The Dutch by Richard E. Schultz Page A

assured Mrs. Rudderman that he could draw imaginative sail designs after collaborating with more experienced people like herself. Initially he told her he would copy the sail on the existing Kaags until he was ready to bring forward his own innovative design. Henri admitted that rigging would be a challenge because he sailed infrequently during his apprenticeship but modeling and collaborations would allow the early rigging to be also done properly. He noticed, when admitting his lack of sailing experience that Johanna had frowned. It was the only time Mrs. Rudderman showed any visible sign of displeasure during their discussions.
    The final topic she initiated was religion. Johanna Rudderman wanted to know whether Henri considered himself a saint or a sinner, and Henri knew enough about the followers of the new Protestant faith to well know the word “saint” would be the only word she would want to hear. Instead, Henri probably shocked her when he confessed he no longer considered himself a Catholic but thought little about replacing the Roman faith with another. Henri told her about the strong feelings he felt regarding his parents’ early death. She seemed almost sympathetic, possibly harboring a similar viewpoint over her own recent loss.
    The dialogue then turned to what sailors always like to talk about, the way to increase the speed of any ship and the conversation drifted as pleasurably as the little Kaag did on the estuary until the tide came in and the wind began shifting toward the city. Johanna suggested Henri raise the sail and take command on the journey home. Henri enjoyed sailing the fast little vessel and only reluctantly relinquished the tiller as they approached the dock at Rotterdam. She let him off near his lodging and gave him a departing smile. For a time he watched her limberly maneuver the little boat away from the busy dock with the same dexterity she used to avoid giving him any indication about her future plans. He thought about Mrs. Rudderman and the unfinished kaags as he walked to his lodging and Henri envisioned many more specific changes to the keels that would make them faster. He wished he had shared these thoughts with her. Henri would have agreed to finish those kaags if she had asked him to do so. When he arrived at the boarding house, he took a few sheets of his finest paper and began to sketch a little kaag. He had trouble remembering the exact dimensions of the craft he had sailed which continued the frustrations of a day that had gone in an unexpected way.
    The next morning, knowing her mistress had always liked to observe the morning activities at the shipyard, Mrs. Rudderman’s housekeeper opened the shuttered window letting in the first morning light as the sun rose in the sky. The servant was opening the window out of habit since there was little activity at the yard since the master’s death. As Mrs. Rudderman opened her eyes she spotted unusual movement and, with a smile, dispatched the maid to the kitchen. “Prepare a breakfast tray and a jug of fresh buttermilk and take it to the young man at the dock.”
    Henri Roulfs had arrived before dawn and patiently awaited the rising sun before using a knotted cord to measure the little kaag still tied at the dock. It was the same craft he had sailed the previous day. He recorded each measurement with a precision worthy of the fine workmanship he was now appreciating after intense scrutiny. Each measurement demonstrated the superior skills of the late Mr. Rudderman and the craftsmanship revealed a true master shipwright. Armed with exact measurements, he began to draw the kaag with fine detail. A smooth plank served as a drawing table. It took half the morning to sketch a flawless image of the little boat. Finally, satisfied, he consumed the tray of food that was brought hours earlier.
    After breakfast, he began a second drawing of how he would complete the first Rudderman hull. The drawing showed a similar