Van Speelbergen's Fleet Anchors and Names Table Bay (1601)

Timeline

1. 1601Table Bay · South AfricaVan Speelbergen's fleet sailed east from Zeeland on 5 May 1601, sighted Table Mountain on 2 December, and anchored in the bay. He named it Table Bay after the flat, table-like summit, replacing the Portuguese name Saldanha Bay used for the place.
2. 1601Table Bay · South AfricaThe fleet took on fresh water, fished, and cared for the sick in the bay before continuing east into the Indian Ocean. In late December the Ram was separated from the other ships near the Cape of Good Hope; the three vessels later reunited near Ceylon. This anchorage made Table Bay the standard waypoint name in subsequent Dutch sailing logs.