Almanac – Gulf of the Grande Vire
August 22nd, 2013This week’s Almanac entry discusses the Gulf of the Grande Vire. This enormous gulf is where the Grande Vire River meets the sea. It’s long been a great fishing spot and its banks were the site of the first meetings between the Saronnans and the native tribes of Everique.
One other housekeeping matter. Upon reflection, I decided that Social Clubs belonged under Businesses in the Almanac instead of Entertainment. So it’s been moved over to that section.
I’d expect the outbound ships to be the ones in trouble. Privateers would find that hold of furs valuable back home, surely?
Outbound ships would be sailing with the wind. They ships aren’t becalmed; they just can’t sail directly into the wind, blowing down the river and away from Everique.
Merchant ships regularly stall for days or weeks in the same spot? That screams for pirates. Has the navy set up shop in the area to prevent predation?
It is very curious that during the Golden Age of Piracy there just wasn’t that much piracy in the North Atlantic. It might be because of the lack of pirate-friendly ports. Or the lack of massive Spanish treasure fleets to raid. If you robbed at ship stuck at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, you ended up with cargo of low-quality trade goods meant for the tribes. They could be sold but they don’t have the same attraction as a hold full of gold doubloons.