So you think you are a Homesteader Part 6 A-B

So you think you're a homesteader ? Lessons from the Mayflower- when last we saw them, the colonist's on the Mayflower seemed to have put their troubles behind them. They were rid of the troublesome "Speedwell", the weather was ideal & their health good. They were having smooth sailing, literally. Yes they had sold some of their provisions, were much later in the year than they had planned and were terribly overcrowded, but things were looking up. But now nature shows her teeth as the weather turns. "Fierce storms" & "westerly gales" hammer this tiny ship alone in the North Atlantic. Mayflower is "shrewdly shaken" by the battering to such an extent that one of her Main cross beams is broken and the loosened decking allows water to pour into the passenger deck. They are at the mid point of their voyage, it's as far back as it is forward with no sign of the fierce weather improving. The ships carpenter & crew can see no way to repair the beam but the colonist's come up with a solution. They have "a great iron scrue", probably for a printing press. ( they have been printing anti Anglican Church pamphlets). Using the tremendous leverage of this screw they are able to lift the main beam back into position and shore it up with timber so well that the Master of the Mayflower declares her fit to continue the voyage. The lesson here is, sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to see a solution. If you can't see how to do something ask someone! And don't be afraid to see things not for what they are supposed to be, but for what they can do.

Part 6B

So you think you're a homesteader ? Lessons from the Mayflower- it's been an eventful month for the crew & passengers of the Mayflower ! They've been at sea for a month now after many false starts & problems, the fair weather they had enjoyed has turned very nasty. So rough that a main cross beam has been broken and only the can-do attitude of the colonist's enabled repairs to be made. Now these +/- 100 people are huddled in the 1200 sq.ft. Passenger space, cold & soaking wet. The continuing storms offering no relief, one man named "John Howland" ventures on deck for reasons not recorded, my guess is he just needed a break from the cramped, cold, wet deck. Howland is an ordinary guy, not a " separatist " but a servant, and employee of John Carver. As he arrives on deck, the heave and roll of the storm swept deck send him flying overboard and into a churning ocean. 99 times out of 100 that would be the last we heard, but this time, John Howland, ordinary schlub, is able to grab a rope that should never have been there. A "topsail halyard" that should have been neatly stowed is trailing behind the ship and he grabs on. Crew on deck saw him go overboard and haul him back in with that line he's clinging to. He will live another 53 years because he held on. The lesson ? When you get to the end of your rope, HANG ON! When things look bad, don't give up, keep your eyes open for the rope that shouldn't be there. Help can come when you least expect it and you're only beaten when you quit.


-Unicoi Ludd