The drawing has been divided into two sections: upper and lower. The upper drawing shows the break of the poop (a structure at the stern of the vessel) and the stern looking aft. The door leading into the roundhouse and the door leading below are each indicated with the following inscription: 'deur van hudt/ deur van omlaeg te...n'.

It has been attributed to Van de Velde the Elder with considerable hesitation. It is believed that the writing on the sketch is by his hand, but certain elements of the drawing, such as the hatching of the shadows look very close to the style of van de Velde the Younger. The margins of the drawings have been lined with brown ink.

The drawing has been approximately dated based on the artistic style.