Bruiser in the Bay of Fundy

It is 1812 and the America has declared War, ostensibly over impressment of it's sailors by the Royal Navy.  In reality the war mongers in the regime see the opportunity to conquer Canada, thinking this will be easy to accomplish.  At Port John in New Brunswick, a city home to many Loyalists that fled the Revolutionary regime, the Canadians are nervous that the Bay of Fundy will once again become home to Yankee privateersmen out of Maine.  Hope is pinned on the Royal Navy and the sixteen gun Brig Bruiser. 

St John is an all weather port.  When the St Lawrence ices up it is the only route for the vital trade in ship masts to Britain, and for goods to get inland to Canada.  The Royal Naval base in Halifax, Nova Scotia focuses on the Atlantic, but in the bay only a few small vessels flying the Flag for Britain will stand against the aggressive Privateersmen who will come out from the Maine coastline to prey on this vital shipping.

Ships Complement 

Lieutenant 
Masters Mate
Bosons Mate
Able Seamen
Hands
Landsmen 
Carpenter's mate
Sailmaker 
Gunner's mate
Steward
Clerk
Cook
Purser 
Marine Corporal
Marine 

Crewing.

1. Commissioned Officer, 

2. Warrant Officers

3. Petty Officers

4. Able Seamen

5. Prime Seamen

6. Landsmen*

1  Bespectacled clerk

2  Strongman

3  Pickpocket

4  Ploughman

5  Drunk

6  Hat maker

7  Shepherd 

8  Idler 

9  Brawler, 

10 Criminal

11 Reluctant Pressed Yankee,

12 Seditious Irishman

12 Angry Scotchman

13 A bilge bully

14 Recruiting parties, under a Naval Officer

15 A woman posing as a man

16 An urchin boy

17 A likely young lad

18 A mutinous dog

19 Murderer fleeing justice

20 Marine Detachment.

       (5 plus Corporal

       10 plus Sergeant)

Bay of Fundy

Events

6  Sail Ho

5  Weather

4  Event aboard

3  No event

2  No event

1  Sighting ship catalogue.

Maine Coast

Events

6  Sail Ho

5  Sighting Lloyd's Marine list

4  Weather

3  Event aboard

2  No event

1  Sighting, ship catalogue.

Ship Catalogue

Elizabeth Jane of Martha's Vineyard 

Quincy Adams of Portland

Fortunate Son, Privateer Brig, Massachusetts 

USS Charleston, Frigate 32 guns

Good Pilgrim of Plymouth

USS Hornet Brig

USS Wasp Brig

Johanna of Salem

Van Trompe of Amsterdam

Siren, French Privateer out of Martinique

Bon Pantalon, Breton Privateer, Rennes

HM Schooner Seabream, 6 

HM Brig Bruiser 16

HM Sloop of War Persephone 18

HM Cutter Viper, of 12 guns

LLOYD’s MARINE LIST 
The Harriet, Liverpool

The Jason King, London  

Margaret, Falmouth

The Violet, Conway Ltd, of Baltimore

The Ferret privateer, of 14 guns, from St Maloes, 

The Packet, of Boston,

The Barcque Betsey of Jersey

Mary Lou of Bucksport, Ketch rigged coastal trader

Liberty of the Carolinas.

Supplies for Sea duty. 

spare cordage, sailcloth, yards and spars, Meat casks, Ship’s biscuit, Animals, Rum and ardent spirits, Captains wine, Powder, Shot, Mixed weapons, Pistol/Muskets, Cutlass, Boarding pike, Water casks; 1 per 50 men per Day, Slops, Bow or stern chaser, Gold leaf for stern Guilding, Yellow paint for stern.

Charts and bearings.

Ships have variable speed depending on the sail set, the wind strength and the bearing to the wind.

Ships also have a “Top speed” based on the length of the keel, displacement of water and beam of the vessel.  HMS Victory was reckoned to achieve 9 kn in strong winds.  Smaller vessels could achieve this in lighter airs.

Encounter Deck

Weather

6  Squall

5  Strong blow

4  Medium winds

3  Breeze

2  Light airs

1  Mist and calm

Sail ahoy

1, Enemy, 2 Privateer, 3-4 Merchant, 5 Allied Privateer, 6 Friendly

6  Warship

5  Three master

4  Brig

3  Schooner

2  Sloop

1  Boat

Event aboard d6 for severity

6 is damn serious, 1 is inconsequential.

6  broached cask

5  parted stay or yard

4  promotion

3  angry words

2  drunk

1  a sailors foibles revealed

Closing the Land

6  cliffs

5  white water

4  shoals 

3  gravel

2  sand

1  deep water

Sea Fight off Grand Manon

Bruiser on a tack to avoid the shoal

A Yankee brigantine flees

It's among the shoals

Bruiser puts up her head and gives the first Broadside.    

It's a chase.  That brigantine was proving nimble

But sooner or later

Critical hit.  The Brigantine is on fire.

End game.

The Yankee Frigate

Off Cape Sable Bruiser runs in against a large Yankee Frigate.

The frigate is cautious as Bruiser shelters among the islets

A game of dodging 

I realise that I've been rash.  The frigate is within 3" of the rocks.  The skills test is a 2, and we are aground.

And Bruiser lives to run away another day.

To be honest my US Navy Captain Avatar, Hugo Z Hackenbush deserves a courts martial.  In retrospect however Bruiser's tactics were spot on.  A couple of great games.   I now need some bespoke coastline pieces for the Canadian look and I'm ready to go.  In the meantime however it's back to Quiberon Bay for a cruise.