making enough money to survive on, and their work was hard and tedious. They felt uncomfortable in their new cloth professions, and longed for their old profession of subsistance farming.

They realized also that the church membership was slowly passing into middle agea couple of the elders were even approaching the grand old ages of 50 and 60. Without a source of income, and no form of retirement, they realized they needed to come up with some new way to support themselves. Another of the major concerns to the Pilgrims was their children and future generations.

They were not necessarily looking for missionary work, to convert the natives of foreign place, but rather they wanted to start their own country with their own religious beliefs which they could pass on to their children and descendants without fear of persecution.

Around 1618, the proposition to remove to America was put forth to the general churchgoers for discussion and debate. The discussions raised many fears and doubts throughout the congregation. Some thought it was too dangerous.

Some thought that the "length of the voyage was such as the weak bodies of women and other persons worn out with age and travail could never be able to endure."

Others said that going to America could deprive them of food and clothing and that the drastic change of diet might harm them. Still others worried about the Indians, who several explorers reported were uncivilized, savage, and brutal; delighting in the torture of anyone they could capture and kill. William Bradford writes:

" It was granted the dangers were great, but not desperate. The difficulties were many, but not invincible. For though there were many of them likely, yet they were not certain.

It might be sundry of the things feared might never befall; others by provident care and the use of good means might in a great measure be prevented; and all of them, through the help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be borne or overcome."

At long last, after much debate and serious consideration, it was finally decided upon that they would try their best to make a voyage to America. While many of their fears and worries were genuine, it is ironic to note that on the voyage the only people to die were young men; not any women or elderly, and rather than being killed by Indians or starving to death, they were helped by the Indians who taught them how to grow corn, hunt for game, and gather edible shellfish and berries.

Copyright 2009 Little Pines Multimedia

Next: The Voyage

About the Author: Linda Cullum is from Cape Cod, MA, with a second home in Vermont. She is the author of "The History of the Pilgrims: In their Own Words" Ebook, co- written with Caleb Johnson, Mayflower descendent and historian, and "Learn to Sail! with Multimedia!" an Interactive Sailing training CDROM which teaches all aspects of Sailing including Knots, Rules of the Road, Weather with digital video from Sail Magazine, narration, animation and quizzes. Visit her websites at
http://historyofthepilgrims.com/ and http://learntosail.net