Page 73 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
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were indeed able to prevent this on the few occasions when they tried to do so but, although the VOC was able to seriously disrupt the Portuguese transport system, they could not destroy it completely. During the period of good weather in the off season, when the VOC blockade was not in place, Portuguese ships had the opportunity to sail to and from Goa. Sometimes, if the Portuguese force was considered to be weak enough, VOC vessels would leave the blockade. On these occasions, the large yachts were used in the trade circuit of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Sailing with the monsoon winds, they traded along the coasts of western Asia from the Persian Gulf, around Ceylon to the Ganges Delta and vice versa. These heavily armed yachts were so safe that even local traders trusted their goods to the VOC for transport in this area; large amounts of money or precious metals were safely transported by the VOC. Only two Dutch-built big yachts were lost in this area in the period between and . The large VOC yachts sailed another longer -purely commercial- circuit during this period. This route started from Batavia to Japan and from there through the Strait of Malacca to the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal where the yachts were then used in the Western Asian circuit discussed above. On this combined circuit, the yachts could be away from Batavia for over a year often transporting very valuable goods, changing their cargo or times before returning. Their appearance in Japan, however, was counter-productive as Japanese authorities were suspicious of the heavily armed yachts; they were accustomed to trade being conducted with cargo carriers like the flutes (NA .., factory Japan , --) Medium-sized Yachts (- last) \[Rate \] . In the early years of the Dutch trade with Asia, yachts of – last regularly sailed to and from Asia with the fleets. These yachts were specifically purchased for this purpose on the Dutch ship market, and were then fitted out for the long intercontinental voyages. The rigging was reinforced and an extra layer of sacrificial planking was added to protect the submerged sections from the destructive effects of the wood-eating shipworm terredo navalis that lives in tropical waters and could eat through a hull in a very short time. The medium-sized yachts were a popular vessel-type. About twenty of these yachts were bought by the Voorcompagnieën and they served their purpose well as nearly all of them returned to the Netherlands. The role of this vessel-type in the Dutch-Asiatic shipping network was maintained and even extended after the establishment of the VOC in . In they decided to leave three yachts in Asia to set up the basic infrastructure for trade and to make the acquaintance of the local rulers (NA .. VOC , fol. ). In the four yachts Arend, Griffioen Pauw and Valk, were specially built by the VOC for actions in Asia with instructions to remain there. However, the VOC’s military ambitions prevented the systematic development of an Asian network with these four ships – although they sailed to various destinations for trading purposes, their main task was to take part in military actions like the blockade of Malacca and the expedition to the Philippines. In , simultaneous to the development of the homeward-bounder system, the directors in the Netherlands discussed setting up a schedule for annual adviesjachten. In order to meet the VOC’s need to ‘receive tidings and advice from Indien’ they proposed to buy three or four light sailing vessels of around last. Since these yachts were dedicated to delivering information for the organisation and would not sail further than Java, they could manage with pinewood sheathing and light armaments. On their way to Asia, they were allowed to call at the island of Mauritius to collect ebony for the ships loading at Java where, in Bantam, the ebony was used for ballast in other ships. Assigning vessels to specific tasks was the first sign of an attempt to move toward a differ- entiated shipping organisation. Soon after the VOC was founded, the directors also decided that some yachts of slightly less than last should be kept in Asia. The charters of the first yachts built by the VOC itself (dating from and ) mention yachts of about by feet with a hold of feet deep. Their construction was specifically adapted to tropical waters and the possibility of carrying heavy armaments (NA .., VOC , fol. ). The lastmaat of the vessels that were intended to remain in Asia, such as the flute after , were shown in the Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
