HELP! How long did it take to sail from...

[Jack_Roberts]

... the American colonies to England in the late 1600s?

I need to know!

Thanks.

[pdr]

The time of year and the place they sailed from are important to the time they would take.

Let us know and we'll fill in details for you.

[Linda Adams]

I have an ancestor who left England in July. The ship had trouble clearing the English Channel until August, and finally arriving at Plymouth in mid-November. The year was 1621--might not be as late as you need, but may be helpful.

[Jack_Roberts]

The time of year and the place they sailed from are important to the time they would take.

Let us know and we'll fill in details for you.

Probably a typical passenger clipper ship.

[Jack_Roberts]

I have an ancestor who left England in July. The ship had trouble clearing the English Channel until August, and finally arriving at Plymouth in mid-November. The year was 1621--might not be as late as you need, but may be helpful.

Hmm. Five months. That seems to be what everyone says.

Thanks guys!

[robeiae]

Eh. It could take far less time. I think the Mayflower did it in under three months, if memory serves. Five months actually seems a little on the high end.

[pdr]

Did you say: 'typical passenger clipper ship.'?

Er, no! You're in the 17thC right?. A clipper was usually a 19thC sailing ship like the Cutty Sark

[Jack_Roberts]

Ah crud. So what ships did they sail passengers on in 1698? Where is a good refrence site to find this info?

Thanks guys.

[Kentuk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_%28ship%29

[Jack_Roberts]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_%28ship%29

YES! Kentuk you are my hero!

[Del]

A fast ship could manage 10 knots but that was a sleek war ship. I'd guess 5 knots for a passenger voyage. England to New England is a bit over 3100 miles. So best case, figure about 23 days. BUT...maintaining fastest speed was unlikely. Wind was unpredictable. And the ocean currents weren't considered until (I think) Ben Franklin brought light to it in the 18th century.

All things considered, I'd bet there was a great difference between similar voyages. I think Cris Columbus took 3 months from Spain to The New World but don't quote me.

I pulled all this up on google. I didn't find actual statistics. But, if you are writing about ships of that era you might appreciate this glossary.

http://ladywashington.org/glossary.html

Happy sailing.

[PattiTheWicked]

I would think the length of time from the Colonies to England would be quite different than the length of time from England to the Colonies. Also, a 1500-ton ship of the line would travel differently than a sloop or frigate. The time of year would make a difference too, and so forth. And as PDR mentioned, the clipper ship wasn't really in use until around 1840 or so.

There's actually a pretty decent article on MSN about different kinds of ships and some maritime history: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571524_1/Ship.html

I have a book around here somewhere called Colonial American Travel Narratives that I picked up for $1 at a garage sale. It's part of the Penguin Classic library, and if you can find a copy it's worth reading, because it describes all kinds of things from the time period up to around 1800 -- how long it took to travel by horse from this point to that, where the coach would pick you up for a specific departure, that sort of thing.

[Jack_Roberts]

Thanks guys! This has been really helpful!

[alices]

Here is a link to actual ship voyage data:

http://immigrantships.net/v2/1600v2/1600indexv2.html (http://immigrantships.net/v2/1600v2/1600indexv2.html)

[Jack_Roberts]

Thanks!

[Cav Guy]

Did you say: 'typical passenger clipper ship.'?

Er, no! You're in the 17thC right?. A clipper was usually a 19thC sailing ship like the Cutty Sark

Clippers were also designed for high speed high value cargo runs and not so much for the carrying of passengers.

[Jack_Roberts]

Thanks.