Ship Would 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 Facts Most 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 seas Smaller 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

Supplies Would you choose… Mainly food followed by tools and weapons Mainly tools and weapons, supplies for construction, food and drink + livestock Mainly clothing, bedding, and other items for trade in New World, followed by food and drink

Supply fact It 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 Board Crew and passengers start to clash…. Would you choose… Punish the crew members Keep the passengers out of the crew’s way Encourage crew to participate in events with passengers (religious signing/services)

Tension on board No 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 overboard Assemble a group to determine her guilt Lock 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.

Illness Some passengers are experiencing muscle pain, fatigue and others have bruises on their arms Would choose… Treat them with more beer and wine Bleed out the toxins Increase food rations

Illness Remember, 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

#freshwaterproblems Barrels carrying freshwater have rusty sludge Would you choose Throw tainted water overboard Skim out as much sludge and continue to use Decrease water ration and increase beer/wine

#freshwater problems Fresh 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 Storm Dark 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 storm Try to move around the storm Maintain desired course

The Perfect storm Most 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

Leaks The storm caused leaks in the boat Would you choose… Throw supplies to lighten boat and quicken trip Set up round the clock monitoring of boat, bailing water overboard Stuff leaks with bedding and supplies

Leaks One 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 dropping It has been a long journey and people are losing hope Would you choose… Allow for day of games and singing Open bottles of wine and ale Order the crew to work faster

Morale Dropping We have all been there, cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and nothing to do… Singing/celebrating=may work, may not Crew work faster=may work, may cause rift with crew

Supplies dwindling Long journey and supplies are low Would you choose… Decrease rations for everyone Decrease rations for the strong and give more to those suffering Keep 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 choose Continue until you reach destination Drop anchor and explore Convene 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/decision The journey is perilous and one decision can end in disaster It was proven that those who kept hope, did their part and confronted problems as an entire ship survived the journey