MaryCeleste

Apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere. I would love to eventually see a split in cannon types equipped on single deck ships. You can do this currently in multi deck ships, for example I usually run longs on the weather deck of my snow and carronades on the gun deck. But for single deck ships you do not have the flexibility. I know the Niagara for example had 9 carronades and 1 long gun per side. This would allow us to be more flexible in ship load outs and make engagement easier (given how horrible chain shot is in carronades).

Pirates have lost pretty much everything. They lost islet and failed to recapture. I believe we only have two ports (Mort and bondel Cay) left in the north. We have also been steadily losing to French in the SE. I would imagine in the coming weeks unless there is a big turn around we will be confined to just Mort and whatever Freetowns others are operating out of.

So I have not so much a good battle but a funny battle/situation I had just completed my Mastercraft Cutter and was taking it for a spin. I tagged a Lynx trader near Mort and was pretty much alone. Right before the counter finished another pirate in a Snow made it inside the circle. Whatever I think maybe he is just trying to get some xp, he was 2 ranks below me. Soon as we pop in he goes "I am going to cap this trader Mary" I go "Pretty sure I am the one that tagged and started the battle" He goes "I'm the one in a bigger ship" So we start out and he is chaining it and what not, I am able to get along side and take down its rear mast. He then proceeds to tell me "If you try and take this I will sink you, this is my trader" He was close, so I dive beneath him and rake his stern. Mary don't take no shit. He returns fire and it is clear I'm not going to win a slug fest against him. At this point another Pirate Cutter joins and proceeds to grape and chain the trader. My Snow friend is telling him "Help me cap this trade, Mary is trying to steal from me" and eventually tells the other guy "Go ahead and cap it just don't let Mary get it" Through some good maneuvering I eventually get both the PSnow and trader into the wind. Trader has only 9 crew thanks to the other Cutter. Unfortunately I didn't get much boarding prep time so I had to wait 4 rounds to complete the actually capture. During this time PSnow had set up on my back side and was raking my stern. So I win the boarding and was preparing to make a run for it when I realize, since we started on the same side and the trader had been captured the battle was over and I was able to leave immediately I pop into chat and go "Yea big ship" and leave. I send my cutter to Mort and hop in the damaged Lynx (50% sails) I make a break toward Mort but with shit wind he ends up right on my tail. He tags me but is way too far away on OW. Right before the battle I maneuver so as to have a head wind which will benefit the Lynx. So he starts way far away and as soon as we spawn in he goes "Yes big ship" Now I have a huge distance advantage, but very damaged sails. His chasers are not able to reach me but he is closing fast. I am about to resign to the loss of the Lynx and its cargo when I notice the call ref. button. I hit that baby and in pops a fresh AI snow ready to defend me. But, PSnow friend thinks it is a player and starts talking to it. First he misidentifies it as a 3rd rate and goes "O hey a 3rd rate" "Hey Mary stole this trader from me will you help me stop it" All the while the AI is beelining it silently toward him. After no response from the AI snow PSnow helpfully types in chat "Hit tab in the chat window to all talk" Clearly confused about why the AI snow isn't responding. The timer runs down and just before I leave I see in chat "Hey man why are you chasing me?" PSnow hasn't figured it out. I chuckle to my self, leave battle and head into Mort. Total haul: 60 hemp, 43 Gold, 51 Coal, Trader Lynx, and a good laugh My Cutter is Mastercraft Fir with Rigging Speed and Stiffness, not the fastest thing in the world but man that Rigging Speed Trim is amazing, I am able to get sails up and down so fast, it really helped out.

La Trintie was the most fun I've had in the game to date. 0 pirates started the battle and we slowly trickled in. Several got caught up in battle outside and were having trouble making it in. When I first dropped in it was my snow, and another snow with a fleet. We made for the first tower and tried to punish the group there. The French had split their forces and seemed to be focusing two towers at once. The first tower we tried to defend fell but not without significant damage to the French group there. Eventually a couple Mercs got in and we made our way to the last living tower. Fortunately it was upwind of the main French force and only had 3 attackers on it. We smashed into the group parked right outside the tower and began to pound away. I boarded everyone in sight, often to the detriment of my crew and fore mast. Eventually we cleared the group there and the other pirates that had been trickling in were engaging the remaining French forces heading toward us. The slugfest continued and it came down to my snow and 2 mercs being the last floating pirates. I was very badly hurt and tried to make an escape, but was ran down by a pursuing French snow. One of our two Mercs was well over 75% damage with the other Merc thankfully being under 25% damage. I should have stayed and watched but basically those last two Mercs were able to hold out long enough to either sink or drive off the remainder of the French attackers. This fight was a complete shit show. All Pug, no teamspeak (that I was aware of), no commands in chat, very little grouping up. It was basically once you got in, you pointed toward the biggest group of ships and tried to do as much as you could. It was great fun and I hope we can have more fights like that. Pug life for ever. However, it does illustrate how hard it is to when a small port battle without good organization and teamwork. I'm not sure if it was because the lower BR that was brought by the French, but when we first started that battle I thought there was no way in hell we would pull it off. But, it somehow came out alright.

Yea we had a new guy, forget his name but he was streaming on Twitch. Had only been playing for like a week I think. He rallied everyone for the Salina and then after that rallied everyone to stay and harass the US after the other battle. Said he wants to be pirate king and take back all the stuff. We will see how it goes but it will probably be a fun ride regardless.

Salina Point fell back to the pirates last night. GB did not defend, however 1 GB player showed up mid fight then left. At the same time US started a fight at another GB port, so I imagine that is why they didn't bother to defend Salina.