Finally! And not just one, but a double! Two expedition fleets launched within a couple minutes of each other (1st expedition wasn't even past cutthroat when second launched.)
I had been sailing with a crew when I remembered some of the experiments I wanted to try. Tried to tell them not to board my ship, since I was trying weird stuff, but didn't have time to explain. So a lot of us went to jail. :-)
Oddly, the "light sloop up the aft" method worked remarkably well. I'm sure it only worked because there were so many other pirate ships pestering the Tyrants.
Yes, that's right...6 royals from the Level 81 Conqueror. (Light sloop only holds six...a crew mate on a frigate said they got 7 royals from that same ship sinking.)