Sailing from Plymouth in 1620: The Mayflower’s Voyage, Not to Gibraltar

There is no historical record of a voyage from Plymouth, England, to Gibraltar in 1620. The famous Plymouth departure that year was the Mayflower, which set sail in September bound for the New World. After a grueling 66-day crossing, the Pilgrims sighted Cape Cod in November, eventually establishing Plymouth Colony in present‑day Massachusetts.

Gibraltar, a strategic Mediterranean outpost, was under Spanish control until 1704 and would not have been a typical destination for English settlers in 1620. The Mayflower’s journey remains the iconic transatlantic crossing associated with Plymouth that year.