Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2
1630-04-29
muche winde all this night at w: and by n: and the sea went verye highe, so as the shippe rolled verye muche, because we sayled but with one Course,1 therefore about 12: our Capt arose, and Caused the fore topsayle to be hoysed, and then the shippe went more steddye. he caused the quartermaster to looke down into the hold to see if the Caske lay fast, and ther with
we had been now 3: weaks at sea, and were not come aboue 300 leagues, beinge about ⅓ parte of our waye. viz: about 46: n: lat: and neere the meridian of the Terceras.2
251
This night Capt Kirke Carried the light as one of our Consortes.
Each of the sails attached to the lower yards of a ship.
Terceira, one of the Azores. “The purpose of the navigators of Winthrop's ships,” says H. E. Ware, “appears to have been to reach a position directly to the north of the Azores in the latitude in which they now were, and then to sail due west.” Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, XII. 194.
1630-04-30
The winde at w: n: w: a stronge gale all the night and daye with showres now and then
we made observation and founde we were in 44. n: lat: at night the wind
1630-05-01
All the night muche winde at S: S: W: and rayne, in the morninge the winde still stronge, so as we could beare litle sayle: and so it continued a growinge storme all the daye, and towardes night so muche winde, as we bore no more sayle but so muche as should keepe the shippe stiffe. then it grewe a verye great tempest, all the night, with feirce showers of rayne intermixed and verye Colde.
1630-05-02
The tempest continued all the daye with the winde w: and by n. and the sea raged, and tossed vs exceedingly: yet through Godes mercye, we were verye Comfortable, and fewe or none sicke, but had oppertunyty to keepe the Sabbathe, and mr. Philipps preached twice that daye. the Ambrose and Jewell were separated farre from vs, the first night, but this daye we sawe them againe, but Capt Kirkes shippes we sawe not since.
1630-05-03
In the night the winde abated, and by morninge the sea was well aswaged, so as we bare our foresayle againe, and stood w: S: w: but all the tyme of the tempest, we could make no waye, but were driven to the Leewarde, and the Ambrose struck all her sayles but her missen, and laye a hull. she brake her maine yarde.1
mundaye 3.
Of these storms Captain John Smith wrote: “It is true that Master Iohn Wynthrop, their now Governour, a worthy Gentleman both in estate and esteeme, went so well provided (for six or seven hundred people went with him) as could be devised; but at Sea such an extraordinarie storme encountred his Fleet, continuing ten daies, that of two hundred Cattell which were so tossed and brused, threescore and ten died, many of their people fell sicke, and in this perplexed estate, after ten weekes, they arrived in New-England at severall times: where they found threescore of their people dead, the rest sicke, nothing done; but all complaining, and all things so contrary to their expectation, that now every monstrous humor began to shew it selfe.” Advertisements for the unexperienced Planters of New-England (London, 1631) in Edward Arber, Ed., Capt. John Smith . . . Works: 1608–1631 (Birmingham, 1884), 954.
Latitude of Cape Sable.
1630-05-04
muche winde at S: w: close weather. In the morninge we tacked about 252and stood n: w: and about 10: in the morninge w: n: w: but made litle waye in regard of the head sea.