The French Armed Merchant "Phoque à capuchon"

 

The "Phoque A' Capuchon" or the Hooded Seal in English, is a heavy armed merchantman fresh to the West Indies trade route. Captained by Pierre Le Fue; a short man, shorter on temperament and, exhausted of patience or tolerance for savages of the Caribbean. Seemingly his reference to the English. Pierre refuses to take on crew not fluent in the only language fit for business: Langue française, and will not speak directly to any one not using his native tongue. Some speculate, other witnessed, many share the story of his violent outburst at the slips of Port Manteau when he flailed a harbor master for addressing him as "Peter Le Fue" Captain of the " Fuc' a Capuch'n". Since then the first mate, fluent in 17 different dialects acts as a translator, sometimes even in the port of Martinique where they speak French, but not to the satisfaction of Pierre.    

The Phoque runs laden with cannon, and the order's to "Fue" rings out more often than the crew would prefer, sometimes even in port. Most of the seasoned crew wait for orders to filter through the officers before taking action. No Phoque, n'est-ce pas? 

 

The Hooded Seal

   

Fort-Nicanville gets a new domestic battery

Fire Lock Games Stone Tower

 

Fort Nicanville, considered a push over by most scalawags of the Caribbean has had a sorted past with some of the more colorful and eccentric entrepreneurs (Pirates & Smugglers) in the crystal blue waters of the Lesser Antilles. With a shallow harbor and windward island side location, trouble often is in town before anyone even realizes a ship sailed into the harbor. This has lead to a greater leniency to the customs and regulations of trade on the docks. Over the past 15 years the subsequent governors have set tariff to fund a harbor defense. In the beginning, colloquially called the Gov'nr's Cut, seem to mostly get channeled into a "Just in case we need a Ransom Fund", but surprisingly grew into a coffer as the expectations of a bastion laden fortress slowly and un-enthusiastically shrank to meet budget. Now nothing like the colossus of Rhodes, the French harbor battery emblazoned with the King's royal crest stands to thwart an angry fisherman or perhaps those Portuguese smugglers that insist of defecating on the wharf.                       

A pelican brief-ly on the docks.