Patrol - 1720 - October 12 - Patrol off of Puerto Cabezas

Ships in Action:
ALLIES:

Virgil Kyle - HMS Striker ('Conquistador' Sleek Frigate)

Leo Davis - HMS Black Prince ('Reason' Fourth Rate)

ENEMIES:

-Various French merchantmen

Action Setup:
Prior to my patrol with Mr. Davis, I was checking on the HMS Aquila, in Tortuga, and was considering taking her out on a patrol or two in those waters. However, upon checking on the current state of affairs in the Caribbean, I soon found out that the French were busy fooling around outside Puerto Cabezas, and were quickly turning it into a contested area! I therefore decided to postpone my trip on the Aquila, and immediately made my way back to the Striker in Port Royal to prepare for a patrol. I contacted the Gentleman Leo Davis and told him of the situation, and we sailed into the area together, in order to harass French shipping and, hopefully, to drive the French from the area altogether.

The Action Itself:
Upon entering the area, we quickly set about making ourselves a nuisance to the French merchantmen in the area. Over the course of an hour, we did a goodly amount of damage, and sent many a French tub to the bottom!

As an aside, I must again attest to Captain Davis' commitment to duty. Although we encountered little of concern in our engagements with the French around Puerto Cabezas, it must be noted that Captain Davis risked the Black Prince in this endeavor, going as far as to sneak her out of the blockade around Bridgetown just to help. If that doesn't show dedication to duty, I don't know what does!

The Result:
By the time I was forced to retire from the engagement, due to the imminent battle for Turtling Bay and the chance I would be called on to attend, James Maddox had arrived, and he agreed to take command of the patrol. When I left them, contention around the port was dropping, albeit rather slowly. Although it increased again shortly thereafter, once we all had left the area, I feel content in the fact that we did our duty today, and worked towards the continued dominance of Great Britain on the burning seas. Huzzah!

Lessons Learned:
I find the same lesson is confirmed for me over and over again, every time I sail with a fellow captain on a patrol such as this. That lesson is that every captain can do his part, no matter how small that part is, in furthering the war effort for England, and banding together in common cause with fellow captains can only increase the impact that is made.

Strength in Unity!