Bayards Cove Dartmouth this evening, it will be the site for Mayflower 400 in 2020.
Having set sail from Southampton, the Mayflower, with Pilgrims from the north of England, and Speedwell, carrying the Separatists from Lieden in Holland, didn't get very far before the Speedwell began to take on water again - either because she carried too much sail, straining her timbers, or the direct result of sabotage by the reluctant crew. The ships diverted to Dartmouth for repairs, arriving on 23 August 1620.
According to passengers, the Speedwell was leaking like a sieve and required urgent attention. The Pilgrims were regarded with some suspicion by the Dartmouth locals and while the repairs were made in Bayard’s Cove harbour, the Mayflower moored upstream on the River Dart beside what is now known as Pilgrim Hill. While much has changed on the waterfront since, they would still recognise the Tudor Bayard’s Cove Fort, Lower Street, Smith Street, St Saviour’s church and Agincourt House, now the Royal Castle Hotel.
It took about a week for the port's skilled craftsmen to make good the damage before the ships headed out into the English Channel, North Atlantic bound.
