Quiberon, The Quimper Privateers

Scenario 3, Against the Quimper Privateers

1.   The Bay de la Florets.

2.   A broken 74.

3.   The Devil's Teeth
4.   Action off Le Pignon

5.   The Isle Penfret
6.   The Chase into Quiberon

Fearless enters the map chasing La Fille Rapide from the ship killing Glenan islets.  The Frenchman runs between the Maelstrom and Devil's teeth shoals.  These are dangerous waters!

This series of encounters begins with Fearless following La Fille Rapide in a stern chase.  La Fille is a Privateer out of Quimper, and she is running for the estuary of the Oder and the safety of the guns of Fort St Marine on the western headland. La Fille intends to anchor beneath the guns in the "bay of flowers," so named because of the maze of rocks leading into the Odet estuary.

On this chart I rolled three encounters, these were,  2, 1, and 6, in that order. In Encounter One Fearless chases La Fille Rapide into increasingly shallow waters and sights a wreck, a French two decker newly aground on the Penaudet rocks. 

In game 2 La Fille Rapide has reached Point de Comrit and anchored beneath the guns of Fort de Saint Marine.  Fearless must now wait until darkness before attempting a boat action.  Meanwhile the boat's from the grounded 74 could make an appearance, set on cutting out the Fearless herself.

Fearless has anchored off the La Rousse, a white water reef some twelve cables from the fort.  The French Captain Pierre Limburger, and his mate Gaston Puanteur, suspect a boat action is imminent and have rigged their swivels.

Fearless boats set out at dusk

La Fille, under the Fortress guns.  They have set a guard boat.

Hooray for our side, as the Fearless boats appear.  Captain Farthingdle leads, Master's Mate Drinkwater follows with Midshipman Whitemoore behind.

At the Tiffin chip each turn I fired the fortress guns.  To absolutely no effect as it happens.  Still working on my Fortress and its a little rough and ready at the moment, but in all fairness it is set to become an Auxiliary fort in Germania Inferior so not really cut out for defending French shipping.

A proper mix up.  Gaston, the French mate steers into Captain Farthingdale's boat and a melee breaks out.  All boats are ordered to assist.

Drinkwater goes to his Captain's aid.  Whitemoore thinks he has been ordered to persist rather than assist.  He steers for the stern of the Fille Rapide.
Please note that Drinkwater kills three French, but loses two men in return.  He rolls a one and discovers to his shock that he is one of them.  Drinkwater falls with a cutlass through his vitals.  He will be a loss to literature.

The French Captain fires his swivel into Whitemoore's boat.  

Turns out however that the gun was loaded with cream cheese since there isn`'t even the hint of a casualty.

Whitemoore and the Marines board.  I give Whitemoore his extra dice for swordsmanship.

The Poop deck is taken.  The marines fire down into the waist.

The Sixth Tiffin.  I begin to dice for French boat crews from the 74 from this point onwards.

Whitemoore's chip again as he forces his way into the waist.  He kills two Frenchmen but loses another Marine.

Captain Farthingdale boards, but it's all over.  He accepts the surrender.

The Fearless crew cut the cable and drop the courses.  Towing their boats they attempt to clear the bay.

The Hero shot as Captain Farthingdale and Midshipman Whitemoore clear Point de Combrit in the captured Privateer.  

A great game, and successful action, but I am now ten men down on my crew of fifty, and have to assign a five man prize crew to la Fille.  It`s clearly a task for Midshipman Whitemoore, and when next we see this young hero we can expect him to be Lieutenant Whitemoore.
Aboard Fearless herself I promote Quartermaster's Mate Parker Sweedlepipe to Master's Mate.

Against L`'Hirondelle (The Swallow)

In the last game before Quiberon Bay itself Fearless sights L'Hirondelle, a French Naval Brig.
This action takes place around the Pignon rock, a spire of granite that marks a reef at the start of the Pinerf estuary.  The waters here are between eight and four fathoms, and both captains must be cautious.

Fearless makes the sighting.  She has the weather gauge. 

The gunner, Ancient Nell McTurk gets the bow chaser into operation

Using the weather gauge Fearless comes about in front of the Frenchman and rakes her bows.  The French Brig should have stayed off and used her greater range, but Fearless is using the weather gauge to close her down.

In Carronade range the French brig`s hull points collapse and her seams are sprung.  She goes down by the stern.  Huzzar!

The Frenchman sinks close to Le Pignon rock.  The message is clear, keep away from those carronades

From here Fearless can enter into the waters of Quiberon itself, and her main blockade mission begins... with thirty five crew left!  The good news is that Midshipman Quilp seems to be making a swift recovery following the amputation, however he seems to have adopted a rather high pitched voice and a perpetual squint!