On April 2, 1595, the first forwarding left aim, from the coast of Texel, with the purpose to reach Asia with the spices-islands. The “Company of Distance” transmitted four wellequipped and heavily armed ships: the “Mauritius”, the “Hollandia”, the “Amsterdam” and the small pinas “Duyfken” under guidance of Cornelis Houtman and Gerrit van Beuningen. This was the so-called “First ship sails”. Master Dirksz.de Keyser seen to over the route description of Jan Huygen van Linschoten who had made travel rather with a Portuguese ship. The ships arrived in exile, the most extensive pepper harbor on West-Java, at June 27th of 1596. The travel went with many conflicts and loses laboriously to mans lives. On January 15th of 1597, returned three of the ships, namely: the “Mauritius”, “Hollandia” and “Duyfken”. The “Amsterdam’ was so badly dammaged that it was burned down. Without further problems they reached Holland after being away for 29 months with a loss of 160 men and one of the four ships.

6 June 1596: arrival First shipsjourney in India.

After a several companies were formed and a game growth arose in the trips to Asia grasped the parliament of the netherlands in with the formation of the United East – Indian – Company, the VOC. It is clear that the furrow the VOC of large interest was that the wanted to come so fast as possible on the place of destination. For that reason they used in the beginning the Portuguese route and the experiences of the predecessors. The ships were equipped with the best improved seamaps, drawings of important coasts , all sorts of instruments. Also other observations as changes of the watercolor, kinds of birds and fish cntributed to stipulating the position. For the VOC-ships were there on board also the “seynbrieven”. These sail tasks were collected by the administrations of the VOC-chambers out of the logs and the experiences by the returning masters. So the journyes became better controlled. The ships of the sailingfleet from Texel had to join themselves at the English island Wight witht the ships of the Southern Chambers. So they formed a firmer block-system against the hijackers, who lay always on the lookout.

To the passing of Canary islands they conduct the Brazilian coast as soon as possible. Here the ships came in the ‘Brasilstream” and they made use of the always present passat wind. This coast became on appropriate distance followed until a look-out reported that the ‘brown water’ was in view. This was the muddy extension of the Rio de la Plata, by Buenos Aires, that is miles visible from the coast.

Every watch became there a line, with on te same distances, knots with a colorful ribbon throwed over the railing. Simultaneously they counted, with a little sandclock (three minutes) the over-board walked knots. With this was measured sailingspeed. The wind speed was determined to the possibility of the.sails to conduct. All this named data became is through the Master written in the shipsjournal just as the observations from: De head on the waves, bewolking, the color of the water, birds as traitors of the vicinity of country.

That these travel required much steersmanart can be clear. The VOC ensured several trainings for her officers. As in 1621 of the Examinator of the navigatio-officers of the Chamber of Amsterdam, Cornelis Jansz. Lastman appeared. Lastman wrote the influential textbook “The treasure room of the Large Seevaerts-art”.

Photo: The VOC looked in the map.

For the position provision of the astrolabium in use via ‘one stars shoot’ to know how far one lanky was. The astrolabium can be seen as a metal predecessor of the present many used planisphere, a turn bar stars card, they it that by an astrolabium the card (the crack) on top lies and the horizon (indicated on the tympanum) below it. An astrolabium differs further of a planisphere in the fact that one stereografical projection uses, by which all circles on the globe reproduced are by circles on the area of the instrument. As well the astrolabium as the planisphere have been arranged for the localizing of fixed stars, but do not be arranged for the localizing of floating stars, the planets.

The Jacbsstick

The degree stick or protractor was also a very old manner of position-fixing with the sun in front. Already by the first far journeys knew navigators the connection between the height of the sun on the middle of the day-or the height of the Pole star of the nights and the geographical width on which the ship was himself. After good mechanical time meters invented were, one could fixed to measure also the geographical length through (combined with a timereading) the height of a heaven light in the east or west. The Jacobsstick is an earlier instrument consists that of a long rule of square average, provid with a scale patitioning for each of the three, later on four diagonal slats of different length that slide over the rule. In the practice, one used only one slat for the exporting of a corner measurement of respectively less then 30°, 60° or 90°. The observer holds the bar with the end against the eye and moves the slat till the underside of it coincides with the horizon, the top with the gauged celestial body. The markscorner is indicated on the scale on the intersection of the staff and slat. Large hoogren were difficult to measure, because one do not see could celestial body and horizon at the same time sharply. All masters from the returning fleets had to let study their shipsjournals at the experts from the cncerning Chamber and onthe questions asked to them to concerning made travel. The possible supplements or modifications in the following “Seynbrief” on the at them stolen report over the made. From this became the possible additions or changes in the next “Seynbrief” (sailinstructions) set up. A Seynbrief gave additional instrucuties on several routes without drawing the seamanship of the following captains in doubt. As an example an extraction from the VOC-seynbrief of 1617:

In article 12: ‘Ende sullen dienvolgende all ships, aen Cape the Bona Esperança either at the Tafelbay ververscht have, must moreover haeren cours Easterly-aen on the hoochte of 35.36 , 40 to 44 degrees Suydelijkerbreedte stelle’

In article 13:‘De Westelycke wind and the Suydtlandt-current hebbenden sullen the ships at least duysent mylen Oostelijcken cours hold before se bysteken on a North-Noordoostelijcke cours branched off sulxs rain for the Street Sunda uyt to komen’

Foto: Staatsbiblothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin. These map from Sumatra is made in 1620 through Hessel Gerritsz., mapmaker of the VOC-chamber of Amsterdam of 1617 until 1632.