A group comprising Captain Jacobsz, Francisco Pelsaert,…

A group comprising Captain Jacobsz, Francisco Pelsaert, senior officers, a few crew members, and some passengers leave the wreck site in a thirty-foot (nine point one meters) longboat, in search of drinking water.

After an unsuccessful search for water on the mainland, they abandon he other survivors and head north in a danger-fraught voyage to the city of Batavia, now known as Jakarta.

This journey, which ranks as one of the greatest feats of navigation in open boats, takes thirty-three days and, extraordinarily, all aboard survive.

After the arrival in Batavia, the boatswain, a man named Jan Evertsz, is arrested and executed for negligence and "outrageous behavior" before the loss of the ship (he is suspected to have been involved).

Jacobsz is also arrested for negligence, although his position in the potential mutiny is not guessed by Pelsaert.

Batavia's Governor General Coen immediately gives Pelsaert command of the Sardam to rescue the other survivors, as well as to attempt to salvage riches from the Batavia's wreck.