Luther Memorial Church has been plundered

We plundered the church, by handing out candy to kids for holloween, however we did take victuals with the congregation. Hot dogs, chili, and candy, yum.

The most dreaded ships at sea

Of all the ships at sea the most dreaded were the French Galley's. Not that they were the most formidable of warships. They were on the decline. What maded them so dreaded was the fact that they were, in essense, prison ships. As a prisoner you could to to jail, or if you were really bad, you would be condemed to death on the galleys. And it was a death scentence. Many Protestant men, who refused to convert after the renunciation of the Eddict of Nante, were sent to the galleys, most of whom died, being worked to death. On slave trading ships the cargo at least had a chance to survive the voyage. Galley crews were doomed.

However not all galleys were floating execution platforms. Here is the stern from the Reale De France. This was the royal galley. Check out the use of gold and the head of apollo (ei Louis XIV) in the center of all the gold goo-gah.



Below is ship that took the Reale's place. The ship is NOT the kind of ship I would want to run into. For one thing it could blast me to bits. For another if I was able to take this ship I would still be SOL since it takes such a shit pot load of people to crew.

Christopher Codrington

The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. In the years of my sailing in the Western ocean, I had several run-ins with the Captain~General of these islands. His name was Christopher Codrington. I have mentioned him before. He was born in Barbados and asumed his fathers post in 1697. His picture is above.

It was against him that I experienced my largest engagement. In 1703 he led an invasion force against the French island of Guadeloupe. Joseph d'Honon de Gallifet, the sickly governor of that and other French islands, called me and several other privateers, to him to keep the British off his island home.

Codrington was a soldier and an Englishman. In other words he was entirely full of himself. He put to sea with a small force of a dozen vessels of various types with himself captaining a Brig of war. Codrington had to sail his fleet south by south east, agains the prevailing winds to reach Guadeloupe.



Now Guadeluope is the northern most set of islands in the great arch of islands that make up the eastern rim of the Caribbeann Sea. It is not a single island but five islands. The main populaiton lives on either of Basse-Terre or Grande-Terre. From sea they look like but a single island but in truth a very narrow channel, known as the salt river, divides them. The other islands are sparsely populated. As the nothern most island in the great chain of islands, Guadeloupe would be a great catch since it would provide a nearby harbour for English ships attempting to take all the islands to the south.

Codgrington's father, aslso named Christopher, had attempted in 1691 to take Guadeluope and failed. Now his son came south. And we were sent to stop him. Now privateering is based in the weakness of kings. England, France, Holland, had very small navies. The lords of these lands had spent many centuries concerned with landed interests so the idea of a standing navy was new to them.

National armies came into being back in the 15th century. Navies, as you know them, did not yet exist. Men such as Henry Morgan, and myself, were the navy of the kings of Europe. The French governor sent our fleet to sea with express orders to prevent the English from taking his islands. This was a vague order. It was a good order that we could actually follow.

Our fleet split in two with half our numbers to the north of Grande-Terre and the other half, my half south of that island. Codrington's fleet had easted far too much and so when then came up on the wind and sailed on Guadeluope they ran into my fleet first. Codrington had numbers on his side and the wind. His ship was well armed and the seamen who crewed the ship new what they were doing. All was with him including a rising tide.

But this last bit luck was to tern evil towards him. For as his ships aproached my own fleet they came upon shoals. These shoals were at the time hidden by the tide. They drew up in line to do battle with us. We, in deep waters, did like wise and so began a cannonade that lasted several hours. The tide turned but Codgrington's ships were still over the shoals. So very soon after the turning of the tide, his ships had to fall off lest they ground themselves and be wrecked. Two of his ships were lost this way.

With the shoals preventing him from coming at us he attempted to sail to the south and come about to cross into the bay. This manuver put him broadside to us and we took advantage by blasting away at him at a range of four hundred yards. We had but to stay in position. He had to contend with a rapid tide coming off the shoals, and a backing wind.

In two hours his ships were so damanged that he withdrew to Nevis not to return. Guadeluope remains a possession of France to this day.

Pirates were scum

Some people still confuse, thanks to numerous fellows, privateers and pirates. This is mostly due to the fact that some privateers, once given their walking papers, turned to piracy. Shame on them and the governments that used them anyway. In an earlier post I said that I cannot hide the fact that much of what we did "legally" was what pirates were hanged for. It is a stragne thing war. War in time of peace is mass murder. There will be some accounting to be done in the here-after.

I, being me, will put the atrocities of me and my breathren out of my little mind. One cannot dwell on the suffering one induces and not go mad. My fellow gentleman of fortune, Capt. Fyre, is still looking for a brace of pistols. I have told him of the worth of my Catalonian pistol but he does not like it. How about this?

The proper sword for the times

Cold Steel makes a small-sword that pretty much matches the typical small-sword of the late 17th thru 18th century. The small-sword evolved from the longer rapier. The small-sword was a mandatory article of fashion for gentlemen. It was also, of course, a defensive item. The blade of a small sword is deisnged with a triangular surface, like the rapier, for thrusting. It is short enough that it can operate in a confined space and will also not get in the way when worn to a Salon for an evening of gaming and debauchery.

The small sword is also an historic item for it was the last sword used by gentlemen. By the 19th century the sword ceased being a fashion item and, with the rise in quality of firearms, was no longer a great defensive item.

The Most Dangerous of My Missions

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I have plied the seas for so very long that it is quite difficult to tell you what the most harrowing mission would be. I have seen all manner of sea-born combat, ports seiged, ships blown to the water line, men eaten by sharks before my eyes, etc. However the most dangerous, after much mind taxing, was the mere taking of a letter.

As you know I have letters of Marque from Louis of France. This being so I am pretty much at the service of La Roi Soliel. Now back in the days of his grandfather were was such a thing as the French-Ottoman alliance. Yes friends, the most Catholic of kings was allied to the Islamic Turkish Sultan. Over time this alliance failed.

Then in the 1690's the king of France recieved a delegation from the court of the Sultan. He resoponded by sending a letter. This letter I was tasked to deliver to Istanbul. As you may recall I was a slave there once. This journey was fraught with all manner of nastiness; from Barbery Pirates, to Italian Pirates, to Cypriate Pirates, to ... oh well you get the idea.

The story is a good one. I should elaberate on it some time. Suffice to say that once again the most Catholic of Kings and the most Muslim of Sultans, became fast friends, at least in the political sense. What was contained in this "love note"? Well I read it and was not impressed. Basically Louis told the Sultan that he would remain neutral if the Sultan attacked the Austrians. Good God what a note to send to the bastards what held my captive. To let those same bastards do their will to my compatriot Austrians. Oh well the money was good.

Grand Siècle De Vaux Le Vicomte

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In France they don't seem to have Pirate festivals. However they DO have lots of authentic palaces for such festivities, or Fetes. Vaux le Vicomte is just such a place. The residence of Nicolas Fouquet it preceded Versailles in grandeur. Louis XIV was so taken with the place that it was his inspiration for the rebuilding of his fathers hunting lodge (Versailles. He also had Fouqet arrested by D'Artagnen, the captain of the his Musketeers, and thrown into the prison of Pignerol for life. The "Man in the Iron Mask" was Fouquet's vallet during his imprisonment.

Today the palace is the scene of a yearly festival to commemorate the great Fete that Fouquet held in honor of the king in 1661. It sort of makes the Portland Pirate Festival look quaint.

It is known as the Grand Siècle De Vaux Le Vicomte

We should go.

More about Grimstock after his privateering career

Most people think, and correctly, that most men who captained private vessels ended poorly. Henry Morgan was one that seemed to profit from his exploits. Until he died of liver failure thanks to sooo much rum.

For myself I am a great avoider of disasters. A hero I am not. Nor do I allow any heroism in the crew. Early in my career, shortly after my aquisition of the English frigate, I came to the attention of the Chevalier d'Leanor. He had been part of La Salle's doomed expedition to the Louisanne in 1687. He took his ship and left after bucanneers had devastated their fleet.



For a time he and I sailed together off Normandy and Africa. We took several prizes. Over the years he became less enamoured with the sea and ended his days, in agony with a case of severe gout, at his chateau in Marseille. When he died he left me a country house outside Paris. Here is an etching of said property.

The Comte died in 1695 and it took several months for me to know of his gift. Most of the years of my seaborn exploits I seldom saw the place. As time went on and my desire to be tossed about on the black and wicked seas waned, I took refuge here for longer periods. Until one day I found that I had become a country gentelman. I attened Versailles from time to time however I found the place oppresive.

Below is a photo of the place taken in morder times.

Spyglass

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Here is an English Spyglass circa 1790. Nice and compact. It expands.

Captain Kidd...the bastard

Well he was not a "bastard" in the legal sense. However he was a royal, pirate, pain in the arse at Nevis. He had just mutineed with his crew and taken a ship to this little English port when we came into aquaintence. He on the Blessed William and I on the Induna.

Another bastard, Christopher Codrington the governor of the miserable no-mans-land, had hired Kidd to lead a fleet to keep us out of his port. We, flying the French colors, came under fire as we approached the port. This was a futile engagement. The English wasted every shot since the winds were up and all their shots were wild. Still the French commander, was an even bigger bastard and decided to retire.

I took my ship out of line and we saild to Tortuga and got drunk. Thereafter I was inclined to work alone and not attach our vessel to any fleet.

Here is the man I nominally work for. Louis Alexander

Louis is the youngest bastard son of King Louis and Madame d'Montespan. This painting was done in 1708. However in the year 1693, my year, he is only 15 years old. However he is still an Admiral of France. All of king Louis sons are named louis, Louis Aguste, Louis Caesar, Louis Alexander.. And finaly the legitimate Louis the Dauphin. Of course he and his son die before the Louis XIV dies so his grand son also named Louis takes the thrown. At least it make it cheap on the stationaries. Just ad an extra roman numeral or two.

Fyre and Grimstock aboard ship

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Two of the better dressed seamen. I am fully aware that such fru-fru is not sufficient for an Atlantic crossing. Yet these garments are designed by my seamstress to overaw the pathetic mayors and governors we meet with. So that the are under no illusion as to who is the more powerful.

Sid Meiers Pirates

I could re-live me glory days (or is gory days) whilst playing Pirates. It is just a lot of good digital fun. I have had the idea that using the Arcade feature you could have an X-box pavillion at the Portland Pirate Festival and have up to four pirate captains blast away at each other via a large projection screen.

Bart

A nice painting of Bart. He was a snappy dresser. Like me he spent a lot of time off West Africa. He also didn't partake in strong drink. However he was a greedy SOB and started to believe his own crap. So. like most of his kind, didn't last long. I have to hand it to the young fellow he did take a lot of ships while he lasted. If he'd bothered to sign on to a navy he'd have been a legend like Nelson and probably retired a rich man.

Awe the big wide world of the 1600's

This fine map, created by Bleau back about they year I was birthed, is as fine an article as there is on the world as she stood back in the day. No google Earth back then boys. Looking into that work of art and geography, I see that I have seen so very little of the bloody ball.

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What kind of personal defense weapon do I favor?

To each his own but I favor this pistol I purchased in Salerno the day I made land fall in Sicily. It was the first possession I actually purchased for myself. Until that point I was either equipped by my dead parents, the Austrian army, or the Turks. It is pretty much a standard 50 caliber weapon. The grip is nice in that it causes horrible head wounds when used as a cudgel. At the same time it is very hard to clean once the inlay is full of gore.

My self and Capt. Fyre

I count several captains as friends. My dearest by far is Capt. Patrick Fyre. The man is spot on the nastiest individual at sea today. And also smart. Smart count for so very much more than sword play or pistol shot. Its about equal to cannon fire.

Art of my time

Vermeer died a few years ago. Being a dutchman he is an enemy artist. However I have seen some of his work and I like it. His is much more of a personal style/ Like his fellow countryman Rembrandt. The French are so concerned with symetry, and connections to the ancients, that I cannot get into their work.