The Mayflower’s nonstop Atlantic crossing lasted 66 days, from its final departure from Plymouth to Cape Cod.
Sixty-six days is the standard answer for anyone checking how long the Mayflower trip was. That count runs from the ship’s final departure from Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, to its anchorage in Provincetown Harbor at Cape Cod on November 11.
The calendar dates used in most Mayflower histories are English Old Style dates. The duration stays the same when the dates are converted to the modern calendar: the crossing took a little over nine weeks.
The Mayflower Crossing: Dates And Duration
The Mayflower spent 66 days on the successful Atlantic passage, but the travelers had already lost several weeks to failed departures. A smaller companion ship, the Speedwell, developed leaks and forced the two ships to turn back twice before the Mayflower sailed alone.
The final crossing began on September 6. Land was sighted off Cape Cod on November 9, and the ship reached a secure anchorage in Provincetown Harbor on November 11. The familiar 66-day figure measures the final departure to that anchorage.
- Time at sea on the successful crossing: 66 days
- Time to the first sighting of Cape Cod: about 65 days by period counting
- Time from the first summer departure attempts: close to four months
- Time before the settlers chose Plymouth: several more weeks after reaching Cape Cod
Why Do Some Sources Say 65 Or 66 Days?
The 65-day and 66-day figures use different endpoints. The National Park Service describes the Mayflower as 65 days out when Cape Cod was sighted on November 9, while the standard 66-day count ends with the November 11 anchorage.
Counting customs also differed in the 1600s. A writer could count the departure day as the first day at sea, while a modern date calculation usually measures full elapsed days between two dates. The disagreement is small because the sources are describing landfall, anchorage, or inclusive counting rather than separate crossings.
A Timeline Of The 1620 Voyage
The Mayflower’s 1620 voyage included two failed starts, a 66-day ocean passage, and weeks of coastal searching after Cape Cod came into view. The timeline below separates those stages so the famous number is easier to place.
| Stage | Date | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| Leiden group departs | July 1620 | The Speedwell carried part of the group from Delftshaven to meet the Mayflower. |
| Two ships leave England | August 1620 | The Mayflower and Speedwell began their first Atlantic attempt together. |
| First return | August 1620 | Leaks aboard the Speedwell forced the ships back for repairs. |
| Second return | Late August 1620 | More leaking ended the two-ship plan, and some passengers stayed behind. |
| Final Atlantic departure | September 6, 1620 | The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, alone with 102 passengers. |
| Mid-ocean storms | September–October 1620 | Heavy weather slowed the ship and damaged a main support beam. |
| Cape Cod sighted | November 9, 1620 | The ship made landfall after roughly 65 days by period counting. |
| Safe anchorage reached | November 11, 1620 | The Mayflower anchored in Provincetown Harbor, completing the 66-day passage. |
| Plymouth selected | December 1620 | Coastal searches ended with the choice of a settlement site across Cape Cod Bay. |
The National Park Service landfall account records the November 9 sighting and the November 11 anchorage. Those two dates explain why both 65 and 66 appear in reliable descriptions.
What The 66 Days Were Like
The crossing was slow, crowded, dark, and damp for the passengers. The Mayflower was a merchant vessel built to carry cargo, not a passenger ship with cabins, beds, or open living areas.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums lists 102 passengers and about 20 to 30 crew members. Most passengers stayed on the low cargo deck, where seawater seeped in and fresh air was limited. Seasickness was common, and rough weather kept people below deck for long stretches.
A storm cracked a large wooden support beam partway across the Atlantic. The travelers used a heavy iron screw they had brought with them to raise the beam into place, allowing the ship to continue. Passenger John Howland was also swept overboard during a storm and survived after grabbing a trailing line.
One sailor died during the crossing, and Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to a son named Oceanus. The low death count during the voyage did not mean the group was healthy: illness spread after arrival, and many passengers died during the first winter.
How Long Did The Whole Migration Take?
The wider move took much longer than 66 days. Travelers began departing in July, made two unsuccessful starts with the Speedwell, crossed the Atlantic from September to November, and spent several weeks searching Cape Cod Bay before choosing Plymouth.
Reaching Cape Cod also did not mean everyone immediately moved ashore. The Mayflower remained the group’s shelter while parties searched for a settlement site and began building. Many passengers lived aboard through the winter, and the ship did not leave for England until April 1621.
Calendar note: English records in 1620 used the Julian calendar, often called Old Style. Modern retellings may show dates ten days later, but that conversion does not change the 66-day duration.
The Date Count That Solves The Question
The clearest answer is 66 days from Plymouth, England, to the Mayflower’s Cape Cod anchorage. Use 65 days only when referring to the first sighting of land, and use close to four months when counting the failed summer departures as part of the larger travel effort.
That distinction keeps three separate events from being blurred together: the first attempts with the Speedwell, the successful Atlantic crossing, and the coastal search that ended at Plymouth. For a school answer, quiz, or historical reference, 66 days is the accepted figure.
References & Sources
- National Park Service, Cape Cod National Seashore.“Coast Guard Beach: Mayflower Landfall.”Records the November 9 landfall and November 11 anchorage in Provincetown Harbor.