Action - 1721 - January 5 - A Spot of Bad Luck at Jaqueme

'On night of January 5th, Captain McLain and Captain Andrew Curran of The Antilles Project were hunting french spice convoys and patrolling fleets off Jaqueme in a pair of Reason''-class fourth rates. A French fast attack group took notice and intercepted. McLain escaped but was unable to save Captain Curran. Report by Lewis McLain.'''

Captains in Action
British Captains:

Captain Lewis McLain - HMS Marauder (Reason-class 56-gun ship-o'-the-line)

Captain Andrew Curran - Reason-class 56-gun ship-o'-the-line

French Captains:

Devious McGreed (50 NO) - Mastercraft Capriceaux-class 44-gun scout frigate

Suvious McGreed (50 PR) - Expedition-class 20-gun privateer packet-boat

Level 50 Privateer - Mastercraft Capriceaux-class 44-gun scout frigate

Privateer - Expedition-class 20-gun privateer packet-boat

Two other unidentified warships

Action Setup
Captain Andrew Curran of The Antilles Project and I had been spending several hours grinding on Jaqueme, along with John Navaleton in a Valiant. We were unopposed by French forces for at least half an hour after the pirate PvP bubble came up. An FT in a Heavy Herc was seen nearby but being unable to attack us he was only able to ineffectively countergrind. Then as Curran and I came out of a fight with a maneuvering fleet (Navleton had retired for the night at this point) we noticed a French NO, Devious McGreed, lurking on the fringe of the red zone in a MC Capri. Perceiving no threat from him, we engaged a French merchant convoy a ways outside the port. When we emerged, we found Suvious McGreed in an Expedition waiting between us and Jaqueme. Before we could make port, we were engaged.

The Action Itself
The McGreeds were joined by another Expedition during the countdown. They were reinforced a minute later by another Capri MC and two other ships that I never got a look at. By a combination of luck and a flash of foresight on Curran's part, we were positioned at our best point and on a direct line to the nearest escape point with our opponents behind us. We were in a good position to run, despite being suddenly badly outnumbered by faster ships.

Curran and I made sail, boosted by my escort skills. My speedier rigging put me ahead of Curran's tanked Reason, but I thought we would both be able to make enough headway to reach the exit.

But then Curran made a judgment call that proved costly. He turned hard to port, and ordered me to do the same, to try and sink one of the Expeditions piloted by Suvious McGreed. Curran gave him a nose full of explosive shot that cut him down to 1/3rd structure, but the nimble little boat managed to keep out of my firing arc. The maneuver cost us precious speed and distance on our pursuers, putting Curran in a very bad position.

Against Curran's orders, I tacked upwind slightly to attempt to draw some pursuers and give Curran a fighting chance. Vicious McGreed chased me briefly, and I kited him, zig-zagging before the wind and pouring in bar shot from outside his effective range. But McGreed realized quickly that I could do that all night and so he turned back to Curran, who was being slowly demasted by the other ships.

Result
My choices at this point were to do as Captain Curran said, and leave him behind, or to head back into a 6v2 and lose both ships. I had to check myself and do the right thing, which unfortunately meant abandoning my wingman. I reached an escape point and watched until I was sure that no miracle could save Andrew Curran, and then I left with a very heavy heart. I needed to get out of the redzone before anyone in that gank pack decided to follow me.

Lessons Learned
Grinding in the red isn't any safer at off-peak hours. The French have plenty of North American players to stay up late with us.

Two Reasons make a very tempting target. Once we were spotted, it didn't take long for the French to organize a gank pack. We should have realized how much danger we were in and moved to safer waters.

There may be such a thing as an honorable retreat, but I don't know what that feels like.