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Acquiring a cargo is not an easy task done in a day or two. If the ship’s master is buying a cargo he must wait till merchants come forth with
goods for sale. If signing on merchants either for a fraction or freight he must wait for them to come forth or acquire a cargo of their own. In
addition he must wait for authorities to check the incoming cargo and certify the out-going cargo has paid all of its dues. All of this could take a
week for a small vessel and a month or more for larger vessels. This is one reason a trading voyage could take a whole sailing season to a couple of
years to complete when dealing in long distance enterprises.
Cargo Purchased by the Ship’s Master
When the ship’s master decides to purchase all or part of the cargo a vessel will be shipping he must do like any other merchant looking to buy a
lot(s). Every day there will be chance that local or recently arrived merchants will present goods for sale to other merchants or vessels. In many cases
the ship’s master will need to hire a local merchant to act in his stead if he is not of the merchant’s guild or the vessel does not have a
supercargo as part of the crew. When deciding how much cargo he wishes to load the ship’s master must also weight the profit potential from the
goods he is buying and how much he could make by allowing other merchants to load their goods on his vessel also.
Signing On Merchants and Cargo
These men are not the ones presenting goods for sale, as mentioned in the previous entry but merchants who have put together lots specifically for
shipping to another port for trade. Many of these men may have already assembled their goods prior to the vessel arriving and it’s just a matter
of the vessel going to a port they wish to travel to and setting up a deal for how freight will be charged, see above. In addition to those merchants
already on the scene and with a ready cargo there are also those merchants who have recently arrived into the port. These men must sell their incoming
cargo, if they have one, and then acquire a new cargo for reshipment on an out-going vessel. In many cases a date is set for loading and all parties
must have their goods ready and present at that time.
Loading a Cargo
The loading of a ship is not a simple task of just placing the cargo into the hold. First you have to ballast the ship either with stones or heavy goods
such as metal bars and ingots. Once this is done then the remaining cargo needs to be arranged in such a way that vessel is kept on an even keel.
Failure to load in the proper ballast or not arranging the cargo itself evenly will make the vessel list badly, or sit to high in the stern or bow;
either way it will most likely cause the vessel to founder in bad weather. These factors are why a vessel does not haphazardly load its cargo as it
shows up on the wharf. All the cargo must be present on a specified day so that the ship’s master can ensure his vessel is loaded properly.
Pilot’s Almanac states a crew can load a vessel at not extra charge; however, it is done at half the rate at which a crew of longshoremen can do
it. Longshoremen on the other hand have the experience and resources to ensure the job is done properly and at the stated rate; although you do have to
pay them.
When loading the ship the ship’s master has two choices: use the wharf once space is available or have the goods transferred to the ship from the
wharf using small craft. In the latter case it will take twice as long to load the craft and cost 50% more for the small craft.
If the ship’s crew is loading the vessel there is a 25% chance that they have not done so properly, at GM discretion this can affect the
vessel’s sailing ability and/or success rates in bad weather. If longshoremen are loading the vessel, there is only a 5% chance of a load being
improperly loaded. Of course the GM could use this as an event in the adventure by having some deliberately cause the vessel to be loaded improperly.
Port Fees and Choices
When coming into port most vessels will be required to take on a pilot at some sort of outer marker. This ensures the vessel is brought into port safely
and keeps marine accidents at a minimum. When the pilot comes aboard sometimes he may be accompanied by government officials wishing to check the
vessels manifest and passengers; most of the time they will wait till the vessel reaches its anchorage point. Smaller ports may not have the inspections
but for larger ports this will be a definite event. In most cases passengers and cargo will not be allowed to leave the vessel till the inspectors come.
Once the pilot has come aboard he will guide the vessel to its anchorage point. In most cases a vessel will be required to anchor first since Wharfage
is at a premium in most ports. It is during this time that the pilot will collect his fee and the anchorage fee for that day. By midday the following
day the ship’s master must meet with the harbormaster and arrange a time to dock at a wharf to unload his cargo. Once the vessel is unloaded it
will be required to move back to an anchorage if the wharf space is needed for another vessel, otherwise the vessel may stay. Each day the ship’s
master must present himself or a designated crew member to the Harbormaster and declare his intention to stay at anchor, to dock, stay docked, go back
to anchorage, or depart and pay the fees due that day. Failure to do so could cause impoundment of the vessel till the ship’s master explains
himself.
Anytime the vessel is moved from anchorage, wharfage, or port a local pilot must be brought on board to guide the vessel to the designated point. All of
this cost the ship money and time. In many cases a sailing vessel may be towed between anchorage and wharfage and back instead of sailed; taking up to
half a watch to do so.
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