Franco Clarke

I like the look of this, the red colours are a bold choice and it definitely paid off! I like the curves you have built up around the bow, the vast area of sails and the intricate rigging. DO you have any shots of the back of the ship because the current photos don't show it clearly?

A good solid looking ship, I like what you have done with the anchor and the sloped sections of the hull. One improvement might be to increase the size of the rudder, it looks a little feeble currently.

Nice symmetrical build, I like the use of brown as the secondary colour and the highlights of the blue shutters.

Great build, it has the classic feel which I always appreciate. In particular the red door frame reminds me of classic sets, I believe one of the old castles had a similar set up?

Great work, I like the realistic brown colouration of the vessel, the little angled jetty and the curved front of the yacht.

Nice ship, and I like how you switched out details to turn her into different ships.

Nice to see it completed! The trees and figures really help to pull the whole lot together into one cohesive scene!

Thank you all, I relieved the last photograph worked out, as I had to dismantle the far side of the ship to fit the lights in!

The Merchant Raider's stern lifted into the air as the bow filled with the gushing sea. Nightheart glowered at the sinking ship, as the Black Barbarian pulled away from the scene of the battle. No-one shadowed Nightheart and lived to repeat the mistake. Ever since he had intervened at the First Treasure fleet, Corrington had been hunting him, and although he had been able to defeat the all so far, but it had come at a price. The Barbarian's thick broadside planking was tatty and punctuated by holes and scars, and the stern galleries were smashed. She would need repairs if they were going to be able to continue fighting the Corries, and he had no money left. Things were getting difficult, and Nightheart hoped he had the skills to pull through. Stingray sat, fully repaired and revamped in Breshaun Harbour. Erwin stood on deck watching the world go past. The good news was that Collins would be alright, and should be back soon. Erwin had managed to explain the damage to Stingray as an encounter with a freak storm, and he had ditched the guns to stay afloat. That was more believable than reality. Erwin frowned at The Pharaoh riding at anchor a little further on from Stingray. This latest attack by the Corries had been especially bold, and he had only just defeated it. If this was a sign of things to come, then Oleon better be on guard. The sun sank through the horizon and the clouds were lit with a multitude of colours. A new year was almost upon them and Erwin worried about what it might hold in store. Deep in the night a cool glow spilled into the darkness from the stern galleries of a war-brig. The Admiral stood silently by the window as the Commodore finished his report. 'HMS Leech managed to escape from the Southern Isle, but in all we lost three Merchant Raiders for no gain' He said standing to attention. The Admiral turned and walked over to one of the map tables laid out in the cabin, which had a fleet of miniature ships arranged on it. He carefully picked out 3 little models and then swiftly crushed them between his palms. He dropped what remained into a bucket beneath the table. 'With these unfortunate losses we have lost six of our Merchant Raiders, a most lamentable situation,' the Admiral said in his calm smooth voice. He picked a splinter from his cuff and deposited it in the bucket. 'If we continue on this path, our fleet may be forced to withdraw, what do you suggest Commodore?' the Admiral looked at the Commodore to speak. 'Previously we have sought small engagements, using meagre forces, so to slowly defeat our enemies. We have also sent our weaker captains, those who are inexperience, and we have paid for our caution,' the Commodore stated. 'I trust you have a solution?' the Admiral asked. 'I will take a small flotilla and begin my operations within a few months. Before long we will have made good our losses, and learned a great deal too. We can pick our enemies apart, before they even know what is happening' The Admiral's calm deadpan face was disturbed by a hint of a smile, before smoothing out once more. 'Commodore, your plan is sufficient, you may leave now' The Commodore saluted and then left the cabin, and the Admiral turned back to his maps and began plotting his next move. The final little chunk for 2016, concluding a few threads from the last story left unfinished. I have really enjoyed the first year of the BOBS and I thank all those who have worked so hard organising it and making sure it runs smoothly.

Thank you for your compliments, it is a good thing that Erwin has an uncanny ability to survive no matter the dangers. Thank you, I am glad you liked the ending, and didn't find it too far fetched! I have quite a few stories lined up for next year, but I can't make any promises when it comes to Corrington, although some of the scenarios might be more reasonable.

Thank you, it's good that you like battles, because I have quite a few more planned for next year! Thank you, the Imperial flagship is my favourite among the official Imperial ships, which is why I use it in my stories. Thanks for the feedback on the photos, I will see what I can do in future stories.

Wonderful scene, the vaults really tie the whole thing together really well!

As the wreckage of the final raider slipped below the waters of the lagoon, Erwin panted to regain his breath. He couldn't quite believe that they had actually managed to win and secure the island. He turned to his crew who were still chanting and cheering. However, although the crew had miraculously come through mostly unscathed, Stingray wasn't quite so lucky. She creaked horrendously in the light breeze, and the rigging and sails were in tatters. But ships could be repaired, and they could stay in the sheltered lagoon until they were fit to return to civilisation. A shockwave suddenly smashed into Stingray's side, knocking everyone off their feet. Erwin's head smashed into the hard decking, sending his vision spinning. Then an ear piercing sound tore through the air, like the sound of wrenching metal. The stern lanterns shattered, spraying shards of glass in every direction. Erwin crawled to what remained of the rails and hauled himself upright. What had that been. Then another shockwave hit the ship, and Erwin only managed to stay upright by griping the rail with all his strength. A section of the mountain cracked and then crumbled into the sea, sending a wall of water across the lagoon that washed Stingray dangerously close to the cliffs and the rocks. 'Drop the anchor now before we get wrecked by another wave like that!' Erwin practically screamed. There was a splash as it entered the water, and not a moment too soon, as another tremor shook the vessel and a jagged rock burst through the lagoon's surface. Another screech erupted through the air and the ship was shaken once again. 'Prepare us the best you can to set sail, the island seems to be tearing itself apart!' Erwin ordered, signalling to some of the men to help him lower the boat, 'We need to evacuate the battery crew before the island is completely destroyed.' The dinghy cut through the increasingly choppy waters of the lagoon as the island continued to be hit by shockwaves. The jungle was torn apart as part of the island rose up 20 studs, exposing new cliffs of razor-sharp rock. Erwin leapt out and was already pounding up the beach as soon boat made land. He fought his way up the path to the gun battery. He almost tripped and fell as a ravine opened up beside him, but managed to regain his balance and continue further in land. He met the gun crews racing back down towards the beach, but noticed Private Collins was not among them. He caught a sailor by the neck and screamed. 'Where is Collin???!!' The man, obviously petrified, looked at Erwin with wild eyes and pointed back up the path. 'He's trapped, but we have to go, the devil's coming for us, help!!!' He slipped out of Erwin's grasp and sprinted after the rest of the men who were making for the beach. Erwin stormed further up the path and found Collins with his leg caught under a boulder. His face filled with relief as he saw that Erwin hadn't left him behind. 'Sir you shouldn't have, you're endangering the entire ship, go now, before it's too late' Private Collins burbled. 'You can't escape me that easily' Erwin joked, as he leant his shoulder against the boulder. Slowly but surely it began to roll, and then it was off, crashing through the undergrowth and disappearing over a cliff. Private Collins' leg was soaked with blood and clearly broken. Erwin careful helped him to his feet and started walking with him back towards the shore. 'Tell me if we're going to fast, let's just hope the boat hasn't left,' Erwin commented, as they made their way down the path. Private Collins didn't reply but simply gritted his teeth against the pain. They made it to the beech to find the dinghy waiting for them. Someone must have convinced the rest to wait for Collins and Erwin. Some gunners rushed up the sand to help Collins into the boat. Then they were off, back across the turbulent waters of the lagoon, buffeted by waves and the repeated tremors. The horrendous sound cleaved through the skies, and a plug of rock punched out of the sea, lifting the bow of a sunken Merchant Raider high into the sky. The ruined ship splinted and disintegrated, showering planks and debris all around. Ahead Stingray was underway, slowly moving towards the wider entrance to the lagoon. Erwin felt blood trickling from his ears as they pulled up alongside Stingray. The boat was hoisted, crew and all aboard, and they sped toward open waters. The sea ahead of them boiled and steamed, as if it were in a cauldron. Then a razor reef erupted from the waves, like a row of titanic teeth, and blocked their path. Erwin stumbled to the wheel and hauled the ship around. In her damaged state she responded slowly, and sliding sideways through the water, she hit the wall of rock, scraping and tearing planks from her side. Erwin winced, as Stingray pulled away. He hoped she could take the damage, if they began taking on too much water, there'd be no point in trying to escape. They headed for the narrow passage, which still had enough space for them to get through. A section of the jungle collapsed onto the ocean and water rushed over the land, snapping the palm trees as if they were matchsticks. Erwin contorted as the screech echoed across the island, and the passageway ahead of them suddenly started narrowing. 'Come-on, come-on, come-on' Erwin muttered, 'just a bit faster' They shot into the passageway, as the cliffs either side began crushing in on them. Behind them the seabed was forced up, raising the wrecked Merchant Raider from its aquatic grave. The crew gripped onto the deck as Stingray slipped through the ravine, dodging claws of rock that grasped from the depths. The cliffs crashed together, smashing the sunken Raider, whilst Stingray plunged triumphantly from the passageway into open waters. With a final scream the towering mountain rose still higher into the air, and then toppled sideways into the lagoon, spraying boulders into the air, some the size of houses. The remains of the island sank into depths of the ocean and then there was nothing left but a reef of clawing rocks to mark where it had been. This brings the end to the tale of the Southern Isle, I hope you like it. Since the island isn't an official one, I decided it'd probably be better if I destroyed it! I apologise for the lack of photographs, it was a difficult thing to portrait, and I couldn't come up with a suitable build, so this one will have to be just a story.

Thank you very much, perhaps if you prefer, you could see my tales as being merely that, stories conceived by someone with an overactive imagination? Or perhaps you are just trying to cover up Corrington's secret plan to control the oceans? Anyway, at least this time I didn't shoot first, so it wasn't our fault!

Thanks, I am glad you thought it was good, it has been sitting in my head for quite a while, and I'm really pleased to create it in reality.

Very nice little build, a good colour scheme, and nice mounting with the black slopes surrounding the base. The highlight for me is the smoke, such a clever idea! Finally, I think the only thing which could be improved is to add something to the roof. At the moment, it doesn't fit with the rest of the build being just empty.

Very nice little scene, I like the simple range of colours, with the detail making it interesting to look at.

The island rumbled with activity as the three Corrington warships converged on the island. Erwin rushed to the wheel as Stingray erupted into action. 'Keep the guns in, but have them fully, ready to fire with standard shot, fire on my command' Erwin moved Stingray to a position in the centre of the lagoon, blocking the wider entrance. Now they would wait, let the enemy make the first move, and be ready when they did. The Corrington captain in command of the small flotilla examined the island from his telescope. It did indeed follow the depiction on the map, the lagoon, and the two entrance ways. He spotted something on the cliffs overlooking the main entry way to the lagoon, and on closer inspection it appeared to be a cannon battery emplaced up high. He lowered his telescope and smiled, silly Oleons, they thought they could gain an advantage from his delay. Unfortunately for them, there were two entrances to the lagoon, and this fault in their deployment would be exploited fully. 'Roll the guns up to the prow, and set the sails for a slow attack, we shall knock them out from afar' He signalled the second raider to follow suit, and to move all marines and crew to the front of the ship, to maximize forward firepower. They signalled back, concerned that this would leave their flanks open to attack. His smiled widened. The rocks will protect his flanks from the enemy even if they tried to outflank him. He directed his ship towards the narrow pass, carefully avoiding the talon-like rocks that emerged from the frothing seas. The guns were now in position, so he began his attack. The cannon weren't in optimal range yet, so he opted to hold fire for the time being. The two raiders sailed into the passage, dwarfed by the huge mountain on one side, and the cliff on the other. Erwin began to sweat, they had done what he feared they would, and gone through the smaller passage. Unless they made a navigational error and smashed into a rock, they would have two raiders firing onto Stingray. He guided Stingray away from the advancing Corries, hoping to lure them further out, and perhaps level the playing field a bit. The master gunner approached him at the wheel. 'Sir they enemy are in range, would you like us to open fire?' Erwin snapped out a response, 'No half out ammunition is up with the land battery, we can't afford to waste shots now' The gunner took up the telescope and watched over the stern of Stingray. 'Closing to firing range, surely we must engage now?' Erwin replied sharply once more, 'We can't risk it, hold fire a little longer they're almost in position' The Captain of the Merchant Raider grinned, they had progressed well through the passage, and the Oleon's hadn't even opened fire yet. They must have moved all their guns ashore, and this ship was helpless before them. 'We will close with them, they are no danger to us' The two Merchant Raiders bracketed the Oleon ship as the ground ever closer through the narrow ravine. One of the gun crew ran aft to the Captain. 'Sir the target is in our kill zone, may we open fire' The Captain grinned, he had them now. 'Open fire, we will crush these fools' The first volley smashed into the waters around Stingray, soaking the decks and spilling through the hatches. The master gunner approached Erwin and shouted wildly. 'They've ranged in on us, we won't last five seconds under this attack, they'll surely hit their next volley, we must open fire now!' Erwin angrily replied, 'Get below and prepare the men. But do NOT fire until my command, they are right where I want them' As the man scampered to the gun deck Erwin turned his attention to the encroaching Raiders, sailing through the narrowest part of the passage. Just where he wanted them to be, now he could spring into action. He hauled on the wheel pulling Stingray broadside on to the enemy. He was now a more threatening target, so they would probably press the attack. The next volley smashed into Stingray, flattening some the railing and tearing up the planking. He ducked as the main spar splinted and cracked, tearing the mainsail. He was badly damaged, now they would close in and finish him off. Reaching into the pocket of his blue coat, he grabbed the shard of mirrored glass he had got from one of the crew and flashed at the cliff above the attacking warships. It was time for Private Collins to join the battle. Private Collins saw a flash of light from the deck of Stingray. Flash, flash, flash flash. Yes that was his signal, he turned to the waiting men. 'Gun crews, ready the guns and fire at the enemy warships beneath us!' As the crew uncovered the cannon from beneath piles of palm leaves and rolled them forward Private Collins peered over the cliff. Indeed the Corries had fallen for their deception, and avoided the dummy battery they had created over the other entrance. Erwin had predicted that the Corries would not take up an attack against such odds and had had him position the guns on the cliff overlooking the ravine. The cannon burst into action and shots smashed into the stern of the far Merchant Raider. Its commander and wheel were destroyed at once, and it veered off the right, smashing into the mountain. Its back end swung out, as another volley smashed into it setting it alight. It pushed further into the mountain side and dislodged a tumbling pile of rocks which crushed both ship and crew. The Captain of the surviving Merchant raider watched in horror as his comrade was smashed by the hidden cannons, and then the fall of rubble. He turned forward to see that the Oleon warship had turned toward him and was on an attack path. They had laid a trap, and he had fallen for it completely. 'Helmsman get us out of here at once!' He might have to retreat, but he would return and take the island then. The helmsman shouted in a panicked voice, 'Sir where to we retreat too, that wreck blocks our path!' Now the captain was panicking. He couldn't escape, the cannon battery and wreck behind blocked his route. But then he noticed that the ship that was attacking now was riding much higher in the water than it had when they were chasing all that time ago. They had unloaded their guns ashore, and were no threat what so ever. 'Helmsman calm down, we must proceed on attack pattern, target that Oleon warship. We will blast out of this trap' The ship changed course as another volley from the battery on the cliff smashed into stern of the raider. The captain was thrown down, and a section of the railing was destroyed. The captain stood up to find the helmsman had been incapacitated by a large splinter lodged in his skull. Stepping forward, the captain shoved the corpse away from the wheel and held onto it. The forward guns fired, impacted on the prow of the warship as it sped nearer. The captain had to admit that his opponent's plan had been a good one, but it was no match for the strength and determination of Corrington's navy. Then he spotted a movement on the side of the approaching warship, as the cannon flaps lifted up and long barrels poked through. The captain's eyes widened with fear as he realised his misjudgement. Erwin held the course and watched the Merchant raider draw closer. Another volley from Collins on the hill did more damage to their opponent. Erwin called forward to the gun deck. 'Enemy ship is approaching on the starboard side, range approximately 40 studs, fire when you have a clear shot.' Stingray was almost level with the enemy ship now, and another volley smashed into the rear, blowing away what remained of the command deck. Then the gunners were ready and Stingray's guns roared. The power of the shots at close range was more than the ruined Merchant Raider could take, and it splintered and cracked as it sank below the surface of the lagoon. The gun crew emerged from below decks, cheering, and Erwin breathed out a sigh of relief for they had managed to defeat the two Merchant Raiders against the odds. I hope you enjoyed this rather long battle, I experimented with showing the story from two sides, what do you think? To finish of with, here is a build of Collin's Gun battery emplaced on the cliff over the narrow passageway. In the end I didn't use this model in any of the photos, but I thought I'd post it anyway. Finally this story has been in the back of my head almost since the start of BOBS, and it was satisfying to finally complete it. Below is the sketch which inspired the whole thing.

Thank you all, I am glad you liked the island and the forced perspective shot at the beginning. Don't worry, I'm sure the Corlanders will have learnt their lesson and stay away from now on

A nice clean little fort, cleverly reversing the classic yellow/white colour scheme. I like how it has that little courtyard in front of the tower, a bit like a medieval castle.

Erwin was down below, resting after a hard night watch, when someone came to rouse him. 'Sir, the lookout can't be sure, but we think we've spotted land' Erwin acknowledged him and then got up wearily. For almost a week now they had been sailing flat-out, and he had expected that it shouldn't be long before they found this mystery island. So now it seems like the southern island had been found, hopefully, they had got here first. Coming on deck he took over at the wheel and pointed Stingray towards where the lookout had spotted the island. Sure enough, rising above the horizon, came an island. First a jagged mountain, like a broken tooth, soared skyward. Then sheer cliffs and perilous looking passage appeared around it. Finally, a lush green jungle and glorious yellow beaches completed the picture. What a discovery this was! They circled the island twice, taking in the lay of the land, where would be the best place to land and suchlike. The island was mostly low and cloaked in palm trees. At one corner, the mountain which dominated the island rose from the sea. Near the mountain the sea was lined by tall cliffs, whilst further from the mound, broad beaches bordered the land. In the centre of the island was a shallow looking lagoon, again with its own wide beach. Erwin decided that this was probably the best place to land as it should be relatively sheltered from either nature or possible enemies. There were two entrances into this lagoon. The first entry point was a nice wide gap with the mountain on one side. The other passage was narrow with a high cliff, and the huge mountain on either side. The passage itself had razor rocks clawing out of the choppy waters. Therefore it was most likely the wide passage was the best option. As Stingray passed through this opening into the lagoon, Erwin began thinking further ahead. Now that the island had been located and taken, how was it to be held. Stingray would have to leave to alert the rest of the empire of the new acquisition. Well that would be fine, because apart from him, no-one knew this place even existed. But no, no someone did know that this island was here, the Corries who had taken the map and had already tried to pursue them once already. It didn't seem totally impossible that they would come back and try again once they had repaired their damage. And this time, simply disabling them wouldn't be enough since he needed to hold the island. Now if they were to return, they would probably be in similar numbers, two raiders and a cutter. This outnumbered Stingray more than two to one, and outgunned her too. They would need to pull the battle onto their terms as they weren't going to be reinforced. Or were they? The anchor splashed noisily into the lagoon, and Erwin ordered the boat be lowered. Then he went bellow deck, to inspect his cargo. Yes these cannons which Stingray was transporting were complete with carriages and wheels, ready for use in forts. He turned to the gunners who had assembled behind him. 'I want these guns hauled ashore and emplaced on the cliffs.' He ordered. 'They will provide use with the additional firepower we need in case the Corries return' He could siphon off some shot and powder from Stingray's own magazine too supply this new battery and assign some of her gun crew and sailors. Hopefully the advantage of the extra firepower would outweigh the issues of having Stingray under crewed. Erwin landed with the first gun, and helped pull it up to the site where the rest of the crew were felling trees and preparing a firing position. With any luck they would be well prepared and rested if the Corries returned. The next step in the tale of the Southern isle, slightly less exciting and far more peaceful. I didn't really have any new builds to go with this, so I thought I'd build a scaled down version of the Island in Digital Designer. A wide shot from the northern side, the side which was seen first. The giant mountain and the narrow passage can be seen from here. Around the southern side, the wider entrance and the lagoon. You would not believe how boring it was building all those trees! An overhead 'map' view with north at the bottom and south at the top. The beachy side , far from the rocks and cliffs. A view of the wide entrance, showing the steep cliff and Erwin's gun battery perched atop it. Hopefully this 'tour' of the island will help you understand its layout. Finally an experiment, with the build stitched into a real photograph. What do you think, should I do more like this or still to simple screenshots. Either way I don't think I'll do this for physical models, just digital ones.

Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying reading my tales as much as I enjoy writing them! I do normally try to add rigging to most of my vessels now, but since this one was a bit basic and is likely to be sunk pretty soon, I decided to be lazy. I might revisit it and add some sails if I have some time later. Thanks, I realised when writing this story that Lego people wouldn't measure in inches or metres, but studs of course! You are indeed right that the clip was meant to have a pole through it, and I must have forgotten. A lance has been found and added now. Also you're right that having little to no rigging does aid in staging destruction! Be not a feared! I will make whatever steps are necessary to make sure that obviously traitorous and rouge Corlanders are dealt with and removed from the Oceans. Perhaps this groups hoped that they could regain favour back at home by capturing a newly discovered island? Perhaps they might try again? Who knows!

That's one impressive studio, indeed it would easily suffice as a palace! I like how it is packed with details such as the easel and the spiral staircase, yet also has a very pleasing colour scheme.

Thank you, I might rejig this bar into a full building at some point, just didn't have the parts at the moment. Thanks, I find that interior scenes work quite well, since artificial light is easier to replicate than natural moonlight. I'm glad you liked this first section, and the next stage is now up.

Stingray sliced through the water, leaving a board wake behind it. The additional cannons in her hold weighed it down considerably, and slowing the vessel's movement. Erwin held the wheel tightly, to keep the ship on course. If his estimates were correct, they should reach the island soon. However, the calm was soon broken by the lookout announcing he had spotted a ship on the horizon behind them. Erwin frowned; out this far it was unlikely to be a merchantman, or a pirate. That really only left two options, either an exploration ship or Corrington had extricated themselves from the bar at Bastion, and had decided to take the island for themselves. Erwin signalled for Private Collins to take the wheel, whilst he climbed the mast to observe the ship. By the time he reached the crow's next, the ship had already closed quite a distance. Peering through his telescope, he saw that there were in fact 3 ships, two large and one smaller. He recognised the two larger ships, they were Corrington Merchant Raiders. He thanked the lookout and told him to watch for any further developments and began to climb back down the rigging. Stingray on its couldn't fight it out with two Merchant Raiders, and laden down with the supply of cannons, she couldn't outrun them either. Erwin glanced back as he retook the wheel. They had halved the distance between them and the horizon already, if they were going to do something it was going to be fast.... 'Battle stations, ready the main guns with chain shot' shouted Erwin, 'We will probably only get one shot at this, so you better get the main mast of one of the raiders, or we'll be in done for' The ship was instantly a hive of activity, as the guns were loaded and run out. Erwin hoped that if he could disable one of the raiders, he could then escape as the other ships assisted their immobile ally. That was the plan at least. He glanced back again, the ships appeared as distinctly now to the naked eye, they were running out of time. 'I will turn to engage them soon, and we will pass by the raider on the right. Be ready to fire the starboard cannons, range around 300 studs' Erwin heaved on the wheel and the overloaded Stingray swerved towards the onrushing warships. Hopefully, the near-side raider would partially shield them from the guns of the other ships. As they closed with the three Corrington ships, Erwin noticed they were frantically preparing for action, obviously they weren't expecting such a bold attack. 'Ready guns!' Erwin barked out, they were almost level with their opponents now 'You may fire when ready.' As they passed the raider, the guns went off; one, two. The shots hit the ship, but were not quite aimed right, and impacted on the tough wooden sides. The return fire was apparently rushed and poorly aimed, so the shots splashed into the water. Now that they had lost the element of surprise, this was going to be more risky. Hopefully if he circled around too the other side, their guns wouldn't be in the correct position to engage Stingray. 'Prepare the guns again, I'll bring us up on the port side of the other raider, I'll get much closer, 50 studs' He pulled once more on the wheel and Stingray sluggishly turned to starboard, executing a wide arch around the back of the enemy ships. Erwin watched as the Corries frantically began turning their ships to engage him on his new course. If they didn't hit this time, the raiders would probably get their guns on target, which would mean game over. 'Guns ready, we about to come into range!' Stingray sliced through the ocean, straightening out and picking up a little speed. As she passed, the cannons thumped out again. The first shot sailed over the gun deck, missing the target by a few studs, but the second was right on target. With a satisfying crack the main mast splintered and fell, coming down on deck in a wonderful mess of rigging and sails. Erwin guided Stingray past the disabled ship and out into open waters. The other raider had turned far enough to open fire, but the shots went high and punched two ragged holes in the sails. Erwin twirled the wheel this way and that, putting Stingray on an erratic course. Sure enough, the two remaining warships couldn't land another shot, and Stingray slipped out of range as they moved tend to their injured comrade. The tale continues, with a good old naval battle. Although you probably didn't notice it this story featured my latest ship, HMS Leech, a small little cutter. This ship was based around the previous HMS flea, and also too a few design ques from the Imperial flagship. Hope you liked my little vessel, and the continuation of the story.