"November 6, 1620
2,950 miles sailed
"Land ahoy!" The call from the crow's nest cracked the dawn. Hummy's and my eyes flew open...we all hurried out. Unable to believe the words, our eyes wide in the half-light of dawn. Several of us crowded along the rail. The sailors saw it first, the faint, dark line against the horizon.... But within minutes of searching the horizon with our eyes, Hummy and I began to see the same. We held each other's hands so tightly and almost dared not breathe, but minute by minute, the line became firmer and began to thicken. 'Twas not a wisp of a dream but real. It has taken us all of sixty-five days, but finally we are here. This be the New World and it doth fill my eyes for the first time."
Remember Patience Whipple, or Mem for short, is a twelve-year-old sailing on the Mayflower towards the New World. Her family belongs to the Saints of the Holy Discipline, called Saints or Separatists, and are searching for religious freedom. Mem befriends a girl her age, Humility "Hummy" Sawyer. Hummy's mother passed away just before the voyage began. Her father has been in a "melancholy" ever since. Hummy and her father are Strangers since they are not Saints. William Bradford has dubbed the whole group Pilgrims, which Mem prefers.
By November 1620, the Mayflower has reached Cape Cod Bay, instead of its intended destination Virginia. The men argue and finally reach an agreement, known as the Mayflower Compact. They are also elect a governor. Mem and the other women are allowed to go to shore a few days later. For about a month, they are mostly confined to the ship as the men explore the nearby land. They eventually find an area they deem "superior", and name it Plymouth.
Construction on the settlement's common house begins. Mem's family has their on home by the end of January 1621. Meanwhile, many of the settlers become sick, including Mem's mother. Everyday Mem takes care her in the community's sick house. In mid-March, a friendly Indian named Samoset visits and later comes back with Squanto. Mem is distracted by their new friends and feels bad for not realizing her mother has grown worse. She dies a few days later. Hummy's father later decides to return to England.
Mem stops writing for two months, grieving the loss of her mother and best friend. By late July, she has noticed an "attraction" between her father and Hannah Potts. Mem is not very fond of Hannah, whose quietness annoys her. She later becomes more patient with Hannah, after a misunderstanding. In October, Hannah and Mem's father are married. Several days later, the Indian chief Massasoit and his tribe join the Pilgrims in a three day feast. Mem falls ill and Hannah looks after her for two weeks. After recovering, Mem climbs up a hill to watch the new ship approach.
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