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A Voyage to the Past

By Rachel Walker

On December 20, 1606, three ships set sail from London, England, to the New World. They arrived nearly five months later. The 104 passengers established Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. As part of an ongoing celebration of the 400th anniversary of this milestone, kid reporter Rachel Walker climbed aboard the Godspeed. It is a replica, or copy, of one of the three ships. Here is what she learned about the journey.

This year, Americans are celebrating the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. Recently, I got a chance to feel like one. I went for a sail on a replica of the Godspeed.

From the outside, the ship looked big. But as I stood on the deck, I saw that it was pretty small. The masts are really tall. It was crowded on the deck. Many sailors were untying ropes and pulling sails to get the ship moving in the right direction. On the original Godspeed, there were 52 settlers on board. They had to squeeze in below the deck and could not come up for fresh air unless they got permission from the crew.

The voyage from England to Virginia took 144 days. The ships were stuck in the English Channel for six weeks, waiting for the wind to change direction. Ships did not have motors or steering wheels back then.

The captain of the Godspeed showed me how he turns using a tiller, a lever that steers a boat. The sailors pulled ropes to turn the sails toward the wind. They climbed high up a rope to the top of the sails. The sailors had to be tough, brave and hardworking.

The settlers had to be brave, too. They knew that they might not survive, so they had to be ready for challenges. They persevered for many years. More people came after them, looking for a better way of life. People still come to the U.S. seeking the same thing. They can thank the Godspeed passengers, who took a trip that changed the world.

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