How Long Was the Voyage of the Mayflower?
- Related Topics:
- human migration
The voyage of the Mayflower lasted 66 days. The square-rigged sailing ship embarked from Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620, and made landfall on Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620.
The Mayflower initially left England on August 15 in the company of the smaller vessel Speedwell, which carried Pilgrims from Holland. But the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and was twice forced to return to port. The Mayflower subsequently took on some of the smaller ship’s passengers and supplies and departed on September 16.
The Mayflower’s original destination was in the area of the Hudson River in what is now New York state, which was at the time part of the larger Virginia territory. However, the Mayflower faced rough seas and storms that forced it to alter its route farther north. An exploring party arrived at the nearby site of Plymouth (in present-day Massachusetts) on December 21, and, according to tradition, the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock on December 26. The town was recognized in 1633 as the seat of Plymouth colony, which was absorbed into Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.