A group of royal yachts are shown accompanying a ship flying the royal standard in rough weather. The King used these yachts to carry dispatches and important people around the coast, or to and from the Continent. Some noblemen also built similar vessels for their own use. In the left foreground is a royal yacht which has not been successfully identified. It is flying a red ensign and the Union flag and shows a carved bow in the shape of a lion's head. A number of figures are visible with one man attending to rigging in the bows. In the centre middle-distance is a two-decker with her lower deck port closed in the rough weather. She has the royal standard of Charles II at the main which signifies a ship with either the king or the Duke of York on board. The incident recorded remains unclear but it is possible that it is a painting recording an earlier event, such as the passage of the Duke of York to Scotland in the 'Gloucester' before 1682. To the right are three yachts in line ahead following the line yacht on the left and another ship in the distance on the far right. Sky occupies two thirds of the painting with a large bank of cloud on the left and bright light reflecting in the clouds.
The artist was the younger son of Willem van de Velde the Elder. Born in Leiden, he studied under Simon de Vlieger in Weesp and in 1652 moved back to Amsterdam. He worked in his father's studio and developed the skill of carefully drawing ships in tranquil settings. He changed his subject matter, however, when he came with his father to England in 1672-73, by a greater concentration on royal yachts, men-of-war and storm scenes. From this time painting sea battles for Charles II and his brother (and Lord High Admiral) James, Duke of York, and other patrons, became a priority. Unlike his father's works, however, they were not usually eyewitness accounts. After his father's death in 1693 his continuing role as an official marine painter obliged him to be more frequently present at significant maritime events. The painting is signed 'W.V.Veld J'and dated 1689.