These were three in number, as I have already said: the Constant, a ship
of near to one hundred tons in size; the Goodspeed, of forty tons, and
the Discovery, which was a pinnace of only twenty tons.
And now, lest some who read what I have set down may not be acquainted
with the words used by seamen, let me explain that the measurement of
a vessel by tons, means that she will fill so much space in the water.
Now, in measuring a vessel, a ton is reckoned as forty cubic feet of
space, therefore when I say the Susan Constant was one hundred tons
in size, it is the same as if I had set down that she would carry four
thousand cubic feet of cargo.
That he who reads may know what I mean by a pinnace, as differing from
a ship, I can best make it plain by saying that such a craft is an open
boat, wherein may be used sails or oars, and, as in the case of the
Discovery, may have a deck over a certain portion of her length. That
our pinnace was a vessel able to withstand such waves as would be met
with in the ocean, can be believed when you remember that she was one
half the size of the Goodspeed, which we counted a ship.