In the helm hutch, we use a whipstaff to steer the ship; the original d'Halve Maen's construction predates wide use of the ship's wheel by about a century. The whipstaff is a simple lever, allowing a single crew member to easily push the ship's massive rudder and tiller to back and forth.

Mouse over (or click on) the image to see how the whipstaff maneuvers the ship's rudder.