Chapter 6: Cruising

July 1801

Being home again felt strange to Thomas. His old room was still filled with his toys and felt awkward to a youngster who had grown up during his absence. Still weirder was to sit at table and being served by the maids, saying Grace before the meal, and being silent during it, when he was used to the boisterous mood that pervaded the meals in the Cormorant. It did not help that Margaret Grey, who had not witnessed her son’s maturing, was still treating him as a child, not heeding what he might say and disregarding his own wishes at every turn. He knew that she was just her motherly self, and it felt good to sit on the upholstered sofa, cuddling to her. Yet, he was used to being his own person by now, and he felt stifled.

In a moment of clairvoyance, he also realised how his father, the absolute ruler over 120 men in his sloop, had to feel being constantly countermanded in his father’s house, not only by his father who owned it, but also by his wife, who ruled it.

Therefore, it was both with sadness and with a degree of relief that father and son travelled back to Portsmouth after a week. Climbing into the stage coach in Guildford, only Theodore Grey found seating inside, the other space claimed by a rear admiral and his staff — flag lieutenant, secretary and chaplain, but also his mistress — and Thomas had to ride outside. This was not so bad for him, given the sunny weather, and he enjoyed sitting high up beside the driver, as they sped along the busy road.

Horses were changed twice, giving the passengers brief chances to stretch their legs and visit the privy, but also to buy food at the stations. Not the Greys, though. Margaret Grey had seen to it that father and son were well provisioned from a basket filled with all the delicacies Cook could assemble for them, to be flushed down with a delicious apple cider. It was a most enjoyable travel.

Arriving in Portsmouth, Commander Grey eschewed an immediate return to the Cormorant, rather having a signal sent from the shore to send the cutter to the mole at eight bells, morning watch, for there were the cabin provisions from their own lands, sent ahead a day before which had to be transferred, too. They took lodgings for the night in a tavern near the Navy station, enjoying a last, shore-cooked supper with a fresh ale of which Thomas was allowed a pint, too.

The cutter was waiting already when, after a rich breakfast, father and son arrived at the mole, where the freight wagon with the cabin stores was also waiting. The cutter crew made short work of the food stores and soon, the cutter under its lateen sail was heading for Cormorant’s anchorage. Thomas took a deep breath before slipping through one of the midships gun ports. The visit to his past life was over.

Mister Simms had done a yeoman’s job of getting the repairs done, and most of the victualling was completed, too. Lemon juice was in short supply in Portsmouth, but Mister Morgan, the purser, suggested pickled cabbage instead, which was also said to prevent scurvy. Moreover, their orders were to run a convoy to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the nominal North American and Windward Islands Station of the Royal Navy, where they would be able to pick up supplies of lime juice coming up from Jamaica and the Bahamas. Mister Morgan hinted that eating the cabbage would cause bowel winds, but that was deemed tolerable.

Therefore, on July 6, the Cormorant and her convoy of transports and supply ships, eleven sails all together, weighed anchor. To reach Halifax in British North America, they had to sail south first, to reach the trade winds, and head west to Bermuda, before turning to North and sailing over 1,000 miles to reach Novia Scotia. Mister McIntyre, the sailing master, showed the planned sailing route to his navigation class, which Thomas now attended, explaining how to beat against the constant western winds further north would take even longer.

As it was, the passage took them 18 days, and it spoke for the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean that they sighted not a single sail on the way. After taking water at Halifax — and finding four barrels of lime juice at the victualling yard — the sloop was given orders to sail for Antigua, to join Rear Admiral John Duckworth at the Leeward Islands Station, to help patrolling those waters for French and Spanish shipping.

This was an almost straight run due South, sailing with a full wind¹, but just past Bermuda, they encountered high winds, torrential rain and tall waves — all the signs of a hurricane. Fortunately, they were not in its direct path and were only tossed about for a day. They later learned that the hurricane, whose remnants they had encountered, had laid destruction to the Bahamas, leaving over a hundred ships of all sizes wrecked in its path.

Cormorant, once past the depression, continued on her southern course for another ten days to reach English Harbour and Duckworth’s squadron on August 5. The harbour was set beautifully and framed by the lush green of the tropical vegetation, and the flagship, HMS Leviathan, 74, was at anchor. Thus, the anchor had barely been dropped when Theodore Grey climbed down into his gig to report to their new admiral.

He returned with orders to patrol the Leeward Islands as soon as Cormorant was ready for sea again. This meant two days of labour for the crew in tropical heat, but the purser, Mister Morgan, organised fresh fruits and even fresh ale from the shore, to even out the hardship. No shore leave was given, and on August 8, Cormorant made use of the land breeze to leave harbour for extended cruising.

South of Antigua lay the French-held islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique, rich colonies from the trade of sugar and coffee, but in turmoil since the French Revolution had freed the slaves. Still, Theodore Grey expected a lot of traffic between those islands. He was not disappointed. Rounding Guadeloupe’s southern tip at Vieux Fort in the dark, they stood off Pointe-à-Pitre with the first light, catching two French sloops heading for the harbour. No shots were fired, since the small vessels were only armed with swivel guns and lowered their flags immediately. The vessels being insignificant, one was given to the French crews to reach the shore, after transferring sixty tons of sugar, coffee and cacao beans to the other, now heavily laden sloop.

Continuing their cruise along the western coast of Dominica, they caught a small brig. She was sailing in ballast only, but she was more seaworthy than their other prize. Working hard in the hot sun, the crew transferred the cargoes of the two sloops to the brig and burnt the smaller ship.

Again making use of the night, Cormorant and her prize, Ile de Paradis, circumnavigated Martinique, approaching Fort De France from the South and surprising the French shipping there at sunrise. In quick succession, the fast Cormorant overtook a large brig and a slightly smaller brigantine, both of them sailing with cargo. The brigantine offered some resistance, firing her two six-pounder guns at the British sloop and injuring two of her crew. The answering broadside from Cormorant tore through the smaller ship’s rigging, crippling her, and convincing her captain to strike her colours.

With now three valuable prizes, Theodore Grey thought it best to return to Antigua without delay, with Cormorant’s crew diminished by the prize crews. Therefore, just five days after sailing, they returned to English Harbour and to a delighted admiral who stood to gain one eighth of the prizes’ value. Spirits were high in the Cormorant, for a cautious estimate put the value of the prizes and their cargoes at over £12,000, of which Commander Theodore Grey would claim three eighths². It had been five profitable days. Even the ratings could expect £30 each, and the men were jubilant.

Therefore, nobody was surprised and nobody complained when Cormorant weighed anchor two days later for another cruise. This time, they sailed east of the Leeward Islands and to Barbados, from where they approached Martinique on a northwestern course, intending to attack the shipping between Sainte-Anne and Sainte-Luce on Martinique’s southern coast. They only found small fishing vessels at sea, with other craft safely at anchor under the coastal batteries.

Turning to North, they explored the western coastline and near Saint Pierre, they caught a small coaster headed for Fort De France and carrying cacao. After transferring the precious cargo, they set the small vessel free, taking pity with the elderly, Black owner and his Créole helper.

Another small cutter out of Roseau, Domenica, which they caught, carried twenty-seven tons of sugar and thirty-two barrels of molasses, the main ingredient for making rum. Here, a small prize crew of four was put aboard to sail the vessel and her cargo to Antigua. The pickings were slimmer, but the crew was in high spirits.

To Thomas, cruising amongst the Leeward Islands and catching French ships was an exciting, real-life version of his childhood games at home, where he would catch richly laden galleons filled with gold doubloons. The only two wounded men were recovering steadily, and no burials clouded their string of successes.