Page 83 - Dutch Asiatic Shipping Volume 1

at the Cape (see table 9): more ships departed in the period January/March than in the period May/June. A consequence of this shift was the fact that from 1742 on less use was made of the months most favourable for a short journey to the destinations in Asia, as shown in table 10.
Table 9: Numbers of monthly sailings from The Cape to Asia
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII
1650-74 33 31 67 95 28 18 29 40 34 25 22 14 1675-99 18 24 19 65 58 47 32 32 58 71 27 16 1700-24 28 22 48 87 116 104 41 67 76 69 36 25 1725-49 47 75 87 124 63 66 61 67 67 60 54 44 1750-74 89 68 95 102 52 30 35 52 67 37 30 43 1775-95 49 46 41 81 31 16 24 26 23 27 42 59
Table 10: Average duration of voyage The Cape - Asia by month of departure (in days)
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII
1602-99 93 91 79 74 73 78 80 76 78 89 89 92 1700-95 97 88 83 76 73 75 74 79 85 90 97 108
Across the Indian Ocean to Asia
a. The southern route to Batavia
In 1610 Hendrik Brouwer pointed out that according to some sailors it was possible on the further journey to Southeast Asia to make use of the westerlies prevailing south of the Cape. By sailing far enough east the ship could be taken to the East Indian archipelago by the southeast trade wind. A s early as December of the same year Brouwer was instructed to try this route (0143-0144). He completed the voyage in just under eight months; after Table Bay he only took 2lh months. This was a short time, and important additional advantages turned out to be the reduced risks of hurricanes and cooler temperatures, resulting in better preservation of victuals; in addition, those on board stayed in better health. From Bantam, Jan Pietersz. Coen soon pressed for the southern route to be made compulsory.
In August 1616 the Company decided in favour of this and one year later all masters were obliged to follow this new course. This issue was directly responsible for the publi- cation of the already mentioned sailing orders of 15th August 1617. Various clauses were devoted to the southern route. The result of this 'change of direction' was remarkable. Six smaller ships for instance, sailing early in 1617, reached Bantam in six to eight months, whereas two larger ones which followed the old route straight across the Indian ocean took more than ten months (0206-0213).2 5
On leaving Table Bay an easterly course had to be sailed,with westerlies, for a thousand miles, after that a northern course to Java. It is not clear which mile was meant at that time, probably the Snellius mile of 7158 metres. The distance covered was estimated daily,
25 See note 9. Brouwer's actual travelling time after Wight was five months and 24 days, but the complete voyage took eight months! Plancius alluded to the southern route quite early on, see De Jonge, Opkomst I, 198-199. About Coen see Colenbrander, Jan Pietersz. Coen I, 136-137. Dermigny (La Chine, 252) talks about a Dutch discovery.