On the Mayflower: Robert Coppin, First Mate

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As one of the mates aboard the Mayflower, Robert Coppin assists Master Jones in sailing the ship. He is the only sailor aboard who has been to New England before. Here are his answers to questions asked by students. 

How old are you?
I was born after the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588. We don't think of dates of birth as very important in England, at least to commoners. I'm about 30 years old.

Do you have a family? 
Yes. I have a wife named Mary and a son and a daughter. My son's name is Robert, but we call him Robin. And my daugher is named Elizabeth, after the old queen.

Is it hard to be away from your family for so long?
It can be very difficult, but I know if I don't go to sea they will not eat, so I know I have that responsibility as their father.

When did you start to sail?
My father put me on a ship when I was 12, as an apprentice to a ship's master. I served him (the master) for seven years.

Who taught you how to sail?
Well, my father paid the master mariner or ship's master. I don't know how much, but a considerable amount. For that money, I learned how to read and write, how to navigate, and how to sail. I learned how to keep an account book. I also learned my faith from the man who was my master. That was part of his responsibility. And so, I was with him for seven years. Wherever he went, I went. I received a new suit of clothes every year. After seven years I became a journeyman, which is what I am now. I received some tools of my trade - a cross staff, a book of tables for finding out the height and latitude of the sun. As an apprentice, I could earn no money. Now I can. In all trades, you start off as apprentice, and work up to journeyman and then eventually become a master.
A journeyman is no longer an apprentice, and no longer a master.

What jobs did you have before you became first mate?
When I first became a journeyman I worked as a bosun (shortened version of boatswain), which means I was in charge of common sailors - making certain they repair the ship. Ships always need to be repaired. I was also in charge of teaching them about how to repair the ship properly. Also, disciplining them. If sailors do anything wrong, the bosun is responsible for punishing them.

What are the first mate's duties on board ship?
I'm in charge of half the crew. I work for four hours and then I sleep for four hours. I make certain the ship is getting repaired, and that the sails are being trimmed properly and that the man who is steering knows which way to steer.

How much money do you make in your job as first mate?
I make 60 shillings a month. Common sailors make 18 shillings . But, I don't mean to brag. I'm not a poor man, and I suppose I could put beef on my table every day if it was not against the law.

What do you like best about your job? 
 Going home to see my family. The second best thing though (after being in the middle of the ocean and making certain you are staying on course) is that at the end you see the place you hoped to be sailing toward. That is a great relief.

What is the worst part of your job?
Being away from my family and being in the middle of a storm. Sometimes there are waves on the Atlantic Ocean that may be 50 or 60 feet in height - that is not unusual. I am always cold and wet.

Did you think you'd make it to the New World?
I have no fear of that. I trust in God. But likewise, I've already been there before. I know the place we're going to. I was there six years ago in 1614. I was working as a quartermaster on a ship called Elizabeth, after our old queen. It was hired by a man who used to be the governor of Jamestown, Captain John Smith. He's a man of some fame. Captain Smith hired two ships to come to the northern part of Virginia to chart the coastline. Some men fished, and some men planted a garden to see what the ground would be like. The chart that was made was given to the Prince of Wales. And he put the name New England to this part of Virginia.

What was the first thing you saw when you landed in America?
America when I first saw it, well, it looks a great deal like a garden that has not been touched in hundreds of years, since the flood. It's very wild. And sometimes it can be very frightening. I come from a very large city in England, and I do not have to worry there about wolves attacking me. The weather can also change very quickly in America, whereas in England, the weather changes very slowly. It's hard for me to imagine bringing children and families to a place like that.

How long will you stay in America before returning to England?
I don't think we should have to stay in America for more than a month or so. All we will be doing is finding a place for the passengers. Then we must return home.

Where do you eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom on the ship?
I normally eat at my master's table. The man who is in command of the ship - his name is Christopher Jones - he is the ship's master.
I sleep in a small cabin called the Round House or the Chart House.
We don't take a bath at sea. I only take a bath once a year. We don't have any rooms for bathing. The very forward-pointed part of the ship is called the "Beaks Head" and it serves a number of purposes, including a privy. On the side of the ship there are black shelves that stick out that are called channels. This is another place where you may do your business.

What do you think of the Pilgrims on the ship?
I would not call the people I travel with Pilgrims. I would call them passengers. Half of them belong to a church that they have created. And they break the laws of my king. I have seen them be very kind, but it's very difficult for me to accept people who break the law. The other half of the passengers are simply coming to Virginia for land in order to help their families. However, passengers on a ship are very dangerous, for they can get in the way of the sailor's work. So they worry me.

Do you ever get scared sailing on the water?
No. I would say the difference between men that work on land and men that work at sea is that men that work on land think they are safe, whereas sailors never think they are safe. You put your trust in God, for it is he alone that shall survive you.

What is life like back in England?
Life in London is like any other city, I suppose. There are goods from all over the world brought into port, many far-fetched indeed, coming from the Indies and the Americas. There is something to do every hour of the day and night, if you've the mind and coins in your purse. The rich and the poor live almost atop one another, with small hovels erected in the alleys amongst the fine mansions.The crowds and the noise are something you have to see for yourself. 'Tis always a shock after the quiet of the ocean.

What do you eat on the Mayflower?
Our food aboard has been typical fare for a voyage. Such foods that can be kept are salt beef, salt fish and the like, peas porridge, oatmeal, dried fruits, ship's biscuit and beer have made up our meals these many weeks.

Do you have a dining room on the Mayflower?
The sailors eat in the fo'c'sle, where the cook prepares our meals. Master Jones eats in his cabin with some of the officers. The passengers eat below in the 'tween decks.

Do the children have a place to play?
The passengers, including their children, live below in the 'tween decks. They play there as they may. We wouldn't want them up on deck getting in the way of us and our work.

How is the ocean?
The ocean has been its changeable self, I suppose. We have enjoyed both calm sailing and furious storms, as could be expected for a voyage begun so late in the year.

I was wondering if your family has been to the New World. If not, do you plan on bringing them there? Will your son follow in your footsteps?
No, no one in my family save myself has ever been to the New World. There are some that say it would be safer here. London has many snares for the unwary, with gambling, play-going and other unwholesome activities in every parish in the city. For myself and mine, I'm more worried about the wild beast and wild men. I've no plans to bring my family here to the wilderness. I suppose every father wishes for his son to want to be like him. When he is somewhat older, I will see where his talents lie, and then apprentice him to
a suitable trade.

What happens if a passenger makes trouble on the Mayflower? Are there certain punishments, and who administers them? 
 If a passenger transgresses, it is for the ship's governor, Master Carver, to see to his punishment. There has been very little need, but should there be, I suppose he would be whipped.

Questions Upon Landing

Has anyone died during the voyage?
Besides one of my company who died during the voyage and a servant lad who died when our journey was almost over, one of the passengers gave birth to a stillborn child, a son I believe.

What are the dangers that the Pilgrims face on board?
The passengers have faced the dangers we have all faced. That of storm, bad food, and sickness. 

What kind of wood is the ship made of and how was it put into the water for the first time?
The Mayflower was built of good English oak and launched from the shipyard by being rolled from the stocks. Being a London ship, I suppose into the Thames River.

How big is the Mayflower?
The ship is some hundred feet long, and big enough to hold 180 tuns, which are very large barrels, of cargo.

Is there any other power besides the wind?
The wind and the sea are the only power there be for such a ship. For the shipboat and shallop, we can row with oars. 

Do you ever fear that you don't have enough sails to make the journey? Did you bring more sail cloth with you?
There are a full suit of sails for the Mayflower. If any rip, we just mend them. Were any to be damaged beyond repair, we'd just sail home with less canvas to the wind. There is canvas for mending, as well.

Are there any lifeboats in case the ship sinks?
The Mayflower carries her shipboat, and a shallop for the passegers to use when coasting. Our carpenter has finished mending the shallop recently. It was much opened by people lying there during the voyage.

Does the ship ever stop at night, or do you just keep going?
Ships only stop if they are becalmed, or at anchor. We have watches throughout the night, and the stars to sail by.

How many people are in the crew and what do they do?
There must be between twenty and five-and-twenty seamen aboard. There are some with special duties such as the bosun, who sees to the sails and rigging; the carpenter, who has his tools ever ready for splicing the mast, calking seams and so forth; the pilot, who when we make land doth take charge of the ship until he bring her safely to harbour; and other officers, as well as the common seamen, who do the work of sailing under the officers' direction.

Do all of the people on the ship wear the same type of clothing and are they comfortable?
We seamen wear clothes fit for our work, loose enough to haul line or climb the rigging, and good wool caps upon our heads. The passengers dress as they please, in such fashions as they may, much like yeomen everywhere, I suppose.

Do the Pilgrims and sailors fight a lot during the voyage?
There has been little dispute between us and the passengers for some time.

What are the Pilgrims' chores?
The colonists' work will start in earnest once they have settled on a place for their plantation. They have gone out exploring twice, but have yet to determine where they will live. Then they will be abuilding as
quickly as they may, for it is already winter, and it has snowed much since we anchored at Cape Cod.

Were you happy when the Pilgrims finally left the Mayflower?
Most of them are still aboard, but I will be happy when they are all finally ashore and we may return to England.

Where did everyone sleep?
We have kept to our quarters, the passengers aboard in the 'tween decks. Those on shore have slept in barracadoes of driftwood and branches.

On the Mayflower: John Alden, Ship's Cooper

John Alden was hired in Southampton, England, to be the cooper aboard the Mayflower. As cooper, he is in charge of the barrels and casks of supplies, which are needed both during the voyage and for the new colony. Here are his answers to questions asked by students.

How old are you?
I am in my 22nd year.

What's a cooper?
I make watertight vessels. I make casks and barrels. Where I come from, everything is kept in different-size casks and barrels. Clothe, gunpowder, and different types of liquors.

What was your job in England?
When I was 13, I was apprenticed to a Master Cooper, and I lived with him for seven years. He taught me my trade.

Why have you decided to leave England?
I've decided to leave England because I was paid to be a cooper on the Mayflower. All merchant ships need coopers to look after their merchandise. The money is very good in the merchant service. I make 21 shillings a month.

Do you think you'll miss England?
We've been sailing for over a month and that's the longest I've ever been to sea. I've never traveled far before, and I'm excited to see this new coast. I look forward to the adventure of going to America. I'm sad to leave my friends and family, but excited to cross the ocean.

Why are you going to America?
The Mayflower has been hired to carry passengers to the New World. My father's cousin is the master of the Mayflower and he hired me to be on his crew.

What have you heard about America?
Some of the people on the Mayflower - officers and passengers - have crossed the sea to the Americas before. I have heard tales of fisheries and wild Indians and untouched forest. In this country we have heard that you can walk over the backs of cod fishes, and we hope to be rich by catching them and drying them in the sun, and packing them away in salt for the Spanish fish market.

Are you scared of America?
I've never been to a wild place before. I am scared about meeting the Indians and worried about having enough to eat.

Where will you be staying in America?
I am going to be living on the Mayflower. We have brought provisions and tools to build houses along the coast, and to start a village. I have not made up my mind about staying in America.

What will you do in America?
I have been asked to join the settlers and stay in the colony. I have been hired as a ship's crewman.

Are you traveling with your family?
Only my father's cousin, Christopher Jones, who is the Master of the Mayflower. If I stay in the New England colony, I will stay here alone without family. I would rather stay in the Virginia colony than the New England colony.

What does your family think of your staying in America?
Christopher Jones, my father's cousin, thinks there is great promise for me in fishing (to be rich). He's concerned about letting me stay. There is only one other successful colony - the Virginia colony at Jamestown. So we'll be doing new work in an unexplored land.

Are you concerned about making this journey?
We have good officers on the Mayflower, who know sailing and navigation, but the sea is an unpredictable place, and the Lord does often use it as a correction for his people.
I grew up on the seacoast and I know many who have been lost at sea and not come home. Accidents on ships like Mayflower are often fatal.

What was your job in England?
I was a cooper on land. I couldn't earn as much money as I could earn sailing on merchant's ship. On land, I only make a smaller portion of 20 shillings. I've only been free of my master for two years, and the money I would make as a new journeyman on land would be far less than I could earn on this ship.

How has the journey been so far?
When we left England the first time, in very early September, we had the warm weather with us, but September is a stormy time on the North Atlantic. We've seen some weather, some gales, but also some beautiful days.
The reason I say "first time" is because we were in and out of port twice before we finally started the journey. When I came aboard the Mayflower at beginning of summer, a second ship, named "Speedwell," was sent to Delfhaven in Holland to take on English families who had been exiled to Holland. Loaded with these families the Speedwell came to Southampton, England. From Southampton, both the Mayflower and the Speedwell set out for the Virginia coast. (The Speedwell was only one third the size of the Mayflower.) Once at sea, the Speedwell proved to be a leaky ship. The officers decided to return to England to repair her. We ran both ships up into Dartmouth. The Speedwell was repaired, and was set out again from Dartmouth. But she still leaked, and the officers decided to return the Speedwell to England for the Speedwell to be left behind and the Mayflower to sail on alone. When the Speedwell was brought into England the last time, she was run into Plymouth in Devonshire, but not all that was on the Speedwell could be put on the Mayflower. Twenty passengers were left behind.

What's the worst part of the journey so far?
The two false starts leaving England has been the most difficult part of the journey. By these delays we cannot expect to arrive in Virginia before the beginning of winter. This is bad because of the weather. Now we will arrive and build houses in the winter. We couldn't wait for spring in England. We felt we had to proceed. Many of passengers had sold their homes and the tools of their trade before they boarded the Mayflower in Southampton, so they had nothing to return to.

Do all the passengers on the ship have jobs?
No...I'm the only cooper aboard the ship. The passengers on the Mayflower have been trained to do all sorts of work. There are weavers, woolcombers, book printers, and carpenters, but I'm the only cooper.

What is your job as cooper of the Mayflower?
The Mayflower is a large ship, and I'm responsible for safekeeping all merchandise. In weather there can be damage from the goods rolling into each other. If anything is damaged, I will use my woodworking to repair it.

How big is the Mayflower?
The Mayflower is a medium-sized ship. There are some ships that are larger than the Mayflower - ships that are built for war or for the Guinea African or east Indian trade. The Mayflower can hold 180 tons; she's over 100 feet long, and her main mast is as tall as the ship is long.

Where do you eat and sleep on the ship?
I live in the fo'c'sle. It is the one place in the ship that I have to get out of weather, sleep, and to repair my clothes in. I eat there too, unless the weather is good, and then the officers let us eat on deck. We eat three times a day. Ship food is like winter food - dried grain, salted flesh (beef, pork, fish), hard cheese, and beer.

What do you think of the Pilgrims on board?
Chiefly, they are people of good quality. Some of the passengers that lived in Holland are of a different conscience and they are very different from me and some of the other passengers in their beliefs. They have left the church that I was raised in. They don't follow the English Church's ways. It's difficult for me to see the reason that God has in sending them with us to the New World. The work that will be done at this colony will be important work for several reasons. If God allows this colony to establish itself, then the colonists will be rich in land and will bring the gospel of Christ to the Indian people, and these are both worthy pursuits for a man like me.

What's the best part of the journey?
To see all the people, from all different parts of England and from all different sorts of families, come aboard the Mayflower in Southampton.

Who is aboard the Mayflower and how did they know about the journey?
The Pilgrims are a large minority of the passengers we are carrying. The rest of the passengers are families that have come out of England in the willingness to join the settlement. Word of the journey has spread through the common way of friend telling friend and also through our English Partners. The Partners are a company of English merchants and New World planters who give the company money, equipment or labor to support it for seven years. At the end of seven years, everything the company owns will be divided back to the the partners. Each share being worth money or land.

How has the weather been?
September is stormier than summer, so we're worried about great storms. I've seen good days and "weather" days. Weather days are stormy days.

What do you think your first thoughts will be upon arriving in America?
I look forward to seeing the coastline and to seeing the Indians. I'm worried about meeting the Indians. They are a wild people. They're not Christian, so they don't know how to live like us yet. We intend to teach the Indians. We will be the fathers of this country, and the Indians will be our children. They will learn how to dress like us, farm like us, and they will learn how to worship God. I'm nervous that they may be resistant. In other colonies, Indians have risen up and fought and resisted their masters. It will be a challenge to have the Indians learn peaceably to live like us.

Have you had to repair barrels of water and things?
Yes, although we have little enough water aboard. Water spoils quickly. On long voyages such as this, we carry some for cooking and for the livestock. Most of the casks contain beer for drinking, biscuits, stores of grain, salt beef and fish, dried peas and such like. There are also barrels holding cloth, iron tools, gunpowder, fishing equipment and other stores the passengers will need for the new settlement.

Have you had to work at other jobs during the time that you have been sailing?
I've assisted the ship's carpenter upon occasion, and we also get called for all-hands' work, such as its called. This has included tacking and wearing the ship, putting her through the eye of the wind to catch a new course. I've helped weigh anchor to get underway, and during storms, all hands take in sail and batten down the hatches. When the beam cracked amidships not that long ago, I helped to shore up the broken timber that we might continue the voyage.

How difficult will it be to set up a shop as a cooper once you get to the New World?
In Virginia, I expect there will be a call for my services. The colonists hope to get much profit by the fishing there, and those fish will need to be dried, salted and packed in barrels before being shipped back. I'm armed with my training and tools, but I'll need good timber, cut and dried, before I can begin my trade of coopering. Seasoning the wood will take several months at least.

What do you use to navigate?
The officers use mathematical tables to find their way across the ocean. Sightings are taken on the midday sun and Pole Star with instruments such as the cross-staff and astrolabe measuring the angle from the horizon. They also record our speed with the chip-log and direction by compass.

Who has been your favorite friend or partner?
All save my father's cousin, Master Jones, were unknown to me before this voyage began. I have found men of good company amongst the crew and passengers, several are young tradesmen like myself.

How do you prevent seasickness on board?
Sailors of experience have little trouble with seasickness. As for the others, the only way to prevent seasickness is to stay aland.

Is there any medicine you can use against seasickness?
There are. Conserve of wormwood is very proper, but some prefer little cakes of sugar and gum-dragon mixed to a paste with powder of cinnamon and ginger mixed therewith.

What do you do for exercise?
My work provides me with enough exercise. The barrels I work with range in size from firkins of but a few gallons to tuns, which hold 252 gallons. Raising these up and moving them about is sufficient for me. The passengers might walk the deck if the weather is fine.

How do you prevent people from getting upset and angry with each other, living in such small places?
It is a problem with so many people crowded together on board. Amongst the passengers the ship's governor, Master Carver, is supposed to keep order. Some of them have proved contentious, and he is kept busy betimes. For the crew, the boatswain is responsible for discipline and keeps the crew busy with work. He also administers beatings and other punishments at the officers' direction.

Why is the job of cooper on board a ship so important?
Most of the supplies that a ship carries are stored in casks and barrels. Coopers like myself are on board to repair the ones that get damaged during rough weather. In storms, such as we have had this voyage, there is much pitching and rolling - the stores can get greatly knocked about and bruised. Being only made of wood, although stout English oak, the staves can crack or hoops can loosen. When this happens, the stores within the cask get damaged, either by water leaking in or the stores themselves leaking out. I am kept aboard to prevent this from happening.

What do you do when you have spare time on board ship?
There is little enough of that. What time I have, I use in mending clothes, reading, and in such innocent games as merels and chess. There are those in the crew that gamble with cards and dice, I'm sorry to say. We also pass the time with songs and telling tales.

Will you be returning to England?
I think not. The colonists have asked me to stay on, being anxious for my services as cooper. I have decided to stay with the colonists in their new settlement, once it is established. I have hopes of making my fortune in this new land.

How has the voyage been?
The weather since we loosed from Plymouth on September 6 has been varied. For the first weeks we enjoyed fair weather, but cross winds and boisterous storms have plagued us for some days, forcing us to furl the sails and lie hull for days together. We have lost but two persons since the voyage began, one a profane seaman, the other a servant of one of the company. One of the passengers has given birth to a son. The master and some of the seamen tell us that we are nearing land. For some days the water has been of a different color, and bits of wood have been espied floating in the waves.

Do you have enough supplies for the voyage?
Hopefully, the voyage isn't over yet. There is always some spoilage, and the bread has been much annoyed by weevils. But if you soak the bread, they float and may be easily removed and cast away.

Who guards the equipment and supplies to make sure that no one takes anything? Where do you keep them?
The four quartermasters and myself are responsible for storage and safekeeping of the ship's supplies. The quartermasters are most careful to pack the stores tightly, securely, balanced and accessible. These stores are then used in order, closest to the hatchways, both fore and aft, first. Then into the midships. There are separate compartments for barrels of bread and ammunition, for both must be kept very dry.