I, Henry Hudson, 39, have returned from my second unsuccessful voyage to Cathay. The year is 1609. I will try again working for the VOC.

Early June, 1609 - Since leaving our beach promenade in the Faeroes, we’re had alternating fair weather and fog, along with gales and more gales mostly from easterlies.  Fog and gales . . . or as the Dutch crewmen say, mist en sterk wind.

It’s a secret confided only to my personal diary that our heading west southwest is my choice, my defiance of orders from the VOC to attempt only the Northeast Passage over Nova Zembla to Cathay, but this adverse weather plays in my favor.

Some day after we arrive at and register the VOC letters with Cathay, we shall return to Amsterdam and besides the Directors van Os and Poppe, I will face my friends Yope—Jodocus Hondius—and Emanuel van Meteren, and they may demand explanation for my traveling to the west rather than the north and east.  But here I have my excuses:  we made for the Northeast Passage, we tried, we struggled, but the weather overwhelmed us.  To save VOC property . . .  this vessel Half Moon, we had no option to heave-to,  lie-a-trie, or even lie-a-hull and allow the easterlies to have their way with us, almost, nearly throwing us onto numerous icebergs and the shoals of many fata morgans.

Driven by the gales to Cathay . . .  auspicates well..

About the author
This blog was originally published on Henry’s Obsession. This blog uses research and imagination to reconstruct Hudson’s life during the months from late 1608 through the end of 1609. This is the time during which he prepared for and carried out his third voyage on the Half Moon, with which he sailed up the river that now bears his name. Henry’s Obsession keeps time with him, posting about twice a month.

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Tags: 17th century cartography, 400 years, East India Company, Halve Maen, Henry Hudson, Northeast Passage, ship