April, 1998 issue

Back in 1609, Henry Hudson would probably have been preparing for his season of sailing about this time as well. Hudson, an Englishman with two well-known (at the time) voyages of discovery under his belt, had been contacted by the United Dutch East India Company (De Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or V.O.C.) about heading an expedition to find a north-east passage up over Russia to the Pacific. This new route to the East Indies, where Holland traded heavily with the Spice Islands, Java and the Malay archipelago, would improve travel and cut costs profoundly. Hudson apparently was dropped by the East India Company after some disagreements and his reputation for having his own agenda--finding a north-west passage.

Hudson then began negotiations with Henry IV of France to fund him on a similar voyage, and when the Directors of the V.O.C. heard of these negotiation, they quickly drew up a new contract for Hudson, which he signed on January the eighth, 1609. This contract ordered him to search for a passage, "obtain as much knowledge of the lands as can be done...and to deliver over his journals, log-books and charts...without keeping anything back," and it provided his wife and family with recompense if he was lost.

An amendment to the contract was made up and given for him to sign not long before the ship was to sail: he was to "think of discovering no other route or passage, except the route around the north or northeast, above Nova Zembla..." Apparently the Directors of the V.O.C. wanted to make certain that he only did what they ordered him to do, and not look for his beloved north-west passage. Robert Juet (more on him in the next installment of "News from the Half Moon") records that Hudson left Amsterdam on March 25th, 1609.

Some of our modern preparations for sailing:

The Captain, Chip Reynolds, and a friend of his who has experience with marine electrical systems came up recently and we all pulled wires out of the ship, preparing to start with a clean slate. Even as I write this, we are gearing up for another round of work--this time to begin replacing the electrical boxes, fixtures, and circuits.

We are also preparing for an exciting addition to our summer season of sailing: a sea cadet program, in which youths from 15 to 20 years old will be able to sail with us for a week, learning (among other things) elements of marlinespike seamanship, navigation, astronomy, sail handling, history, and practical rigging. This program will be conducted by certified, licensed instructors who are also trained in handling medical and other practical emergencies, ensuring the highest standards of safety. The first group should sail in July, with another to follow later in the summer.

So, there is quite a bit of work to be done to get the ship ready for its season of filming a pirate movie in the Delaware in mid May, appearances in various ports along the Atlantic and Hudson River, and the sea cadet program. Work parties are scheduled for several weekends in March for renewal of parts of the rigging (the ropes or "lines" and blocks) with lessons that I will conduct in the old techniques used by sailors for hundreds of years. These work parties will (hopefully) draw good-sized groups both of old crew members who want to learn more as well as new people just getting their feet wet. In addition to these parties, I will be continuing this work during the week--if you have some free time and are interested, let me know.

As always, please call 914-271-3462 to express your interest in volunteering with maintenance, docenting and historical interpretation, and now, joining or requesting more information on Half Moon's sea cadet program.