[Michelle]

Jacuzzi/Big Screen Combo for Crew Areas!

And this is just one of the many employment benefits you'll receive as a member of the Captain Michelle's Fleet!

This is why Captain Michelle's pirates are happy, contented and motivated pirates!

Are you looking for a change?  Are you stuck in the proverbial "Dead end job"?

Ever consider a life of adventure on the high sees?  One of robbing, plundering and pillaging?

Then consider life as a pirate, and specifically as one in the fleet of the Dread Pirate Captain Michelle!

Competitive salary and profit sharing!  Medical, dental and life insurance provided!
401K with 7% matching!

If you think life as a pirate is for you......

For more employment information, application forms and benefits information, please contact us at Michelle/Southern Cross Enterprises at 1-800-MICHELLE


More on our onboard ship Jacuzzi/ Flat Screen Combos

Every pirate ship recreation area should have several of these! - the La Scala Bathing and Entertainment Centre brings together a 42-inch high-definition Plasma monitor and powerful surround sound system with the luxury of a personal spa bath. There's ample space for two in the circular, 6 ft whirlpool bath that includes ten strategically placed hydrotherapy jets for optimal relaxation and underwater lighting to soothe the senses. The entertainment package includes concealed DVD/CD/AM/FM stereo system and a floating remote control. Complemented by simple, elegant design in white, black or high-luster platinum, the La Scala is part of the limited edition The Private Collection from Jacuzzi, but unfortunately there is not yet an Australian distributor.

Dimensions: 82-3/8" L X 72-1/2" W

Features:
- 42" high-definition Plasma screen offering the finest motion picture environment
- Sophisticated surround sound system providing a true theater experience
- State-of-the-art DVD/CD/AM/FM stereo system concealed within an entertainment center
- Innovative floating remote control offering fingertip operation of the jet system, entertainment center and underwater lighting
- Ten strategically placed, fully adjustable hydrotherapy jets for optimal relaxation
- Underwater lighting to soothe the senses
- Side-by-side ergonomic loungers for exceptional comfort
- Stunning circular shape makes ideal complement to master suite or home fitness center
- Striking color choices of black, white or platinum
- Spacious whirlpool bath measuring 82-3/8" L X 72-1/2" W

As the second addition to the company's Private Collection, La Scala will only be available in limited production. Indicative of the Private Collection, each La Scala will be certified and numbered.

Again, isn't it time you became a member of Captain Michelle's crew?

For more employment information, application forms and benefits information, please contact us at Michelle/Southern Cross Enterprises at 1-800-MICHELLE.  An equal opportunity pirate employer.

Sample job application is attached below!

[##catfitewatcher314]

michelle, did you have a Flux Capassiter on that ship? I mean a Big Screen TV with HD in 1790's  and the spa pool  You must do time travel    Damn the Tech back then was cool!  Other than take treasures what else do you like to do as a Pirate?  and if you could live in any Era which one would it be as a Pirate of course  maybe in one not known for Pirates?  Mo Money Mo Money Mo Money   And you could give Carly a blinged out doghouse... she could wear a eye patch at your side leading the way   I hope you can answer this for me    From: your Faithful Reader Watcher

[Michelle]

Dear Faithful Reader Watcher:

Thank you for your very well thought out questions.  With regard to the Flux Capacitor, the answer is yes, each ship in my fleet is fully equipped with the latest in flux capacitor technology.  Below is our more compact model we use on our smaller frigates of 30 guns or less, which comprises the majority of my fleet.  The flagship “Southern Cross” uses a larger slightly more advanced model.

I know there are those not fully onboard with the flux capacitor technology.  They say: Flux Capacitor: Utter nonsense.

I say to them the following: If we combine what the individual terms mean we are left with the idea that a flux capacitor somehow stores the flow of some current. Obviously this would be the flow of time, but that doesn't really make sense for a capacitor. I don't know any explanation of time that requires electricity, and I don't know of any use for a capacitor other than to hold an electric charge. Just because you're using fancy words doesn't mean you're saying anything fancy. The Flux Capacitor might have just been called the Turbo Encabulator.  We therefore tend to use that name. 

Actually, if you assume that the space-time continuum is based on a form of energy, then a flux in that energy would create a deviation that could in theory alter said continuum - and a capacitor would store that deviation (aka time) for reuse.

But we have another key issue to consider...and that is the true energy level of said deviation.  By theory, the energy of said deviation could be infinite, therefore requiring a capacitor of infinite plate area, to provide the needed storage area.  The total farads needed may be beyond the scope of normal super computer calculations...but.....

Then we brought the Chinese in…and all our problems were solved.

The next questions was; “Other than take treasures what else do you like to do as a Pirate?”

Yes “faithful reader”, we did do other things.  In our upcoming Chapter 5, you’ll see we fought on the side of the United States in the War of 1812.  We also we’re big spenders and our injection of currency into the U.S. economy at critical moments in the 18th and 19th centuries saved it from completed collapse.

As for your question “Would I rather live in an era where I couldn’t be a pirate?”  I have to take exception and say, one can always be a pirate.  Being a pirate isn’t just sailing on a ship and plundering, it’s a life style and an attitude that transcends generations.

And yes, Carly does have a blinged-out doghouse.  It’s a Victorian style two-story doghouse and it seems to suit her quite well.  Carly, the heroine of Portobello, does wear an eye patch, but only on formal occasions now.

[##catfitewatcher314]

 Like they say   Never too old to learn something new, thank you. How does one become part of your crew? and is your crew only women?  I imagine if there are men on your crew it would be difficult somewhat with such beautiful women surrounding him. But, there has to be a good feeling that he has such a courageous Captain and explorer so well known and feared and respected to sail with.  Your adventures are exciting. Initiation to the crew would not consist of something like Hell Week in College, is it? Like being having to run naked thru  a crowd of people with an egg clenched between their butt cheeks being told as you run that said person better not drop the egg or else?  If so, I will probably hate Chickens after that   The little egg laying fuckers  And what position would I start out with?  Having your name on any pirates resume is good for their future ( just as long the pirate is not caught and hanged) *gulp*

[##catfitewatcher314]

Everyone spread the word    Michelle does a great job entertaining us with these stories    and hope those who have read them tell your friends so more can enjoy them as well  Thank You Michelle

[ETC (etcaaf)]

I love it Michelle! I gather your favorite spiced rum ain't Captain Morgan LOL!

I look forward to the series!  I tried to find some pirate music as background while I read but the closest i could come to that was "Nantucket Sleigh-ride", by the group Mountain (Leslie West) about whalers so it will have to do. 

Thank you for "setting the table", looking forward to what happens next!

Great job Michelle!

[peccavi]

Michelle
thanks for referencing Captain Blood, I have the book on which the movie was based, lots of fun and a lot more detailed than the movie.

But you didn't answer your question was Tortuga  a real place yes it was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortuga_Island,_Haiti (and you'll see a reference to the author of Captain Blood

And you didn't mention (or at least I can't see it if you did) the truly amazing career of Sir Henry Morgan, by turns Commonwealth (as in Oliver Cromwell) soldier (his uncle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Thomas_Morgan,_1st_Baronetwas one of Cromwell's generals) traitor to the Commonwealth (like his uncle he joined the Restoration cause under General Monck) , pirate, admiral and governor of Jamacia.

I don't think even you could beat that! (although I suspect your sack of Portabello owes a lot to the historical Morgan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan#Attack_on_Porto_Bello

[Michelle]

Michelle
thanks for referencing Captain Blood, I have the book on which the movie was based, lots of fun and a lot more detailed than the movie.

But you didn't answer your question was Tortuga  a real place yes it was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortuga_Island,_Haiti (and you'll see a reference to the author of Captain Blood

And you didn't mention (or at least I can't see it if you did) the truly amazing career of Sir Henry Morgan, by turns Commonwealth (as in Oliver Cromwell) soldier (his uncle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Thomas_Morgan,_1st_Baronetwas one of Cromwell's generals) traitor to the Commonwealth (like his uncle he joined the Restoration cause under General Monck) , pirate, admiral and governor of Jamacia.

I don't think even you could beat that! (although I suspect your sack of Portabello owes a lot to the historical Morgan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan#Attack_on_Porto_Bello

I'll take the questions in the order that they were asked....

Yes, Tortuga was a real place and is one of the islands of Haiti.  It was far less civilized than Port Royal. Tortuga appeared to be generally a lawless place, one of the only places a pirate considered to be free with no governing law, despite the expansion of the East India Trading Company. One of the most popular places on Tortuga was the Faithful Bride tavern.

I have not mentioned Sir Henry Morgan in the last few chapters.  I did mention him a fair amount in Chapters 1 and 2 to give some degrees of separation as a setup for future chapters.  It should be obvious that much of Captain Michelle's exploits follow those of Morgan.  The original Portobello invasion was done by Morgan and less than 500 pirates and I basically followed that attack historically as far as timing and sequence.  It still remains one of the most amazing military operations ever conducted.

Sir Henry was a Welshman and sailed under English letters for the most part.  Morgan often played both sides of the fence and was at the very least a traitor to the crown.  Sir Henry was all about power and money and pretty much all about Sir Henry.  I don't mention Sir Henry in recent chapters because i consider my story revisionist history in a sense.  I basically placed myself in the role of Morgan in conducting his operations although he will get more mention in a few future chapters, primarily in the complete invasion of Panama and Maracaibo. Morgan's attack and burning of Panama ultimately cost him his English support.  Morgan will get more mention in future chapters but his role in my work is simply to add that occasional bit of realism.  Then again, I could change my mind and make him and Captain Michelle join forces.  You all can wait and see how it all comes out

Oliver Cromwell actually gets a lot of credit for the English presence in the Caribbean.  In 1655, Britain's Admiral William Penn and General Venables, pursuing Oliver Cromwell's policy of expansion called his "Western Design," wrested Jamaica from the Spaniards.  Jamaica remained the English stronghold in the general area a considerable time after that.  Cromwell is a fascinating character and often a subject of revisionist history for his role in "displacing" the crown in England.  I have strong opinions about Cromwell that are not nor will not be the subject of these stories.  

This is a "story" that is designed to take a colorful aspect of history and make it fun.  I'm a satirist and enjoy tweaking the nose of history.  I do this because of a basic mantra that I have.

"Those that forget history are doomed to repeat it"

I chose to use humor and satire as my way to remember this part and many parts of history.  I take a dry and what is often thought to be a boring subject...."history"...and try and make it fun.....and i'll continue to do so because its a subject I love and one I was involved with academically.

Let's face it, these are pirates and they are colorful, and often at times very funny. There is a bit of a pirate I hope in all of us.  If not, I feel our lives are much less fun and exciting.

[peccavi]

More important it is heaps of fun; if teachers could only put half as much fun into history lessons as Michelle has  every child would be keen to learn

[Michelle]

Like they say   Never too old to learn something new, thank you. How does one become part of your crew? and is your crew only women?  I imagine if there are men on your crew it would be difficult somewhat with such beautiful women surrounding him. But, there has to be a good feeling that he has such a courageous Captain and explorer so well known and feared and respected to sail with.  Your adventures are exciting. Initiation to the crew would not consist of something like Hell Week in College, is it? Like being having to run naked thru  a crowd of people with an egg clenched between their butt cheeks being told as you run that said person better not drop the egg or else?  If so, I will probably hate Chickens after that   The little egg laying fuckers  And what position would I start out with?  Having your name on any pirates resume is good for their future ( just as long the pirate is not caught and hanged) *gulp*

As far as crew selection goes and “initiation, we really tried to test our crews under battle conditions.  Otherwise, how would we really know?  Resumes mean little to a pirate.  You just generally went by feel.  Our main thing was tying all new crewmembers to the bowsprit at the front of the ship for like maybe 8 hours.  If they survived, we knew they wanted to be with us because we’d be going through a lot tougher times once we engaged another ship.  We feel we were quite democratic in the way we did things aboard ship.  

As in most facets of their lives, pirates safeguarded themselves from the less appealing features of ordinary society.  We elected their officers rather than having someone else appoint them.  We limited the authority of the captain and added a representative, the quartermaster, to stand up for each member of the crew, thus negating the potential of overbearing or autocratic officers dictating their lives.  We pirates abolished the policy of class distinctions.  Each pirate was equal to every other pirate, and each pirate had a say in all matters of importance.

Still...I was the captain and I always retained the right to hang or shoot anyone I felt was a detriment to the ship.

But honestly, most high-seas pirates were bands of volunteers who democratically elected their captains, and minimized harm to their victims in order to maximize their profits. Pirates hired many blacks as freeman during slave times, and built up one of the best branding campaigns ever. Just seeing the Jolly Roger’s skull and bones approaching would prompt surrender — the whole point of the flag logo. Pirates were outlaws, and no saints, but they were not crazy marauders, but more like shrewd businessmen.
Most of the legendary customs and behaviors of sea pirates can be explained by the dynamics of free market economics. They were governed by the invisible hand, or rather, the invisible hook.

As I had mentioned earlier, to prevent captain self-dealing, pirates democratically elected their leaders and dispersed power among other members of the crew, such as the quartermaster. Under this managerial setup a captain best served his own interest by serving his crew’s interest. If he didn’t, his crew could remove him from command. To prevent crew members from shirking, pirate organization made all crew members equal, or nearly equal, “shareholders” in the company’s profits. This strengthened the connection between each individual pirate’s effort and his individual payoff. To prevent piratical free riding, pirate articles established bonuses for crew members who displayed noteworthy courage and spotted prizes; and in some cases crew members reserved the right to vote on the share a particular pirate received. This allowed pirates to reward hard-working crew members and punish lazy ones. Pirate articles also provided workman’s compensation, which reduced private disincentives to take risks that could cause injury.

With regard to business and marketing themselves (albeit marketing in a different sense than maybe we might think of at first), very few have achieved the instant brand-name recognition pirates achieved without fancy specialists. Pirates’ skull-and-bones symbolism against a black background may be even more widely recognized than the golden arches.

If imitation truly is the greatest form of flattery, pirates should be blushing in their watery graves. The incredible range of pirate-inspired products available today–from Captain Morgan Rum, to Pirates of the Caribbean movies, to Ralph Lauren’s Rugby line of apparel–is a contemporary testament to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century pirates’ effectiveness in brand naming themselves.

[Michelle]

So when does this ship dock in Cuba?

Pending weather....tonight or in the morning...

[Michelle]

Pirates and Economics – Free Market Warriors of the High Seas

Take a rational choice framework (to be or not to be a pirate), mix with the golden age of Anglo-American piracy, and shake well (don’t forget to add some great work by Hollywood). The resulting ideas are compelling and fun when it comes to pirates and their actions.  What really motivated them?

Pirate fiction portrays seamen as choosing piracy out of romantic, if misled, ideals about freedom, equality, and fraternity, but the reality was less about utopia and more about “piratical means, used to secure cooperation within pirates’ criminal organization, rather than piratical ends, as they’re often depicted.” And just about all pirate actions will come down to this.  Show me da money!

Pirates, for example, are a veritable ball of contradictions. They’re sadistic pacifists; womanizing homosexuals; treasure-lusting socialists; and madmen who outwitted the authorities. They’re stealthy outlaws who loudly announced their presence with flags of skulls and bones. They’re libertarians who conscripted nearly all their members, democrats with dictatorial captains, and lawless anarchists who lived by a strict code of rules. They’re torturous terrorists who command honest men’s adoration. Economics and, I’d argue, only economics, can disentangle this mess of piratical paradoxes.

ll these seeming contradictions came about because pirates were in unusual circumstances that produced correspondingly unusual incentives. One of the biggest differences between pirate crews and those of legitimate ships, be they merchant or military or even privateer, was the democratic governance of the pirate ship as opposed to the autocratic powers of all other captains. Were pirates just unusually progressive? Probably not; but they lacked an absentee owner and corresponding principal-agent problem. Since pirate ships were stolen, the pirate crews owned them collectively, and they had no need of an autocratic captain to align the interests of the ship’s owners with those of its crew—they were already one and the same. In that sense, their very criminality was “the source of pirates’ ability to use this system” of “democratic checks and balances.”

Pirates may have been “bad” men, motivated by ignoble desires, and even willing to use violent means to satisfy these desires. But the outcomes of their profit-motivated behavior were sometimes laudable. For example, profit seeking is what led pirates to avoid blasting their prizes to pieces. It also prevented them from wantonly brutalizing their captives. And it limited their reliance on conscripts. Of course, in each of these cases, piratical greed didn’t lead to genuine public “benefits.” Pirates’ victims would have always been better off if they hadn’t faced the threat pirates posed in the first place. But conditional on pirates’ presence, pirates’ ignoble motives–self-interested greed–softened the harms pirate victims suffered.

Pirates didn’t embrace “enlightened” values as ends in and of themselves. They embraced money. But their tireless pursuit of the latter gave way to the desirable outcomes associated with the former and did so before their legitimate contemporaries achieved anything like the same.

They were progressive capitalists when such was not cool

[Michelle]

 How does one become part of your crew?  And what position would I start out with?  Having your name on any pirates resume is good for their future ( just as long the pirate is not caught and hanged) *gulp*

Pirates and Building a Crew - The Basic Idea Is Economics

Contrary to popular perception, most pirates were volunteers, not conscripts. Pirates sought willing companions instead of forced men because of simple cost-benefit considerations, not because of a principled objection to using force to get what they wanted. On the one hand, in many cases pirates simply didn’t have to resort to coercion to increase their numbers. The better treatment and opportunity for vastly superior pay on pirate ships was plenty incentive for many sailors to sign on under the black flag when given the opportunity. The benefit of conscripting ordinary sailors was therefore quite low. On the other hand, the costs of pressing sailors could be very large. Forced men threatened to destroy the harmony pirates’ system of private governance was based on. Conscripts were liabilities to pirates in other ways as well. They could escape, informing authorities, or leaving the remaining crew too small to take advantage of the ship. Even if conscripts didn’t manage to escape, a crew with a sizeable portion of forced men was less likely to succeed since conscripts didn’t have the same incentive to participate as volunteers.

[Michelle]

Really great story.  The humor, history, and action were truly first rate!  I can't wait to see how you handle the story of John, Andy, Michelle and the battle of New Orleans.  I hope you mention the Kentucky and Tennessee volunteer fighters there.  Keep writing and we will keep reading and enjoying your stories.

Bob,

I hope this gets us started towards answering your questions and recognizing the efforts of the Tennessee and Kentucky militias in not just the Battle of New Orleans but throughout the entire War of 1812 and especially the "southern campaign".

Little Known Facts About The Battle of New Orleans

After leaving a sizable portion of his army to occupy the various garrisons throughout the Mississippi Territory, Jackson arrived in New Orleans in early December to conduct the defense of the city that was to be the prize of Great Britain's southern campaign. Located above the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans' strategic location and accumulated wealth offered a tempting prize to a British army fresh from its victory over Napoleon in Europe. Elite English forces faced Jackson's polyglot army of militia, frontier volunteers, U.S. regulars, pirates, free blacks, Creoles, and Choctaws.  The Battle of New Orleans found 2,500 Kentuckians composing one-fourth of General Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson's army of regulars, Tennessee Militia Men (when President James Madison called on Tennessee to help defend the "Lower Country," Tennesseans volunteered en masse, earning the nickname "The Volunteer State." Tennessee Governor Willie Blount was asked to send 1,500 troops for the defense of the lower Mississippi region and an expedition under the command of Andrew Jackson, major general of the Tennessee militia, was outfitted in December 1812.), Creole Louisiana Militia, free Negroes, Lafitte's pirates and city volunteer militia.  Although the famous Battle of New Orleans has been noted in song and celebration, the British assault on New Orleans was actually composed of several different engagements which receive little notoriety:

23 December 1814

     Often referred to as the "night battle," this was the initial engagement between the British and American land forces at New Orleans. On the afternoon of 23 December, Jackson learned that a British force had made its way through the bayous to a plantation several miles south of the city. Jackson mobilized his forces and launched a daring attack at 8:00 p.m., leading the right wing (the 7th and 44th U.S. Infantry) while General John Coffee led his brigade of Tennessee mounted men on the left. The darkness of the night turned the fight into mass confusion, as friendly troops fired on each other and combat became hand-to-hand. By 11:00 p.m. the British gave ground but Jackson's forces did not pursue, as neither side could ascertain the other's strength. American losses were 24 killed and 115 wounded while the British suffered 46 killed and 145 wounded.

28 December 1814

     The skirmish of the 23rd December had the effect of stemming the initial tide of the assaulting British forces and gave Jackson time to entrench his army. He established a line of defense along the Rodriguez Canal between the Macarte and Chalmette plantations. The line extended from the east bank of the Mississippi River more than a half-mile to a cypress swamp. On 28 December the British, under the overall command of Major General Sir Edward Pakenham, conducted a "reconnaissance in force" to test the strengths and weaknesses of what became known as Line Jackson. A combined force of artillery and infantry probed the American defenses and found that the left wing of Line Jackson was the most vulnerable. This portion of the line was manned by Major General William Carroll's Tennessee militia and volunteers, as well as Coffee's brigade. The inability of the English to mobilize heavier guns to the front put a halt to the attack. There were seven killed and eight wounded on the American side.

1 January 1815

     As a result of the 28 December attack, Jackson fortified the left wing of his line and extended it into the woods of the cypress swamp, thus increasing its length to about a mile. Coffee's men, along with a detachment of Choctaw Indians, held the extreme left of the line. On the first day of January 1815, Pakenham once again gave orders to assault Line Jackson. The British planned to use their heavy artillery to make a breach in the line and put the American cannons out of commission. However, American batteries, some manned by crews of Jean Lafitte's pirates, proved to be more effective than the artillery of the British. In addition, English gunners ran short of ammunition (a problem that plagued them throughout the campaign at New Orleans). British infantry units attacked the extreme left of Jackson's line, but were repulsed by Coffee's brigade. The Americans lost eleven killed and twenty-three wounded.

Of course the main battle was to follow but that’s another story for another time.  Chapter 5 Part 1 coming up.

[Michelle]

Michelle


And you didn't mention (or at least I can't see it if you did) the truly amazing career of Sir Henry Morgan, by turns Commonwealth (as in Oliver Cromwell) soldier (his uncle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Thomas_Morgan,_1st_Baronetwas one of Cromwell's generals) traitor to the Commonwealth (like his uncle he joined the Restoration cause under General Monck) , pirate, admiral and governor of Jamacia.

I don't think even you could beat that! (although I suspect your sack of Portabello owes a lot to the historical Morgan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan#Attack_on_Porto_Bello

There is actually a little known book by of all authors, John Steinbeck, which I have read and use as a reference on pirates and provided much of the fuel for my interest in Morgan;

"John Steinbeck - Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference to History"

That Steinbeck would write a book about a pirate would probably surprise most people. It is a very thought provoking work and pretty accurate on the main events of Morgan's life.  As one would expect Steinbeck tells a very interesting story.

This is an excellent book for lovers of historical fiction (as I am), maritime tales (me again) and narratives and Steinbeck literary followers (guilty as charged).  It is a surprisingly easy read and a book I very much enjoyed as a Steinbeck fan.

John Steinbeck's bibliography is enormously extensive, though most people have probably only heard of one or two of his works, such as his iconic "The Grapes of Wrath".  It is surprising, however, that his FIRST novel, "Cup of Gold", is hardly as known at all.  This is one of his few works that do not take place or reference in any way the state of California, but other than that, it bears a strong resemblance to the literary style familiar to his later works. Cup of Gold is a maritime novel, based on the life of the pirate, Sir Henry Morgan , and while some of the details and certainly characteristics and motivations are fictional, "Cup of Gold" still presents an interesting narrative of a truly fascinating historical figure, holding true to the main events of his life, and is certainly a worthwhile novel in the maritime genre sense.

Avid readers of Steinbeck's novels will easily recognize the characteristic components of his writing that make him so popular among his die hard fans and readers. While missing the expected "Californian element", "Cup of Gold" is a story of hopes, dreams and tragedy.  It is a story of a lifetime spent in pursuit of an ideal that once your arms are wrapped around it, turns out to be lacking in its ability to quench and satisfy your thirst.   The "Cup of Gold" holds all of Morgan's hopes and aspirations, yet when he achieves all he ever dreams of, he finds himself wanting still more and more.  This theme of unsatisfied dreams and lost and fleeting hope is something Steinbeck has put to his readers again and again (it is the central theme of "Grapes of Wrath"), but always in a some new light.  Perhaps Steinbeck is trying to demonstrate that the achievement of material goals by themselves is never enough to make a man or woman feel whole.  Sometimes that pursuit, in Morgan's case, results in a choice, to pursue worldly magnificence over the courage to approach a single woman, and to follow the simpler road.  Its a choice that can haunt one forever.  These are the elements Steinbeck shows us so well in this, his initial novel.

This novel is absolutely worth investigating either by itself or to be added to a collection of Steinbeck's works.  It will offer its readers both a thought provoking narrative and an enjoyable story of a life as a privateer.  

Despite some of his actions being brutal and illegitimate, Henry Morgan was not a pirate, in my opinion. The Welshman was a magnificent buccaneer , certainly the most famous one . Described as a remarkable leader and a fearsome conqueror, he had a couple of legendary battles and unique tactics which brought him fame and wealth. Because of all his deeds, Morgan was a true hero of the Caribbean and the English nation.



Available at Amazon - $7.50 Kindle Edition, $12.66 Paperback, exclusive of royalties to Michelle/Southern Cross Enterprises ( i have to make my damn car payment somehow)

© 2014 by Michelle/Southern Cross Enterprises. All rights (it just looks cool and besides....my legal counsel, Dewey, Cheetum and Howe LLC of New York City are being very unreasonable with me)