Getting to America was no easy task, and by the time they set sail they were already in a precarious situation.  They'd gone through or been forced to sell nearly half their food, lost a lot of their money, and were being financed by investors who themselves had virtually nothing.  They left, though, and 66 days later reached the shores of New England.  Outside their patent, they signed the Mayflower Compact, elected a new governor, started a New England tradition and began to explore Cape Cod.