TThe Mayflower was an English merchant ship that transported the first English Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. Records show there were 102 passengers. The exact number of crew is unknown but it is estimated there were approximately 30 crew members. Besides the passenger cargo the Mayflower was heavily armed with heavy, medium and light cannon. The journey took 65 days through North Atlantic rough seas of the September and October months. Land was first sighted November 9 and the ship anchored November 11. The settlers wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact after the ship dropped anchor at Cape Cod to establish legal order in the fledgling colony.