Voyage of the Mayflower, 1620 -- Routing?

[CarlF]

It seems they were trying to take the rhumb line to Virginia but were set north by the Gulf Stream. They were so far off course that they stopped to re-provision in Newfoundland.

A little known story is thay in the spring of 1622 after the first terrible winter, the Pilgrims sailed their 38ft open single masted shallop for the 200 mile trip to Damariscove Island off Boothbay harbor Maine. There was a well established trading post on the island that serviced a year round fishing fleet that could see 40 boats at anchor in the summer. The island's gift of cod helped them survive until the harvest for the first Thanksgiving.

If you ever cruise Maine, be sure to stop at Damariscove Island which is uninhabited today except for a conservation caretaker and a family that has restored the old lifeboat station. it's not hard to imagine the Pilgrim's arrival in 1622.

[barnakiel]

Great thread.

I have not read any sources so my only guess is maybe they sailed the N route, above the Westerlies. That's how cruising boats go to Island and Groenland today. Level: easy (and cold).

b.

[SaltyMonkey]

They took 2 months to get there.

Also, other things more important were happening then:

May 17 – The first merry-go-round is seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey).
June 3 – The oldest stone church in French North America, Notre-Dame-des-Anges, is begun at Quebec City, Canada.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

But the question is did they really go N of the Azores High, against the prevailing winds, as depicted in various maps?

The winds are against only above the Azores further out N they are variable with a good share of E'lies.

As any Low approaches you, it is easier for a boat to sail over the top of it: sailing N for atime then W and then S as the system passes below you.

b.

[Dockhead]

I've done some more reading on this, and it seems they really went North. Barney seems to be right.

It makes me wonder how cool would it be to follow in their footsteps -- cross the Atlantic that way, the Northern route, from Southampton to Cape Cod, with a stop in Newfoundland. Maybe worth a rally?

The time of year they did it seems suicidal, however. Landfall on 9 November! In the middle of hurricane season, and with no weather information whatsoever. Wow! They had some cojones.

I think I would rather do it in a more benign season, maybe in May before hurricane season starts.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by CarlF

It seems they were trying to take the rhumb line to Virginia but were set north by the Gulf Stream. They were so far off course that they stopped to re-provision in Newfoundland.

A little known story is thay in the spring of 1622 after the first terrible winter, the Pilgrims sailed their 38ft open single masted shallop for the 200 mile trip to Damariscove Island off Boothbay harbor Maine. There was a well established trading post on the island that serviced a year round fishing fleet that could see 40 boats at anchor in the summer. The island's gift of cod helped them survive until the harvest for the first Thanksgiving.

If you ever cruise Maine, be sure to stop at Damariscove Island which is uninhabited today except for a conservation caretaker and a family that has restored the old lifeboat station. it's not hard to imagine the Pilgrim's arrival in 1622.

Thanks; extremely interesting!