<P> Among the Strangers were Myles Standish, who was the colony's military leader; Christopher Martin, who had been designated by the Merchant Adventurers to act as shipboard governor during the trans - Atlantic trip; and Stephen Hopkins, a veteran of a failed colonial venture that may have inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest . The group who later became the Leiden Leaders after the merging of ships included John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, and Isaac Alberton . </P> <P> The departure of the Mayflower and Speedwell for America was beset by delays . Further disagreements with the Merchant Adventurers held up the departure in Southampton . A total of 120 passengers finally departed on August 5--90 on the Mayflower and 30 on the Speedwell . Leaving Southampton, the Speedwell suffered significant leakage, which required the ships to immediately put in at Dartmouth . The leakage was partly caused by being overmasted and being pressed too much with sail . Repairs were completed, and a further delay ensued as they awaited favorable winds . The two ships finally set sail on August 23; they traveled only two hundred miles beyond Land's End before another major leak in the Speedwell forced the expedition to return again to England, this time to the port of Plymouth . The Speedwell was found to be unseaworthy; some passengers abandoned their attempt to emigrate, while others joined the Mayflower, crowding the already heavily burdened ship . Later, it was speculated that the crew of the Speedwell had intentionally sabotaged the ship to avoid having to make the treacherous trans - Atlantic voyage . The delays had significant consequences; the cost of the repairs and port fees required that the colonists sell some of their invaluable provisions . More importantly, the delays meant that everyone had to spend the entire winter on board the Mayflower off Cape Cod in what could only be described as squalid conditions . </P> <P> The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620 with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members in the small, 106 foot - long ship . The seas were not severe during the first month in the Atlantic but, by the second month, the ship was being hit by strong north - Atlantic winter gales, causing it to be badly shaken with water leaks from structural damage . There were many obstacles throughout the trip, including multiple cases of seasickness and the bending and cracking of a main beam of the ship . One death occurred, that of William Button . </P> <P> After two months at sea, land was sighted on November 9 off the coast of Cape Cod . They attempted to sail south to the designated landing site at the mouth of the Hudson but ran into trouble in the region of Pollack Rip, a shallow area of shoals between Cape Cod and Nantucket Island . With winter approaching and provisions running dangerously low, the passengers decided to return north to Cape Cod Bay and abandon their original landing plans . </P>

Who was in charge of the georgia colony