The Dutch fleet viewed from the weather quarter close-hauled on the starboard tack in a fresh breeze and a lumpy sea. Most of the ships are under courses and main topsail, but a ship on the left has handed her main topsail. In the centre middle distance is the ‘Eendracht’ with two galjoots under her stern. She has a flag and pennant at the main, and a pendant at the mizzen peak as a signal. In the left foreground is a ship with flag at the mizzen and pendant at the main. (So far as is known the rear-admiral of the centre was Verveen in the ‘Zon’, but the ship has a full-length figure on the tafferel.) In the right foreground is a ship of the centre squadron which may be the ‘Stavoren’, as she has a town on her tafferel.

The drawing is inscribed ‘( ? erased no. 6) geteickent den 18 october 1658 op vrijdach na middach / (crossed out ? veel st … der als smorgens as) wooeij redelick ( ? stift) soo de vloodt de koeurs stelt & seijlt om soo veel / doendelick was te avanseeren & reijs vorderen’ (Drawn on Friday afternoon the 18 October 1658, blowing fairly hard as the fleet held its course and sailed as well as it could to make further progress on the voyage).

The numbered series of drawings begins with seven in various collections – the Duke of Northumberland, the Scheepvaart Museum, Amsterdam, Atlas van Stolk, Rotterdam, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum, and continues with others in the NMM (PAJ2527and PAJ2583) and in other British and European Collections.

Van Wassenaer took over command of the Dutch fleet in the Vlie between 12-22 September 1658. Van de Velde may have joined the fleet at this time, but the first drawing to be made with any certainty was made between 20-30 September.