Okay, did I miss something?? Why in the heck is the ship still out there? Why didn't they sail back, or at least come ashore!!
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Well thank you for confirming that I'm not the ONLY one who couldn't figure that out. My husband said "nope, didn't see anything that explained that"
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My guess is that they were hired by the company to transport them and we're obligated to stay there until they knew they were 100% safe or felt they have established themselves there with shelter, food etc and that they weren't being threatened by the indians. They chose to stay on board perhaps to look over the ship, they had shelter on there, and we're obligated to stay on the ship most of the time. Or perhaps some didn't feel the need to stay on the land because they felt the ship was the best place for protection.
shareThe ship stayed the winter and didn't return to England until spring of the next year. Disease ravaged the crew and they barely survived.
shareThe timing doesn't seem right in the movie. It shows them planting crops and harvesting and bringing food to the ship. So that would have been later than the next spring. Or was that the same year that they arrived? I'm so confused...
I suppose it is possible that the men on the ship felt "safer" in that environment than being on land, especially if they were all sailors. It seems reasonable to think that the opportunities for food/water would be better on land. Not sure where or if there was a medical person.
Hi ktsparks,
I think the production fudged on the harvest, but when the Mayflower returned to England, none of the colonists returned with them. It took five years before the colony was completed self-sufficient. I couldn't think of anything less hospitable than Cape Cod in the middle of winter.
It was spring. Some plants can be gathered earlier than others. They could have got some food by foraging in the woods, since Squanto could probably tell them what wild plants were safe to eat, or maybe fishing or hunting.
shareBecause the crew got sick and the weather in the middle of the Atlantic at that time of the year was nasty!
shareI think the ship was supposed to stay long enough for the settlers to hunt, trap, and trade and bring back the booty. When the Mayflower returned with nothing, the investment company was ticked off.
shareI think the ship was supposed to stay long enough for the settlers to hunt, trap, and trade and bring back the booty. When the Mayflower returned with nothing, the investment company was ticked off.
This is true. But the company expected gold. They sent back nothing. They were barely surviving. Many didn't. There was nothing to send back until later but it was beaver skins.
Winter voyage back in winter in an old leaky ship, not possible.
A transatlantic crossing wasn't a simple trip.
They couldn't go back during the winter. Also the ship was damaged in the crossing ,it had to be repaired and restocked for the trip back.
A transatlantic crossing wasn't a simple trip.
They couldn't go back during the winter. Also the ship was damaged in the crossing ,it had to be repaired and restocked for the trip back.
This is what I assumed also, after wondering why the crew remained on board.
There were several delays in reaching the new world. Once there the only shelter for the long winter ahead was on the ship. They spent the winter clearing areas to build homes and fields to plant in the spring. They did deliberately plan to arrive in the fall. This was due to the amount of food they could bring with them. They were unwilling/unable to cross the ocean during the winter. If they arrived in the midst of the growing season they would be unable to plant and harvest anything before winter. By arriving after the growing season they would need less food. If they planned to arrive earlier they would need additional food for that additional time.
shareI now understand why the ship did not return immediately, so thanks for those responses. I guess the only thing I still can't figure out is why the guys on the ship did not come ashore. When the pilgrims went out to the ship to give them supplies, it seemed like the pilgrims were in a WHOLE lot better shape than the sailors were. So why didn't the sailors live ashore? Or was that just a TV thing for drama?
shareA data point from Wikipedia (which I know I rely on too much).
Jones had originally planned to return to England as soon as the Pilgrims found a settlement site. But after his crew members began to be ravaged by the same diseases that were felling the Pilgrims, he realized he had to remain in Plymouth Harbor "till he saw his men began to recover."