Reenactment Journey Longer Than Original

The replica ship Godspeed, plagued by ill winds and mishaps, ended a six-month voyage from England today--recreating the trip of the New World’s first permanent settlers who made the trip a month faster.

A crowd of more than 200 people cheered and clapped when the 68-foot wooden square-rigger was towed to the dock at Jamestown Festival Park, completing its reenactment of the 1607 voyage that brought the first permanent English settlers to the New World.

The Godspeed’s subdued homecoming in the chilly fall contrasted with plans by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, sponsors of the voyage, to have the ship return last July during the height of the summer tourist season.

Those plans were canceled when the ship fell behind schedule soon after it left London on April 30.

What was expected to be a quick 10-week journey for the replica turned into a six-month voyage marked by such misfortunes as hurricanes, calms, crew dissension and numerous delays. It had to wait out the hurricane season in Puerto Rico.

Captain Resigned

Three of the original volunteer crew members remained on the ship throughout the entire voyage, a spokesman said. For the last part of the voyage, the Godspeed changed to a largely professional crew and the captain resigned his position with the foundation.

In the final days of its voyage, the ship twice needed help from the Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, a Coast Guard cutter began towing the Godspeed toward Cape Henry after the vessel encountered high winds.

The ship was towed Monday around Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras, N.C., an area known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” because of the number of vessels that have broken up on the shoals.