Action - 1720 - December 16 - Chased a Pirate off Gibara

On December 16th, Captain McLain sighted, pursued and captured a pirate in a galleon off the north coast of Cuba

Captains in Action
British Captains:

Captain Lewis McLain - HMS Spitfire (Gallant-class 38-gun naval frigate)

Pirate Captains:

Level 38 Cutthroat - captured Santiago trader's galleon

Action Setup
I was traveling down the coast of Cuba to do some missions in San Marcos. I planned to skirt the redzone around Gibara, but that was before I spotted a nice fat Santiago in the red heading my way. I had the wind at my back and a clear advantage in ships. So I steered in and engaged him. I was right on top of him before he realized what I was up to and tried to turn away.

The Action Itself
I knew I would have a disadvantage in speed against a pirate - a well-outfitted 'Santy' could outrun my ship, as the Spitfire tops out at 24 knots in its current configuration. Getting the kill would depend on my first shot. I had the wind at the outset, whereas the pirate had turn to get to his best point. This allowed me to get my maindeck in range and let fly with Disable Rigging. Now I was able to close in on the pirate before the effects of my debuff wore off. He shot at me with his stern chasers with what I suspect was Cut Shroud to slow me down, but both shots missed. I gained slowly, turning to fire only when Disable Rigging cooled down. The pirate used Mast Braces and his Jury Rig repair skill to undo the damage I did with my shots, but the debuff kept him in combat and in range. It was now just a race to the exits and I was winning. Finally he turned to bear his broadside and fired with Cut Shroud again, hitting me finally and cutting back my speed. However, his turn cost him precious momentum and despite the debuff I was able to pull alongside.

That turn sealed it for him. I came alongside and started pouring Star shot into his sails. He offered to surrender when he realized the situation was hopeless, but as per the ROE I gave him no quarter. I demasted, decrewed and boarded him and defeated him with casual effort.

Result
I must have caught this guy on a deadhead run, because his hold was almost empty. All that time I spent chasing the guy and only a handful of loot items and some MoVs to show for it - oh well.

Lessons Learned
Sometimes, careful use of firepower can defeat speed.