In 1606, the Duyfken, commanded by Willem Janszoon, became the first European vessel to sail to the continent of Australia. In 1999, in an act of “experimental archaeology,” a replica of of the Dutch ship was built in Freemantle, Australia. The goal was to build a replica that approached the remarkable sailing qualities of the original ship. The effort was a success. Now over 400 years after the original first sailed the shallow seas of the East Indies, the Duyfken replica continues its legacy. Recently three short videos were posted of the Duyfken sailing in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. Thanks to Margaret Muir for pointing them out.
For more video of the Duyfken, click here and here. To learn more see : The Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation
I first encountered the Duyfken (“Little Dove” in Nederlands) on the docks on Victoria and Albert Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. She was making her way from Australia to Amsterdam… a heritage return voyage of some sort. The only deviation made from the original vessel was the installation of an engine, now a legal requirement. She was tiny and steered by a whipstaff! It apparently took two men to handle that but being in the vertical, it sure left a lot of deck clear that would have been taken up by a tiller. The whipstaff was quite sheltered, below the quaterdeck with a narrow opening above whose horizontal breadth allowed for those steering a complete view of the sails. Apparently in the good old days, one slept where one could find a corner: no hammocks, etc. I was impressed with her apparent solidness. I watched her leave, a speck on the great ocean.