Would You Survive the Trip?

ShipWould you choose….

Large well-built ship that has never crossed the Atlantic

Smaller ship with an experienced yet unfriendly crew

Smaller ship with an inexperienced yet enthusiastic crew

Ship FactsMost ships were not designed to be

luxurious. They were designed to hold supplies and passengers and be quick enough to survive voyage. A good crew meant a lot, but an unfriendly crew caused problems

Large ship=more supplies, longer on the seasSmaller ship, good crew=efficient trip, can

handle rough weather, conflict with passengers

Smaller ship inexperienced crew=faster trip, easier to please, will not be able to handle major issues

SuppliesWould you choose…

Mainly food followed by tools and weaponsMainly tools and weapons, supplies for

construction, food and drink + livestockMainly clothing, bedding, and other items for

trade in New World, followed by food and drink

Supply factIt was a 12 to 18 week journey so surviving

the trip was first priority. It was understood that supplies and tools were necessary and that people would try and adapt to the environment there. You would need plenty of food and drink because one unfavorable weather pattern and your trip becomes longer

Tension on BoardCrew and passengers start to clash….Would you choose…

Punish the crew membersKeep the passengers out of the crew’s wayEncourage crew to participate in events with

passengers (religious signing/services)

Tension on boardNo matter what, the crew and passengers would run

into problems. The crew is necessary to complete the journey and the passengers paid for it to happen.

Punish crew=limit confrontations, crew may not work as well

Separate passengers=crew works, limit confrontations, passenger morale down, sickness spreads (cramped below)

Combine the two=either works or it creates more confrontations

Witch onboard!One of the wives on the journey is suspected

of witchcraft

Would you choose…Bind her and throw her overboardAssemble a group to determine her guiltLock her away and hold trial upon arrival

Witch onboard!Although a seemingly unrealistic problem,

remember it’s the 1600’s. If you do nothing, people would think you were involved in the dark arts. Do something too rash and an innocent person is killed.

IllnessSome passengers are experiencing muscle

pain, fatigue and others have bruises on their arms

Would choose…Treat them with more beer and wineBleed out the toxinsIncrease food rations

IllnessRemember, supplies are limited so increasing

rations means the rest have to survive on less. Illness spreads quickly on ships so something has to be done

Beer and wine=limit the pain, does not do much to illness

Bleed out toxins= could be contagious, may cause more bodily problems, may work

More rations=will give strength and may fix, less food for the rest

#freshwaterproblemsBarrels carrying freshwater have rusty

sludge

Would you chooseThrow tainted water overboardSkim out as much sludge and continue to useDecrease water ration and increase beer/wine

#freshwater problemsFresh water (and food) are your most important items

for the trip. You’re surrounded by salt water so what you have is what you have, unless you can trap rain.

Throw overboard=no one gets sick from tainted water, you are relying on rain which you cannot control

Skim out the sludge=do your best to keep the water, could cause sickness

Decrease water, increase beer/wine=beer/wine are clean (because of alcohol) and can supplement a somewhat for water, still could cause dehydration with decreased water

The Perfect StormDark clouds and boil in front of you and make

the journey that much more perilous

Would you choose…Take the sails down and try to ride out the

stormTry to move around the stormMaintain desired course

The Perfect stormMost trips were not easy sailing. Large storms took

their tools on the ship, the supplies, and the people on board

Take down the sails=sails not damaged, probably still somewhat on course, journey slowed down and maybe even pushed back

Move around the storm=ship avoids storm and damage, off course

Maintain course=stay on course, if winds favorable the journey is not slowed, risk damage to ship and sails

LeaksThe storm caused leaks in the boat

Would you choose…Throw supplies to lighten boat and quicken tripSet up round the clock monitoring of boat,

bailing water overboardStuff leaks with bedding and supplies

LeaksOne leak could cause a major problem

Throw supplies=trip became quicker, fewer supplies for trip/New World

Round the clock monitoring=keeps the boat manageable for rest of journey, more work makes people more tired and wanting more food

Stuff leaks=quick fix, hopefully holds, losing supplies, may not work

Morale droppingIt has been a long journey and people are

losing hope

Would you choose…Allow for day of games and singingOpen bottles of wine and aleOrder the crew to work faster

Morale DroppingWe have all been there, cannot see the light

at the end of the tunnel and nothing to do…

Singing/celebrating=may work, may notCrew work faster=may work, may cause rift

with crew

Supplies dwindlingLong journey and supplies are low

Would you choose…Decrease rations for everyoneDecrease rations for the strong and give more

to those sufferingKeep rations the same

Supplies dwindling Since the journeys were so unpredictable and you

only had a limited space on the ship usually there came a point where decisions had to be made on supplies

Decrease for all=supplies would hold for the rest of journey, people are more susceptible to illness

Decrease for strong, increase for suffering=suffering would hopefully become better, strong may begin to suffer

Keep supply the same=hopefully everyone stays healthy enough, supplies may run out

Land…You reach land, but it is not where you

planned

Would you chooseContinue until you reach destinationDrop anchor and exploreConvene a council and decided next plan

Land…Although there were some guides to help you

across the Atlantic, weather and poor navigation could lead you astray

Continue destination=you will land on land that is known and suitable to start for colony, people struggling, supplies low

Land and explore=journey over, can start working, could land in area with no resources and dangerous environment

Convene the council=make an educated decision, could be the wrong one

Journey complete!There is no right or wrong answer with each

conflict/decisionThe journey is perilous and one decision can

end in disasterIt was proven that those who kept hope, did

their part and confronted problems as an entire ship survived the journey