16 SEPTEMBER 1620 â The Mayflower sails from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World with 102 passengers. The ship was headed for Virginia, where the colonistsâhalf religious dissenters and half entrepreneursâhad been authorized to settle by the British crown. However, stormy weather and navigational errors forced the Mayflower off course, and on November 21 after 66 days at sea, the âPilgrimsâ reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first permanent European settlement in New England in late December. rochestermilitary.com