The year is 1723 and the condemned pirate, William Benton, awaits his appointment with death at Execution dock. To pass the time he recounts tales of his adventures to the naïve young journalist, Nathaniel Bagshaw, who hopes to publish a popular book on pirate histories.
Benton’s story begins in 1718, when the pirate stronghold of Nassau is under threat and its inhabitants are torn between accepting the King’s pardon or continuing their precarious life as sea rovers. Captain Gunnarsson and his crew choose the latter and are forced to flee a place they once called home. Their luck seems to change when they sight a Spanish galleon separated from the treasure fleet by a storm, but during the pursuit their ship, Dream Chaser, is engulfed by a sudden, eerie mist. When they emerge they find themselves no longer in known territories, but in unknown and mysterious lands. Now they are struggling for their lives as they attempt to return to familiar waters with or without the Spanish treasure.…
Hailing from Los Angeles, the Pirates Charles combines hard rock and metal with folk and sea shanties to create a bold and vibrant sound. Besides electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and drums, their songs included the use of a violin, flute, and mandolin to create an energetic sound. Their songs are about piracy, drinking and other maritime themes with a large dash of humour.
What did pirates eat? Anything they could get their hands on. Although fresh produce was scarce on long sea voyages, pirates didn’t usually spend as long at sea as the average sailor on a naval ship or merchantman. They would normally sail out from their base to seize there pray and return with their booty, where they could purchase fresh provisions. When no friendly port was available, food could be obtained by foraging on one of the many islands or even from plundering. After the fall of the pirate nest Nassau in 1718 and with the increasing pressure on pirates from the Royal Navy, their bases no longer existed and the sea rovers probably had to go for longer periods without fresh food.
Now a condemned pirate in Newgate prison in London awaiting his appointment with gallows, William Benton was once boatswain on the pirate vessel Dream Chaser. Originally from Plymouth in Devon, the 35-year-old loquacious seaman and anti-hero is renowned for his biting wit and sarcastic humour, which on times made him extremely unpopular with the crew. At times self-serving and self-important, it is not unknown for him to surprise his shipmates with unexpected acts of fairness and compassion. He also possess a strong sense of justice and refuses to submit himself to any master, making him a suitable candidate for a pirate crew.
The War of Spanish Succession was fought in Europe and the colonies between 1701 and 1714. The theatre of war in the Americas was known as Queen Anne’s War and involved a series of wars fought by British colonists against the French and their native American allies.