Pirate Republic to Thunderball

In the early 18th century, one small, salty, sun-splashed corner of the Bahamas was the epicenter of an organized crime wave that washed across the islands of the Caribbean and along America’s Atlantic coast. The Golden Age of Piracy lasted for thirty years from 1690 to 1720 and Nassau was at its heart. The era of piracy in the Bahamas began in 1696 when the privateer Henry Every brought his ship the Fancy loaded with loot from plundering Indian Empire trade ships into Nassau harbor. Henry Every bribed the Governor of The Bahamas Nicholas Trott with gold, silver and with the Fancy itself which was still loaded with 50 tons of elephant tusks and 100 barrels of gunpowder. This established Nassau as a base where pirates could operate safely, although various governors regularly made a show of suppressing piracy.

Queen’s Dream left her anchorage in the Berry Islands and bashed against rough sea states for a full day to arrive in historic “Pirate Territory”. Her bows came to rest as her anchor was set in the white sand bottom of Rose Island. The anchorage is a small island in the Bahamas that lies 3 miles east of Paradise Island – Nassau. With no pirate gold in sight, the crew ventured further south the following day towards the notable Exuma island chain. Like days of the year, the Exumas boasts 365 individual cays and islands. QD landed her anchor at Highbourne Cay for a night. Another full day’s sail brought her into the shallows of Staniel Cay. Her clear white sand berth was less than a hundred yards from the legendary “Thunderball Grotto” made famous by James Bond scenes in the 60’s. After many days without touching land, her crew journeyed to land where they engulfed the camaraderie of fellow sailors at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. The QD crew has quickly become accustomed to the daily routines of moving QD southeast daily in her stage quest of reaching Grenada by July. However, the destination is secondary to the voyage experience along the way that is the root of the adventure.