7 minute read
Welcome, Duyfken
01 Flying the flag of the Dutch East India Company, Duyfken approaches the Maritime Museum, 22 December 2020. 02 Duykfen and crew just after arriving at the Maritime Museum on 22 December 2020. Captain John Dikkenberg, author of this article, is on the right, in dark blue. Images Janine Flew/ANMM
02
‘Little Dove’ arrives at its new home port
In late December 2020, the museum welcomed its newest vessel, the Duykfen replica. John Dikkenberg, its master on its Newcastle to Sydney leg, relates the experience of sailing a ship with 400-year-old technology.
HOW DO YOU SAIL a ship you have never seen? That was the question on my mind when I arrived in Newcastle on the evening of Friday 18 December 2020, unsure of what I would find. In my years as captain of a variety of ships, I had commanded diesel–electric submarines, a steam-powered frigate and, by a convoluted path, the 19th-century barque James Craig and the replica of the 18th-century bark Endeavour. On this rainy evening I was joining an even more exotic vessel, the replica of the 16th–17th century Dutch sailing ship Duyfken. The original Duyfken arrived off the west coast of what is now known as the Cape York Peninsula, in far north Queensland, in 1606. It is generally recognised as the first European ship to have reached Australia. The idea of building a replica led to the laying of the new ship’s keel in January 1997 and its launch two years later. The ship was operated by the Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation and travelled widely – including to the Netherlands – and was eventually homeported in Perth, Western Australia. For a variety of reasons, the ship was recently offered to the Australian National Maritime Museum. Although Duyfken is an operating vessel, COVID restrictions and the expected weather in the Great Australian Bight led to its being shipped from Perth to Newcastle on the deck of a heavy lift ship. Duyfken, minus masts, rigging and sails, was lowered into Newcastle Harbour on the morning of 14 December 2020. Many of the crew, led by the Chief Mate, Mike Dallen, were there to welcome Duyfken and move it to a nearby wharf.
With Christmas bearing down on the project, and only a small weather window in the following week, the crew had been working tirelessly to get the masts stepped and the ship rigged. When I joined, they had been working 12-hour days. With only two more days alongside, completion seemed impossible, but somehow it came together and at 6 pm on the Sunday, I was satisfied that the ship was safe to sail the 80 or so nautical miles to Sydney. Although the crew and officers were all experienced square-rig sailors, many of them from Endeavour and James Craig, only a small number had previously sailed this particular ship. For everyone else, including myself, it was a steep learning curve. Although the principles involved in all these ships are broadly the same, the rigs and handling characteristics are not, and a cast back of 400 years was very obvious. As examples, the rake of the masts and sail arrangements are vastly different to more modern ships and Duyfken has no wheel, being helmed instead by the use of a whip staff. On the positive side, however, while James Craig can be slow to tack, and Endeavour less so, Duyfken is quite agile. The little Dutch ship takes less manpower and can also point higher into the breeze. The cast back of 400 years is also very obvious in the accommodations. The crew sleep in hammocks or on the brick ballast while officers have a small shelter on the deck roughly equivalent to a dog kennel. The galley is about the size of a telephone booth and the facilities to keep frozen stores are very limited. While such matters are of little concern in a yacht, keeping a crew of 14 warm, dry and fed on Duyfken can be challenging. On Monday 21 December, the bow was sprung off the wharf and the ship got under way, accompanied by the Newcastle paddle steamer William the Fourth. There’s a fraternity among historic vessels and to the sound of steam whistles and verbal encouragement, Duyfken cleared the breakwaters and headed south. The voyage window, bookmarked between two strong southerly weather patterns, initially failed to provide any wind and instead drenched the crew in a constant downpour of rain. The promised nor’easterly breeze did, however, kick in and by early afternoon, the crew had settled in and the ship was rolling south with the bone in its teeth.
Without the opportunity to undertake an extensive period of training, the sail plan going south was relatively conservative, with courses, topsails and the sprit sail being set and handed in at various times. Despite that, you could sense that the ship was keen to stretch its legs and enjoy its first ocean passage in quite a while. The voyage plan had called for Duyfken to remain within sight of the coast, but heavy rain continued to obscure the shore, so the navigation lights, set when the ship sailed from Newcastle, remained lit for the entire passage. With nightfall, sail was reduced, dinner was produced by an outstanding cook and the watches briefed on the expected navigation plan and arrival.
01
01 Duyfken (minus masts, rigging and sails) being lifted onto a yacht transport vessel for its voyage from Fremantle, Western Australia, to Newcastle, New South Wales – a trip of 2,260 nautical miles (4,200 kilometres). Image Peter Bowman 02 Duyfken departing Newcastle, photographed from aboard the 1831 replica steamship William the Fourth. Image Kevin Parsons This small square rigger responds brilliantly to its environment and transports passengers back to the era of their distant ancestors
02
01 Duyfken is steered using a whip staff (an extension of the tiller) rather than a wheel. The helmsman has limited or no vision and relies on commands from the poop deck above. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM 02 Duyfken’s cramped interior, where crew sleep in hammocks or on the ballast bricks. Image Danielle Voss/ANMM
02
It had been intended to wear ship during the morning watch and sail in through Sydney Heads but in the event, the wind unexpectedly backed to the west. Now 10 miles directly downwind of our destination, and with a commitment to arrive on time, we had little alternative but to hand in sail and start one of the few concessions to the 20th century, the engines. Handing in the forecourse in the dark and on a growing sea probably demonstrated that we had a little more training to do. Passing through the Heads I had time to reflect on what this ship brought to the tall ship community around the world and in Australia in particular. It is probably the oldest ship, technically, operating anywhere. Where James Craig represents almost the end of the sailing ship era and Endeavour represents the middle age, Duyfken replicates the early stages of European sailing ship history. All three ships are tactile representatives of their periods. Tucked into its new berth, Duyfken is now part of the museum fleet where it will sail as an operating vessel and be displayed to illustrate Australian maritime history. For those choosing to sail in it on the harbour or offshore, they will find a small square rigger that responds brilliantly to its environment and transports them back to the era of their distant ancestors. In some small way, it will change their appreciation of history. For those just interested in seeing it alongside, they will find in Pyrmont Bay three great sailing vessels which, together, represent 400 years of maritime history.
We are developing a virtual tour of Duyfken which will be available to students everywhere. You can support this important program by donating now – please see the insert in this issue. Thank you.
John Dikkenberg recently retired from his role at the museum as Master of the replica bark Endeavour.
