Ghost ship

Ghost ships (teergavves [TEE-err-gah-vez in Vetthi]) is a seamen's term for trading vessels of the Vetthi Merchant Fleet. Vetthi ships are grey in colour and relatively low profile in the water, making them difficult to spot at sea, so they seem to slip into port like ghosts.

Ghosts are constructed similar to a caravel, being relatively small, fast and manoeuvrable. They have a number of distinctive features, namely a long bladed prow that helps cut through heavy seas, and a deep keel that aids stability in the ocean. They have gull-wing and dragon-claw sails unique to Vetthi shipping, which can swivel into the wind and open and close a little like a fan. Most have a pair of claw sails, with larger versions have a second pair fore and aft.

Not only does this design makes Vetthi ships fast and efficient, the moveable masts can be lowered and lashed down in storms. Also, by lowering the masts and draping the grey sailcloth over the deck, ghost ships are almost impossible to see from a distance, protecting them from attack by brigands or enemies.

Like most ships in the Vetthi fleet they are usually owned and captained by one man, or by a family, though female captains are not unusual today. They can be operated by a relatively small crew, no less than a dozen and not more than twenty, though larger ships can accommodate up to fifty people.

Unlike other merchant navies who take on hired hands and pay them a wage, Vetthi free traders take on crew by selling a stake in the profits of the run. It is not unusual to see Vetthi captains or their mates hawking for positions on the dockside. Though it seems unusual for sailors to hand over money for a job, it has several advantages.

Firstly, since Vetthi crews operate on a profit-sharing basis, crewmen can make more money than on other ships. Secondly, since they have made an investment in the run, it is in their interests for the ship to be run efficiently and successfully. For captains, this also guarantees their good behaviour, since lazy or troublesome crewmen risk forfeiting not only their pay but their investment too. For captains it also provides the initial capital needed to outfit and provision the trade run. Consequently, only prudent and efficient sailors tend to make it onto profitable Vetthi ships. Lastly, paying money up front tends to exclude foreign sailors, and imprudent ones who have lost all their money.

In practice, most crew aboard the ship make their initial investment for the first run, and if they wish to stay aboard, their share of the profits is reinvested for the next trade run. Sailors can build up significant capital with a captain, though this is at risk if the ship is lost or the captain makes bad decisions. However, captains are obliged to log their missions, crew compliment and shares at ports with a Vetthi trade mission. This means that if anything goes wrong, a record is kept for the families of the lost. Vetthi captains also pay into a common insurance scheme which pays a small pension to surviving partners and family.