Editing Myles Standish (section)

==Voyage to New Plymouth==
[[File:Embarkation of the Pilgrims.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''The Embarkation of the Pilgrims'', 1843, US [[Capitol Rotunda]]. Myles and Rose Standish are prominently depicted in the foreground on the right.]]
On July 22, 1620 ([[Old Style]] date), the initial group of [[English Dissenters]] living in Leiden boarded the ''[[Speedwell (1577 ship)|Speedwell]]'', which was meant to accompany another ship to be hired in England. This initial group included the mostly [[Brownist]] congregation. Myles and Rose Standish were aboard, along with the [[William Bradford (Plymouth Colony governor)|Bradfords]], [[Edward Winslow|Winslows]], [[John Carver (Plymouth Colony governor)|Carvers]], and others. The small, 60-ton [[Full-rigged pinnace|pinnace]] sailed to [[Southampton]] with about 30 passengers, to be provisioned and join a much larger vessel for the voyage to the New World. Another 90 passengers would board the 180-ton ''Mayflower''. The ''Speedwell'' had some significant leaks while in port that caused delays, but both vessels departed Southampton on August 5.<ref name="Ames">{{Cite book |last=Ames |first=Azel |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4107 |title=The Mayflower and Her Log; July 15, 1620 – May 6, 1621 – Complete |date=2003-06-01 |language=English}}</ref>

The leaders of the colony decided to leave the smaller ''Speedwell'' behind after numerous delays caused by leaking, which had caused them to return to port twice. The Standishes and most of the ''Speedwell'' passengers crowded into the ''Mayflower'', and the ''Speedwell'' went on to London to be resold, now with only a few passengers.<ref name=Ames /> The ''Mayflower'' passengers, meanwhile, sold some valuable supplies such as butter to pay the mounting port fees, and finally departed [[Plymouth]], England, on September 6, 1620, bound for the northern part of the [[Virginia Colony]].

[[File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|''The [[Mayflower Compact]]'', a painting by [[Jean Leon Gerome Ferris]]]]
On November 9, 1620, lookouts spotted land, but they discovered that they were near [[Cape Cod]] and about {{convert|200|miles}} east-northeast of their planned destination of northern Virginia. They tried briefly to sail south, but strong seas forced them to retreat to Cape Cod to harbor near the hook of [[Provincetown Harbor]].<ref>Stratton, p. 20.</ref> It became apparent that the weather would not permit the passage south, so they decided to settle near Cape Cod. Shortage of supplies (including wood and beer) and the roaring Atlantic made it too dangerous to press on for a Virginia landing. They anchored at the hook on November 11,<ref name=Ames /> and the leaders of the colony wrote the [[Mayflower Compact]] to ensure a degree of law and order in this place where they had not been granted a patent to settle. Myles Standish was one of the [[Mayflower Compact signatories|41 men who signed]] it.<ref>Philbrick, p. 36.</ref>