General
he ships sailed from Texel, Rammekens or Goeree, via the English Channel
along the coast of Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands in southern direction,
the exact route depending on the wind. Problems often arose around the
equator, caused by a number of strong currents that could drive the ships
towards the Caribbean. To avoid great risks the VOC directors laid down
a compulsory cart
track. They sailed along the coast of Brazil and at 30
degrees South the course was changed in the direction of the Cape of Good
Hope, which was a compulsory port of call.
From the Cape of Good Hope the course went south until 35 - 40 degrees South and from there North again. The westerly winds enabled the ships to sail to India quickly across the Indian Ocean. This route was cooler and not as dangerous as the route along the African coast, where they encountered hostile settlements and unfavourable winds. However, the new route had its drawbacks. Accurate calculating was required and if the ships turned towards the north too early they could end up in Sumatra and from there it was very difficult to get back on the right track
There were two different fleets:
1. the Christmas Fleet
2. the Easter Fleet Each
fleet ailed out in a group of two to five ships The Christmas Fleet sailed out in December/January. A disadvantage of this time of departure was the bad weather on the North Sea. An advantage was that they passed the equator while sailing before the North Eastern trade wind. Because of this Batavia was reached very fast A second advantage was that the fleet departed just after the slaughtering month, so that the meat on board was still fresh The Easter Fleet had the advantage that they had less trouble on the North Sea, but they could have a very hard time passing the equator and sailing the last miles to Batavia After a while a third fleet called the Carnival Fleet was put to sea in September. Eventually ships sailed out all year round. They sailed out from Texel, Rammelens or Goeree. From there they sailed through the Channel, hugged the coast of Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands and sailed southwards. The exact route depended on the winds.
