Duel - 1720 - October 18 - A Tale of Two Duels

On the 18th of October I fought two duels. Both were very different, and worth noting.

Ships in Action:
Officers & Allies:

Captain James Maddox HMS Heroine, Raa-class heavy frigate

Enemies:

Boris Demontford - FT50 - Capricuix MC

Action Setup:
As it was the only ship worth risking in solo combat, I tooled around the Santo Domingo red zone, playing peakaboo with a pirate when I suddenly spotted Boris Demontford. He stopped and lowered his sails, challenging me. I knew him by reputation as an honourable solo fighter. I hesitated because I know that skilled freetraders are tanks, but since I was in a throw-away ship, I swung round, claimed a good wind, and attacked.

The Action Itself:
I decided that since I had the wind gauge, I would try using maneuverability to continuously rake his stern with bronze shot.

After some volleys, however, it proved to not put much of a dent in him, as my turn rate wasn't up to snuff. I switched to antipersonnel shot and tried a debuff, but it was poorly timed. Boris, meanwhile, was attacking my sails and rigging. I eventually ground to a halt. Boris boarded. Fortunately for me, I have been practicing my boarding, and he was not apparently well skilled. I destroyed wave after wave of his men, and we put him down.

I was hoping to turn the tables, but I didn't get a chance. He sailed off, trying to pound me to rubble. I don't really know why, but he was unsuccessful. Perhaps my turning was too much for him, or his guns weren't strong enough. He decided to go after my crew and board me again.

I put up a very good fight, and took out more waves, but in the end, I fell in battle.

The Result:
A loss, but I believe it was a victory due to what I learned.

Lessons Learned:
Lesson one: Boris Demontford isn't very good at boarding. This is useful information.

Lesson two: When going up against a FT, boarding might be the best option. However I'm not very good at taking down sails and rigging yet.

Ships in Action:
Officers & Allies:

Captain James Maddox HMS Adversary, Conquistador-class sleek frigate

Enemies:

Smoke Dog - Heavy Hercules (Captured)

Action Setup:
Over TS Virgil Kyle said a pirate was in Area chat asking for a 1 on 1, and I agreed to meet him in Port Royal.

The Action Itself:
We entered battle and it was my intention to board him, as I knew I couldn't stand up to a broadside fight. We nibbled at each others sails, and I did my best to maneuver to get the best shots, which didn't go too poorly, but at some point he switched to attacking my hull, and whittled down my armor.

I decided to disengage and close-haul, as that's one thing the Adversary excels at. I was hoping to get out of combat long enough to rebuild naturally, then I'd steer back for round two.

Smoke Dog thought I was running, and complained to Virgil Kyle who reminded him that it's a perfectly legitimate tactic, but Smoke Dog, I guess, would rather I had fought to the death and thrown my ship away in a meaningless gesture.

The Result:
A draw. He exited the battle. I did shortly thereafter.

Lessons Learned:
I suppose some players just don't have patience, but disengaging to repair is certainly a fair tactic, and wise. Another SGS captain on TS said that a lot of PVP is about patience, and all too often someone gets antsy and makes a mistake.

I need to look into the best ways to disable rigging and board. I don't currently have any disabling debuffs. I'm sure that would be a big help.