The Beylerbeys The first three weeks, after leaving Venice were relatively quiet. Abraham’s Youngest Son found no awaiting ambush along the upper Italian Coast even after leaving Venetian territory. They did encounter fishing and cargo vessels that posed no threat to their ship, yet Jon avoided any contact. They soon found the Jachtschip was now capable of faster speed than when it began the journey from Amsterdam. With some justification, a beaming Ship’s Master believed their ship might be the fastest warship in the world. Jon already found himself hard pressed to not let thoughts about his wife and future child distract him for his duties. He was forced to concentrate of a new predicament developing aboard the ship. The innovative configuration of lighter sails, which caught more wind, and the over-lapping copper plating, which permitted hydro foiling, had one unforeseen consequence: the two expert tillermen were having difficultly steering. In those days, before the development of the ship’s wheel, the helmsmen who steered the ship were below deck and relied on commands from above and their own feel at the tiller to steer a ship.
