Duel - 1720 - November 17 - Party Time! Excellent! Woowoowoowoo!

Ships in Action:
ALLIES:

Virgil Kyle - HMS Fury ('Postillionen' Heavy Frigate)

ENEMIES:

PARTY TIME - Captured Bermuda Trader's Sloop

Action Setup:
Gather around, me hearties, a listen to a rousing tale of retribution through reverse rageboarding :)

It all started when Captains Wick, Thorpe and myself were hunting fleets outside Santa Clara, when we got a report from Captain Chase that our new compatriot, Captain Kermit Careless, had been caught by Party Time just outside Port Royal, and was in the process of being sunk by him! Seeing this, all of us immediately docked in Santa Clara, and ported over to Port Royal. Upon arriving, I quickly jumped in my Heavy Posti frigate, the HMS Fury, and sailed out to meet the dastardly fellow!

The Action Itself:
As I left port, I could see that Party Time had finished with our mate, as he was waiting outside the zone in his captured Bermuda Trader's Sloop for more prey. Upon seeing me, he apparently thought me a fat mark, for he made right for me, and initiated battle! As we closed range with one another, I made full sail away from him, intent to make him run me down if he wanted a fight. He quickly did, but when he got within range, I plastered him with canister, knowing that he intended to 'rageboard' me. He was soon down to a mere handful of men, yet still he pressed on, trying to bring my crew down to a manageable level. I did not give him the chance - I rageboarded HIM, and proceeded to use Party Time's own tactics against him, being a Dirty Fighter myself. It was a hard-fought battle, to be sure...

The Result:
... but I prevailed in the end :) My men eventually surrounded Party Time, and I gave a hearty chuckle as they ran him through.

The best part about it all? I got our mate's cargo back, including two ship deeds he had been carrying. I transferred them to Captain Chase, who passed them on to Captain Careless.

T'was a good day, to be sure :)

Lessons Learned:
The biggest lessons I took from this battle were, first, that no one is invincible. Party Time has a daunting reputation, but he bleeds like any other man. He can be killed, if you play your cards right. To this end, the second lesson, for me, was that you should anticipate and counter your enemies' tactics whenever possible. If you can, you may even try imitating them! I knew Party Time intended to 'rageboard' me (ram me, slow me, and initiate a quick boarding action) when he engaged me, as he had successfully defeated me the day before using that very tactic. Thus, I countered this tactic during our second confrontation, to positive effect. Also, when we were in boarding combat itself, I used Party Time's own hit-and-run tactics against him, as I am myself a Dirty Fighter like he. I know first-hand how disconcerting having one's own tactics used against you can be, and it likely contributed to my victory in some way.

Keep these lessons in mind, my fellow captains, and you too can achieve victory, even against the most wily and savage of opponents. Good hunting out there!

Misc.
The Fury, beside Party Time's former ship. What a tacky monstrosity. Who paints their ships black and magenta, anyways?