Date Added: 09 October 2009
"M.O. the fluyt Zeehaen en yacht Heemskerck. It was in the year 2001 a friend has given me a present. A book, a DVD and 'how to make model' drawings of the two ships Abel Tasman, a Dutch discoverer, sailed with during the years 1642 and 1643. He was ordered by the governor from the VOC, Anthony van Diemen to sail around the 'southland' as the called it that time and look for gold- and silver mines, people to trade with and tings to explore. He did not succeed. The only find 'wild' people, no gold and silver mines and nothing to explore. Anthony van Diemen was very disappointed. But that was not to blame Abel Tasman. Later on the recognised that Abel Tasman did a great yob by sailing almost around Australia and put every clip, every bay and every rock on the maps he discovered during his voyage. I decided to make his ships in a 3 litter bottle. The ships Abel Tasman sailed with was a Fluyt from 200 tons and a yacht from 120 tons. The yacht he used to get close to shore. The yacht was a fast ship and sailed very well. The fluyt was a ship specially built to carry a great cargo. She good sail with les people. First I made the Fluyt. A ship, designed in the year 1595 by mr. Liorne, the mayor of the place Hoorn in the northern part of Holland. He was also a ship builder. This design was so successfully that in the first year the built 80 of these ships in Holland. The hull of the model is made in one part and is made of note wood. The colour is already the colour of the ships had at that time. After the hull was completed I painted some parts. The mast are made separately and put on there place with the stags. The sea was made of clay even so was the (sandy) coast with a part of green hills. Some tree’s on it and it looks very nice. I put the Zeehaen in to the bottle and it did not give any problems. And than, a friend of me asked me to make a great ship. And so I did. I put the bottle with the fluyt in it and the hull of the yacht in a corner of my working place. It takes me for years to built the great model and during these years I did not work on the ships of Abel Tasman. In 2009 I started to finish the Heemskerk. I was not so lucky. (I think I did not have enough patience) The parts of the masts the flags are hanging on are broke at the first and on the main mast. I repaired it by making it in copper. During the 'bottle-ing' I had to push very hard on the hull to get the ship inside the bottle. The upper part of the main mast was broken. It takes one and a half day to repair it like a surgeon. Working with metal pins, thick one’s, thin one’s, with sharp pins on it, with hooks on it etc. etc. It did not work at first but I new one thing. Keep on trying and it will do. So id did after 1 ½ day. After the Zeehaen is a sloop. Every ship at that time had more than one sloop aboard. One was always ready behind the ship to use at any time needed. The 'chair' the bottle is standing on was already made in 2002. I was not satisfied with it. Under the neck of the bottle I made a 'stem' with two outriggers. Between them I made a Dutch lion, painted red. But there was missing something at the back. There, against the bottom of the bottle, a made a back-side like a 17e century ship. New it is finished I am proud of it. A new item at my collection." - Frans Dekker
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