[Basil Dreadflint]

The Third week in February!

THe 4 ships from Vera Cruz have now been at sea for slightly over 2 weeks. The 3 Spanish ships are going through their trials and tribulations with Torqemada. The fourth, the Utopia, has fallen behind due to the damage from the attack by the Merchant's Misfortune.

The 3 lead ships are now fairly well north along the coast of Padre Island, The Utopia is just within sight of the very southern end of same island.

The French warships in New Orleans are preparing to greet the Spanish ships from Vera Cruz, not knowing what has been happening there. They expect to see the Spanish in another two weeks, give or take.

The Mechant's Misfortune took almost no physical damage in it's attack on Utopia, But the crew was badly hurt by the Insurance Agents counterattack. The MM has ported in a small town well south of Padres Island for medical reasons. It will take another week before they can set sail to give chase and seek their revenge. Meanwhile, the small chest of jewelry has proven invaluable, 22,000 Rials has helped a lot in getting supplies and medical attention.


The Wayuu indian attack in Venezuela was a day too late for the Ribiera Grande. They had already set sail. The ship the indians had burned was the Madre Maria, which had ported the previous night as the replacement to the Ribiera. The destruction of the supplies that the Madre Maria was carrying has left the port town critically low. The townspeople retaliate against the indian tribe by hanging their chief in the town square.

The Ribiera Grqande has now cleared Aruba, and is making it's way north west toard the West Indie island route that will take it around toward Cuba.

The Capitans and crews of the San Sabastian and the Espadarte are preparing to leave Columbia. They plan to set sail in two days, but they are also watching the skies. They need to head almost due north, and the prevailing winds are strong out of the west. The cargo holds of both ships are full, and their final food and water supplies are about to be taken aboard. The crews of both of these ships are sad as the departure time is nearing. They have all made excellent friendships and some are even married to locals that they will be forced to leave behind. Their journey to Europe and back could separate them from family for more than 2 years.



There is still 5 or 6 weeks beore the ships all reach Havana to meet up with the Spanich ships there. The Spanish warship in Havana receives orders to set sail to clear the area north of Cuba from Pirates. They are going to make sure that the route from Havana to the Florida coast is open.
Score holds at 40.