I — Sailing the New Mayflower

Abstract

When I heard about the idea to sail a replica of the Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower from England to America, I liked the notion. It was not my idea and I had nothing to do with the promotion. What I did was to volunteer to find a British crew and sail the ship, when she was ready—to get her across the Western Ocean, the way the original ship had gone over three and a half centuries ago. I have listened to a good many pessimists who have alleged that sailormen were dead and gone in Britain today, who declared mournfully that nobody could be found to sail ocean-going square-rigged ships in this country, and averred that, in any event, no one could possibly have the least idea how to handle a museum-piece come to life, and so on and so forth, ad nauseam.