The Statenjacht Utrecht 1746 by Ab Hoving (ed.) and Cor Emke (plans)
Sea Watch Books LLC, Florence OR, 2011, US$62 (hb)
176 pages, with numerous black-and-white and colour illustrations, glossary and index, insert of 13 construction plans of the Utrecht most at scale 1:50
ISBN 978-0-9837532-1-6
The Netherlands, it is claimed developed the world's first co-ordinated transport system in 1632 when construction started on their comprehensive system of canals and inland waterways. Such connections were vital as the country was a republic of constituent states each operating with considerable autonomy but collaborating closely on key matters like foreign policy or finance. Regular meetings of government officials required that barges suitable both for being hauled along canals and also for sailing across the wider Dutch waters were available for use as ‘the sailing statelimousines of the Dutch Golden Age’. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a new type of ship was developed, now known as the Jacht, and it served the dual purpose of giving genteel transportation to senior government officials and also offering pleasure sailing to the wealthier classes. It was on craft like these that the Russian tsar, Peter the Great honed his sailing skills while on his grand embassy to the Netherlands at the end of the seventeenth century.
With the successful building of a series of replica ships in Holland over the past quarter century, it is no surprise that a decision was taken to construct a replica of a state yacht – of which none remain. For political (and financial) reasons the homeport chosen was Utrecht, probably one of the least seafaring cities in the Low Countries. In the fullness of time a replica State Yacht was designed, built, launched, outfitted and tested as the Statenjacht Utrecht – and the City of Utrecht which never before had especially elegant transport yachts, found itself in possession of a vessel which is unique and beautiful.
In 12 short but pithy chapters, the story is told of all the stages of the building of the Jacht, from conjectural design through to sailing trials. The chapters, each written by a different member of the team are well constructed and full of interesting technical and historical insights. The detailed description of timber construction mirrors many other recent books on the subject, but any repetition of material is made up for by the superb illustrations with well thought through captions. The naval architecture side is weak, possibly the result of the death of the person involved – although this was some years before the completion of the project. However one real criticism of the book must be the lack of design information and the paucity of detail regarding stability and similar matters for a ship of the twenty-first century which must adhere to the clear guidelines of SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) and similar current international statutory regulations. Strangely such information is almost irrelevant as the hull configuration of a Jacht (while operating in the waters of the Netherlands) makes it one of the safest ships in the world.
Possibly the greatest surprise in this book is the pocket on the back cover which holds thirteen beautiful construction drawings of the ship – from general arrangement to rigging plan and from sails to mooring arrangements. Sadly as is the way of all things, these plans are computer generated and do not stimulate the real delight and pleasure emanating from plans which have been hand drawn by an expert. Hopefully the art, craft and science of the ship draughtsman will be re-established in the coming years.
This is an interesting book: While effectively adding little to our knowledge of replica ships and replica ship construction, it does give a thorough explanation of the role of the eighteenth century Statenjacht and it reminds us of the beauty of the ships which were the precursors of the royal yachts of Western Europe.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00253359.2013.767553
© Fred M. Walker