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Attachment 21452
"Aarrgggh m'hearties, for a jug o'grog I'll tell y'the tales of Old Slippery Jim. Aye those were th'days. Now gather round and pull up a'chair, listen well for I'll only tell it once and once only. Now, who's up first with me grog a'fore I start the telling like......?
How Slippery Jim earned his nickname:
“So, there we was like (drink). Close hauled on the larboard tack. We’d been chasing this Frenchie for a few hours as he rumbled Jim’s ruse of flying false colours like.
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So He says to me, hoist aloft our true colours, and so I did....
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The French merchantman couldn’t outrun us. Heavy laden and low in the water she was. The captain hove to and surrendered without a shot being fired. Seems he had ‘is family aboard like (drink) and didn’t want no harm coming to them.
What did the captain do you ask, well what do you think? (drink, drink, drink) Now afore we continue, who’s round is it?
So, where was I? Aargghh, that be it. We hove to next to the Frenchie and the Captain ordered the boats lowered
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We sent a third of the crew over to unload the cargo, Well we hadn’tna been at it more than an hour like when we hear, Sail Ho, to the southeast. It’s a Spaniard and she’s a bigun.
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The Captain didn’t waste no time. He ordered the first mate, that was me, to set sail and use the Terminus Est as cover and make it back to our little hideaway sharpish like. He would keep the Spaniard busy so we could effect our getaway. (big drink) Ahrr me tankard’s dry, now fill me up sharpish and I’ll finish me tale.
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We watched that Spaniard turn this way and that. But he was a bigun and was in irons most of the time. Gave us time to....why thankee sir, awful nice of ye and the best of health, ....now that gave us time to raise sail and make headway.
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That Spaniard was coming as fast as she could but the Captain held his nerve. (Drink...wipe mouth with sleeve) Argh that Spaniard was all of 74 guns I tell ye, Aye 74 to our 44. Did I tell yeh we waz razeed like? No? Well we were. More below deck space for our nefarious dealings. That’s how the Captain told it like, not I, me not having schooling and letters and the like.
Then all of a sudden like, the captain having bided his time, heeled the Big E thats what we liked to call her but not in earshot of the Captain like, He heeled her over on the starboard tack; that’s this way (waves right hand) for yee landlubbers, and caught the Spaniard out.
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The big Spaniard got the first blow in though, the Big E reeled under a weight of iron but the Captain at the helm kept a steady hand.
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Again he held the course, jib pointing at the 74; whats a jib.....’eaven amighty, lord save us from sheep shearers and corn rustlers, a jib is the pointy end at the front of the ship with a sail on it, like a big bed sheet ya lumax’s. So I watched as the Captain swung the wheel and the Big E leaned right over (right hand again) and blow me down with mizzen spar if he hasn’t double shotted the guns and rakes that 74 good and proper as the Big E sails past her stern!
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That took the fight out of the Spaniard. We was right out of it and to far from the Spaniard for them to catch us. The Spaniard fired a parting shot at the Captain but we saw the fall of shot and nairey a ball hit our ship. So that’s how Captain Jim got his name Slippery Jim, ‘cause he slipped away from that 74 with little damage, a prize worth taking and gave as good as he got.
Aye Slippery Jim de Griz, now if someone would kindly fill me tankard I’ll tell you some more tales of daring do and how we nearly got caught on a lee shore, what’s a lee shore....fill this up and I’ll tell yee.
Butchers Bill
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Terminus Est (sailing under Constitution): RTP/2 hull boxes, 1 fixed as per end of game rules.
Captain de Griz
REP: 2
Prize: 6
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French Merchant: RTP/No damage.
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Arganauta 74: RTP/4 hull damage/4 crew lost
Apologies for the poor shots with camera, somehow in the downloading they got cropped badly.
Summary:
1. The AI Spanish Captain tried his damnest and nearly did for me with his first broadside.
2. My only braodside, double shot and a rake (missed the additional damage chits there - mistake on my part) was enough to put the Spaniard too far away to stop the prize or tack round and catch the Big E. So I called time on the game there.
3. It was fast and furious and I made the decision that my Captain would not tangle too long with a bigger ship, well longer than was necessary.
4. Mission accomplished it was break off and escape with the booty.
I'm curious about it. :beer:
AAR posted
A very good aarrrrr! Capn.:Arrrr:
Smart as paint with your maneuvers and even smarter with the downing of yer grog.:rum:
Here's to the next taie of swashbuckling on the main.:clap:
Tail/ mane, get it?
Black Bart.:cheezy:
Rep gun needs swabbing.
One word: Piratish! :Arrrr::Arrrr::Arrrr: (in it's most positive meaning)
Enjoyed your story as well as your ship handling, disengaging the twodecker was of course the right decision (especially when you already have captured a fat merchantman!)