The Voyage of the Matthew

In 1497, the first Europeans set foot on the North American mainland and claimed it for the English crown. Led by John Cabot, a small band of hardy sailors had braved the stormy, uncharted seas of the North Atlantic in a single, three-masted sailing ship. Americans speak English rather than Spanish or Italian because of this voyage; yet remarkably little is known about John Cabot or his adventurous and daring life.
On the 500th anniversary of his discovery, another crew of intrepid sailors set out to make the same journey, in a replica of Cabot's ship - accompanied by a public television camera crew. The Voyage of the Matthew combines historical research into the great Age of Discovery with the lure of exploring new territory and confronting age-old challenges.

With this year marking the five-hundredth anniversary of the voyage of explorer John Cabot to North America, signaling post-medieval Europe's discovery of the continent [see page 16], the author here uses maps, period artwork, and modern photography to recount not only what is known about the original 1497 voyage, but also the efforts to reconstruct Cabot's vessel the Matthew and to recreate authentically his Atlantic crossing. When Cabot stepped ashore on North American soil, the author states, he laid the foundation stone of English exploration and colonization. It is ironic that it should be an Italian who bears ultimate responsibility for North America becoming part of the English-speaking world, but, as a result of Cabot's endeavours, the Matthew can claim to be the most important ship in the English language. --History.net