Pirates worked hard on the ships

_Elsa_

‘To that end, a seaman’s life was dreadful even by the contemporary standards – with grueling hard work aboard ships accompanied by uncomfortable quarters, damp surroundings, and more-often-than-not stale food. The dismal nature of their work situation was rather exacerbated by the exposure to various diseases ranging from scurvy, typhus to dysentery and smallpox. As historian Angus Konstam mentioned how half of the deaths in this daunting line of work were caused by diseases.

Black Pirates? - Historian Angus Konstam noted how around three-quarters of the 18th century Caribbean pirates (documented from contemporary court records) were sailors with a median age of 27. Historian David Cordingly further estimated how the majority of them were Englishmen (who mostly hailed from port cities like Bristol), followed by colonial Americans, colonial subjects of the West Indies, Scots, and Welshmen. A very small (though influential) percentage of pirates were also French, Dutch, Swedish, and even Spanish in origin.

The Pirate ‘Costume’ - The pirate captain of the 18th century perceived himself as a self-made, prosperous man and as such dressed as a gentleman of the era – with the attire mainly comprising breeches, waistcoat, a long outer coat, along with a satin and leather sash. Now, of course, his clothes and accessories depended on his plundering ability and purchasing power in makeshift auctions (of stolen goods), thus aptly reflecting his position and status among both his fellow pirates and his foes.

The Maneuver and Ruses of Pirates - Once again, bypassing popular culture, pirates generally targeted merchant ships by virtue of their singular goal of capturing their prize, not battling their prize. In fact, military ships of the time not only outgunned but also outnumbered pirate ships, since the former operated in squadrons while the latter tended to sail alone (or rarely with another captured vessel).

The Gun Barrage - The conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries involved muskets and artillery on a grand scale, so much so that almost every European ship, irrespective of its military or mercantile purpose, was armed with guns. By extension, almost every sailor operating in the Atlantic was used to handing artillery and guns on the cruising grounds and the high seas. As for the ship-mounted guns, the sloop and larger schooner were typically equipped with the 4-pounder (also called the Canon de 4 Gribeauval), the lightest weight cannon in the arsenal of the contemporary French field artillery. These gun pieces weighed around 637 lbs and had a maximum range of over 1,300 yards. Larger pirate ships (like Black Bart’s Royal Fortune) obviously carried bigger guns, including the medium 8-pounder and heavy 12-pounder.’ (Source)

Tiffi remembers Elsa telling her that she saw a cake baker create a pirate ship with his team and they had cannons on the side that shot fire out. She wishes that she could have seen that show. She tells Toothless Pete to continue.

Let’s continue - No treasure chests filled with gold

Start at the beginning – Kimmy meets some pirates