Voyage of The Mayflower and The Speedwell

VOYAGE OF THE MAYFLOWER
AND THE SPEEDWELL

The Leiden Separatists bought the ship Speedwell in Holland, and boarded it at Delftshaven.

They then sailed to Southampton, England to meet the Mayflower, which had been chartered by the merchant investors. In Southampton they joined with other Separatists and the additional colonists hired by the investors.

The two ships began the voyage, but the Speedwell leaked so badly that the expedition had to return to England, first to Dartmouth and then to Plymouth. Finally, the Pilgrims sold the Speedwell and had to set out from Plymouth, England, on board the Mayflower alone.

Detail from: Mayflower & Speedwell in Dartmouth Harbor by Wilcox

The Mayflower was a sizable cargo ship of 180 ton* capacity, around 90 feet in length. She had served many years in the wine trade between England and France. With the crowding of 102 passengers plus crew, each family was allotted very little space for personal belongings. For a list of the Mayflower passengers, click HERE. The 66-day voyage was frequently stormy.

The Mayflower at Sea by Margeson

At one point, the ship’s main beam cracked and had to be repaired using a large iron screw. When the passengers sighted Cape Cod, they realized that they had failed to reach Virginia, where they had permission to settle. Click HERE for a quote from the 17th-century journal of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford

*The size of a ship is measured, not by weight, but by burden (the amount the ship can carry). The term "ton," as used to measure the burden of a ship, derives from the word "tun," a large cask used for storing wine as it was being shipped.