This photo shows the Matthew during its call at St. John's Harbour. Reproduced by permission of Wayne Sturge. There were about 20 people on board. Whether any of Cabot's sons were members of the crew cannot be verified. The Matthew left Bristol sometime in May, 1497.
Some scholars think it was early in the month, others towards the end.
It is generally agreed that he would have sailed down the Bristol Channel, across to Ireland, and then north along the west coast of Ireland before turning out to sea. Again, it is impossible to be certain. All one can say is that Cabot's point of departure was somewhere between 51 and 54 degrees north latitude, with most modern scholars favouring a northerly location. The next point of debate is how far Cabot might have drifted to the south during his crossing. Some scholars have argued that ocean currents and magnetic variations affecting his compass could have pulled Cabot far off course.