Witte Swaen ship receives tile ballast for stability

Volunteers are adding approximately 1,400 tiles to the Witte Swaen, a reconstruction of Willem Barentsz’s ship, to serve as ballast. The tiles are being slid into the hold via a makeshift slide to increase the vessel's stability.

Currently, the ship carries 22 tons of lead, but an additional 13.5 tons of tiles are required to prevent excessive wobbling during sea trials. Volunteers opted for tiles over lead due to the high cost of lead and the immediate need to prepare the ship for sailing in three weeks. The use of stones or tiles is historically accurate, as historical vessels often took on stones for stability after unloading cargo.