Pirates have long been depicted in popular culture as swashbuckling adventurers who traverse the high seas in search of treasure and adventure. However, for pirates to achieve their goals, they had to get from their ships to the shore. But how did they manage to do it?
Firstly, pirates often used small boats and rafts to travel to shore. This could include rowboats, canoe-like boats, and dinghies. These small boats were usually kept on board pirating ships and used for short trips to other vessels or nearby islands. There were also larger vessels that could be used, such as longboats or cutters, that had bigger crews and were capable of longer journeys.
However, the distance of the shoreline from the pirate ship often made the use of smaller boats impractical. In these cases, pirates would have to engage in a more daring method of transportation called “swimming the plank.” In this method, the pirating ship would anchor itself near the shore and build an extension to the deck called a “plank.” The prisoners or pirates would then be forced to walk across the plank and jump into the water, where they would either swim to the shore or be picked up in a smaller boat.
Another more extreme way of traveling from ship to shore was by using a device called a “rope launcher” or “cannon net.” This involved attaching a rope, or even a net, to the ship and firing it towards the shore using a small cannon. The pirates would then use the rope or net to swing or climb to the shore.
In some cases, pirates would also use innovative methods, including attaching barrels to themselves to help them float, or tying themselves together in groups to provide support and buoyancy.
Pirates had various methods of traveling from their ships to the shore. They used everything from small boats and rafts to extreme and dangerous techniques, such as swimming the plank or using a rope launcher. These methods were all necessary for pirates to do what they did best: plunder the riches of other ships and make their fortune on the high seas. So, next time you watch a pirate movie, take a moment to appreciate the bravery it took for them to get to shore.