Market Size
Market size has a direct impact on the type of shipping conducted at a port. The following can also be found in the ‘Ships, Shipbuilding, And
Market Size’ article published earlier. The distance traveled by the majority of vessels at a specific port is dictated by the size of the market
at that port. In addition, if we have an idea of the dominant type of shipping conducted at a port and the average tonnage the port generates per year
we can get an idea of how many sailings originate from that port each year. See ‘Sailings’ below for more information.
Market Radius' for Water Bourne Trade
In the sidebar of the following pages you can see a description of each voyage type per Pilot’s Almanac. The following is my own thoughts on these
voyage lengths. In addition, I will give an example of the common vessels used for each voyage type, their average lengths, gross and probable net
burthens as well as the types of commodities that they might carry.
The Research
Based on my research of shipping along the east coast of England , towards the end of the middle ages, I became aware that contact between the east
coast and the southwest and west coasts was inconsequential. It was apparent that the east coast consisted of regional capitals, such as Hull or
Newcastle . These regional capitals were supported by a galaxy of small neighboring ‘creeks and havens’ or settlements from whom they
imported food and raw material and exported small quantities of wine and luxuries.
The more important interchanges took place between the regional capitals who exchanged there own surpluses not available somewhere else for what they
needed. Over all, this was the movement of foodstuffs from all along the coast to London and the re-export of exotic goods back to the regional capitals.
The Hârnic Case
Looking at the research above I found it interesting how the Hârnic Isles reflect the reality of late medieval England ’s east coast. The
trade is dominated by regional capitals, which in some instances correspond to principal seats within kingdoms, which in turn are supported by smaller
settlements within a small sphere of influence. For the most part these regional capitals have a market size of 3 or 4. Hârn’s equivalent of
England ’s London is Cherafir. Cherafir is Hârn’s entrepôt for the overwhelming majority of goods coming from other regions of
Lýthia. Although Cherafir does not receive the foodstuffs that London demanded it does receive the goods that the rest of Lýthia desires from the misty
isles. In exchange for these goods, Cherafir re-exports the exotic goods of Lýthia throughout the southern regions of the isles; Orbaal being supplied
by way of Ivinia and Chelemby.
Based on the above assumptions we can assume a significant portion of Hârn’s shipping is coastal and of a local nature. The capital ports or
those with a market size of 3 or 4 are focused on this local trade for subsistence and short distance trade for goods not available within their own
hinterland. Finally, you have Cherafir conducting most of the trade in exotics with the mainland and re-exporting it to the regional capitals. Although
this is the dominant picture of how shipping works in Hârn, there are a few enterprising masters from the smaller ports who conduct business
outside of those usually prescribed for their particular home port.
Northwestern Lýthia
For the most part the remainder of Northwestern Lýthia looks like Hârn in regards to port with a market size less than 5. This is even more
evident for the Ivinian settlements in the north throughout Ivinia, Harbaal, and Jarenmark.
The real difference between Hârn and the continent is in markets above size 5. Although there are some size 6 and 7 markets that reflect the
characteristics of Cherafir there are many more along the major trade routes that have a more dominant role to play in international trade. These ports
have significantly more vessels and trade going on than similar sized markets off of the main trade routes. The sidebar shows the dominant ports of
northwestern Lýthia; that is those along the major trade routes as per the Lýthian Economic map in the HârnWorld publications.
These dominant ports will have 2 to 4 times as many supply lots/tuns available, will be able to absorb more incoming luxuries/exotic goods, have more
merchants looking for a ship to move their goods, and have more sailings than any comparable port of equal size.
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