Pirate Facts!

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To Careen or not to Careen

Most pirates, when it came time to careen their ship (that is, to beach their vessel to make repairs and clean the hull) for maintenance, would simply steal another ship. This is because careening put them and their crew in a vulnerable position, and they could be easily attacked. However, if a pirate was very attached to their ship, they would likely go through the effort to careen their ship.

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The only custom pirate ship

The concept of a “pirate ship” as we are familiar with it does not exist. Pirates would steal existing ships from navies and merchants and make modifications to the existing hull and structure to suit their needs. There is one exception to this, however! Steve Bonnet, a successful and wealthy Barbadian sugar plantation owner, either had a nervous breakdown, midlife crisis, or just was sick of things. He decided to hang up his old life and become a pirate. He had a ship custom-built to the specifications that he thought would make a good pirate ship.