And the Susan Constance, Godspeed, and Discovery set sail down the Thames at Christmas time and landed at Cape Henry in late March. Kitty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clay Gullatt" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 11:13 AM Subject: Re: Slow goin' + migration travel time -Mayflower-Ark-Dove > The only reference to the Mayflower was in connection as to how long it > took to get back and forth across the North Atlantic against and with the > Gulf Stream and the stormy weather encountered and how much faster the > return trip was. We are talking about travel time and nothing more. If the > Ark and Dove took the same route at the same time of the year they would > have encountered the same problems. > > Note that 100 to 200 years later the fast clipper ships only made 3 MPH on > the trip from England to the US. Only with steam ships was the northern > passage made faster. Many of them went over the top north of the Gulf > Stream with a whole new set of problems ice burgs as the Titanic found > out. > > As Meteorologist for Commander Second Fleet I sailed these routes back > and forth 3 times aboard a large Navy Command Ship during the Sep-Oct > period during the early 1980s including once over the top. I can verify > that it indeed is a stormy and dangerous trip especially for such small > ships as the Ark, Dove and Mayflower. In some of the storms they would > have encountered 40 to 60 foot seas and hurricane force winds. > > The 1600s were also during the cold of the Little Ice Age (coldest points > 1650, 1770, 1800/1870) while the Vikings made their trips over the top > during the Medieval Climate Optimum (10th-14th century) when it was as or > warmer than it is today. You should also take into account these cold > periods when Americans were moving westward across the US, travel in > winter would not have been easy. I remember reading in Weather Wise > magazine that Chesapeake Bay was frozen solid in the 1800s enough that a > train engine was placed on a barge and pulled from Baltimore MD to Norfolk > VA. > > The Spanish and Portuguese took the easier Trade Route down the West Coast > of African then with the NE Trade Winds to the West Indies. This way you > had sea currents and winds mostly in your favor all the way. > > I doubt that many Americans today would even think of undertaking such > dangerous crossings in such small vessels as out ancestors did. Our > ancestors were indeed determined, bold and courageous men, women and > children regardless of which colony they were going to. > > Clay Gullatt > USN Ret. > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html > > > > --- > avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. > Virus Database (VPS): 071219-0, 12/19/2007 > Tested on: 12/20/2007 11:38:28 AM > avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software. > http://www.avast.com > > > --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 071219-0, 12/19/2007 Tested on: 12/20/2007 11:41:30 AM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html