Mayflower II Leaving New Bedford for Plymouth Today

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) - The Mayflower II is sailing back to Plymouth this week.
The replica of the famed ship that carried the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620 has been undergoing an extensive restoration in the run-up to Plymouth's 400th anniversary in 2020.

That has meant spending the last few winters at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
On Monday, the vessel is scheduled to return to its home port on Plymouth Bay after departing from State Pier in New Bedford. Tides and weather permitting, organizers say the ship should pass through the Cape Cod Canal between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and dock back home on the Plymouth waterfront between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The Mayflower II is a major tourist attraction and an educational resource that annually draws thousands of student visitors.