Sailing distances from Nassau

In the early eighteenth century travel by ship was the only way to reach many destinations. Progress was often slow, the distances covered were great, and time spent at sea unbearably long. The following table shows the distances those sailing to and from Nassau, New Providence sailed and the number of days usually required to cover that distance. Ships sailing from Europe to the Americas and back followed the trade winds. The North Atlantic trade winds blow from east to west at about 30 degrees latitude, which meant ships leaving Europe first sailed south and then veered west at the Canary Islands. On the return journey ships would use the Gulf Stream, which first went north along the coast of New Spain, turning north-east across the North Atlantic to Europe.

Please note that all figures in the following table are approximate.

¹ A nautical mile is one-sixtieth of a degree of latitude.
² Average speed of 4 knots an hour over a period of 24 hours.
³ Spanish treasure fleet wreck site.
⁴ Between Cuba and Hispaniola.

Source: Captain Hornigold and the Pirate Republic by Martin A. Frey