Page 39 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

It was also g enerally believed that the to psails were more effective than the low er ones. This was not untrue, as wind speeds increase with height and the wind is less hampered by turbulence from the ship and the w aves; however, the topsails were frailer and easily damaged de- spite their sm aller size and c ould not be used in he avy weather, as Witsen explains:
(139 II 1 7) The topsails are believed to give more progress to the Ship than the lower ones, and such, because they are removed from the weigh t. Yet the topsails have this disadvan tage, that they more easil y come down, and cannot be used in hard weather.
Sail Handling
The sails were used as follows. With a half wind it was ad- visable to set all sails. When running, the aft sails would shield the foresails, which would receive no wind. In that case, the mains ail was usually furl ed to allo w the wind to the fores ails. This was wh y the ship would s ail faster with a quar ter wind or h alf wind than when ru nning with a free wind.
(139 II 38) With a half wind all the sails will work, which cannot be with a free wind; with a free wind the mainsail is clewed up, to allow wind to the foresails.
This is also why a Ship will have more speed , with a wind from aside, than with a free wind , though not completely favorable.
(140 I 23) Ships make the most progress, when there is a grab-line wind, or quarter breeze, and such with two or three compass poin ts, from a head wind: because then all the sails work.
When sailing close-hauled, the spritsail topsail was not used. First of all, this gave the ship a lee helm; fur ther- more, this sail had no tacks or bowlines that could be set forward, which made it impossible to set the s ail in the required fore-and- aftposition.
(140 I 28) When sailing a close haul, the Spritsail top- sail cannot be used , because in such a case it utters too much, and cannot be set straight enough.
In fact, the c ourse of the ship was determined by the setting of the s ails. The narrow rudder was only good for tiny course corrections once the ship h ad attained some speed. Although Witsen does not mention it, experiments with replicas have shown th at, with no s ails set, these ships have a tendency to lie abroad the w ind. By hoisting the foresails, the ship would st art running, and for he ad- ing up, more sails had to be set aft.
(140 I 50) With the Foresails the Ships are turned from the wind; and with the aft sails into the wind.
Thereasonforthisis,thatw hiletheShipturns around its middle point, when the stern is moved, the foreship is pushed the other way: and likewise with the foresails. From which it follows that the Mizzen will take ships into the wind, and the Spritsail topsail will bear them away.
The mizzen was mainly u sed for steering. Except when running straight before the wind, the mizzen was usually close-hauled to the wind, as a kind of fantail keeping the ship in a steady position relative to the wind direction and thus enhancing the stability of the course.
(139 II 47 ) The aft triangular sail will help
the rudder, in times of danger , because this sail can best be set to the course, which is wanted, and the Ship necessarily needs to be steered from behind.
The effect of the rudder was limited, and it was even less when the ship c ame into sh allow waters like the Dut ch harbors and the Zuider Zee. The effect of the rudder was then diminished so much that steering was done mainly with the sails.
(140 II 28) In the shallows, Ships will answer their helm badly: and then the Ship is to be steered with the sails, which is done with hoisting, dropping, setting thus or that way, in the art of the experienced Sailor.
When the w ind hardened, the top sails were the fi rst re- moved. The next step in reducing the sail area was to lower the fores ail and m ainsail yards. Besides reducing the effective s ail area, this also reduced the ri sk of dam- age to the yards, as their mo vement decreased, along with the forces exerted on the masts and shrouds.
The mizzen was one of the easi est sails to handle. It could safely be carried in almost all weather conditions, which was general practice, except when scudding (i.e., running before the wind in a storm).
(140 I 38) In a storm the Mizzen is struck, and the Foresail tied to the bow. The lower the Sails, the bet- ter they can be handled , and the less danger of them carrying away. However tempestuous the winds, the Mizzen can always be carried: and seldom is fouled.
Materials
Wood
Before we delve into Witsen’s discussion of ship construc- tion, it seems appropriate to say something about the
Introduction
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