By the end of the 16th century, navigators had been exploring the northern areas of the American coast for  a century. A huge fishing industry was in place in the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland. Both the French and English had attempted settlements, but these were mainly trading posts. The dawn of the 17th century brought a flurry voyages in preparation for settlement, and in 1606 King James I granted a charter to the Plymouth Company to establish a settlement in the northen part of Virginia. This is the story of the explorers and would be settlers. Part 2 covers the later navigators, the imediate preparations for settling the Popham Colony, and the voyage that resulted in the settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River in 1607.

Dan Wood practiced medicine in Bath for 33 years. Since then he has actively worked with Maine’s First Ship working on the construction of Virginia, the repair and upgrade of the Bath Freight Shed, and of Virginia’s dock. For many years he was a member of the MFS board.