The Longest Voyage Fact Sheet

1. The Longest VoyageFact Sheet INB pg 19

2. Colonial Life Illustrated (INB 18) Directions: 1. Choose four colonial “Facts” from the power point to illustrate. 2. Put a caption next to (or under) the illustration. 3. Summarize the information from the power point on the lines provided

3. Most vessels that carried colonists to the New World were not passenger ships; they were built to transport cargo and goods. Sailors learned to live with the cramped, dangerous, and filthy conditions, but many colonists were surprised at just how bad shipboard life was. No thought was given to sanitary or sewage conditions, and privacy was minimal. Colonists lived in these conditions for eight to 12 weeks. The average length of an Atlantic crossing in the early 17th century was ten and a half weeks, though there are accounts of some unfortunate ships taking 20 weeks. 

4. Dude. It’s crowded in here Voyages took two to four months. Most ships were not made to carry passengers; they were made to carry cargo. Passengers travelled in cramped and unsanitary places.

5. Reverend Francis Higginson of London compiled a list of essential items necessary for any voyage to the New World. Higginson suggested that each person take along enough food for a period of one year (including water, oil, vinegar, butter, meal, peas, and oatmeal), as well as durable clothing, tools, arms for hunting, and household items. If there was any room left on the ship, Higginson suggested bringing prepared foods, such as cheese, as well as livestock, fishing gear, and books. 

6. Despite colonists' careful preparations for their journeys to the New World, journeys were frequently delayed. Departure could be put off for weeks -- or months -- by bad weather, late arrivals of important passengers, and slow transport of goods for the ship. The ship itself could also hinder departure. Richard Mather, a colonist who arrived in Bristol in 1635, found his ship and supplies "very unready ... [with] many goods being not stowed, but lying on disordered heaps here and there in the ship." 

7. Colonists found storms at sea to be among the most terrifying elements of their journey. Many saw bad weather as a sign of God's power. Puritan leader John Cotton wrote, "The safety of mariners' and passengers' lives ... lieth not on ropes and cables, but in the name and hand of the Lord." During one Atlantic storm, a colonist reported that "at five of the clock it was pitchie dark," while another lamented "the wind blew mightily, the rain fell vehemently, the sea roared, and the waves tossed us horribly."