Here you can find short profiles for Emma & each of her shipmates on the New Adventure, highlighting a bit of their background & motivations that may or may not be in the story.
[Here are 13 of the crew! The rest to follow soon!]
Latest Additions
Clara Davies
Role: Sailor
Born: Tilbury, England
“I never expected this to happen so soon, but here I am, already rich, and I didn’t even need to cut any throats to do it!”
– Clara Davies in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 20 – Sneak Thieves Sneak.
Clara comes from a family of sailors and grew up on stories of sailing, pirates, and Spanish gold. Not content to let just her brother follow in their father’s footsteps, Clara insisted on going to sea as well and has completed a number of voyages to the Continent and one to North Africa.
Hearing the New Adventure was headed for the Caribbean, she saw the opportunity to further her dream of becoming a famous pirate, or at least part of a famous pirate crew. She also has another, more hidden reason for joining the New Adventure specifically – she’s been having second thoughts, but has not abandoned that goal just yet.
Martyn Woods
Role: Scullion / Cook’s Mate
Born: Cardiff, Wales
“Having treasure don’t matter. It’s what you do with it that matters. The strength you can buy with it.”
– Martyn Woods in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 19 – Counting Coins.
A runaway and member of a gang of toughs, Martyn had not been living his best life when he encountered Captain Garrett. In fact, they “met” when Martyn tried to pick the captain’s pocket! When the captain found out Martyn was leaving Cardiff just ahead of the consequences of a job gone bad, he offered Martyn the opportunity to straighten out his life. Martyn was suspicious but took the chance the captain’s promise was true.
Now, Martyn isn’t sure of what he wants for his future, but he knows he is better off with the New Adventure than he was back in Cardiff. He has become more than just Cookie’s dishwasher, and he’s also proud of being useful to the captain when his particular skills are needed for the good of ship and crew. So for now, things are working out well, just the way they are.
William Day
Role: Carpenter
Born: Stockton-on-Tees, England
“Feels like a ghost ship,” muttered William, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other.
– William Day in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 18 – Boarding the Swift.
William left his life ashore a number of years ago and has served as a carpenter’s mate for much of his time at sea. When Captain Garrett invited him to join the New Adventure and be its carpenter, he didn’t hesitate. To have his “own ship” to look after had been his dream.
Though he’s cautious and superstitious when faced with the unknown, he is generally friendly, open, and ready to help. Having proven his skills time and again aboard the New Adventure, he’s also always happy to pass on some of his trade to other members of the crew – Emma and Jack in particular.
Emma Sharpe
Role: Powder Monkey
Born: Tockington, England in 1691
“Hike all the way back and tell him what?” she asked. “That you saw an abandoned ship? Let’s go take a look first and see what we can find. If it’s deserted, why? And if it’s not, who are they?”
– Emma Sharpe in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 15 – Landfall.
When her parents were imprisoned, Emma was sent to an orphanage. For a time, things were well enough, especially given that Emma now had the chance to attend school with other children. However, after Reverend Roxby took charge, her life there became one without a future. She stowed away aboard the New Adventure to both escape the oppressive orphanage and to find the means to free her parents from debtors’ prison.
Early on, Emma’s teacher inspired within Emma a love of stories about new things, faraway places, and different peoples. After the reverend’s arrival, this learning continued through her visits with an old sailor she had befriended down at the docks. Joining the New Adventure allowed Emma to see these things in person, and she loves it. Admiring Catherine, the master-at-arms, and looking up to Captain Garrett, she now aspires to live an adventuring life like them, and even to captain her own ship one day!
Jack Randall
Role: Cabin Boy
Born: Yarmouth, England in 1690
“Now let me finish telling you about how they stole the ship. When the captain announced his plan to the crew, the vote was split, four and four. The captain and three others wanted to take the Swallow and leave the pirate life. But the others wanted to go back to Captain De Graaf.”
– Jack Randall in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 5 – Ship’s Monkey.
Growing up working in his family’s chandlery business, supplying ships with everything they needed, Jack always wanted to go to sea. Initially his father was opposed to this idea, as he knew much of the challenges sailors faced in their daily lives. However, after meeting and speaking with Captain Garrett, Jack’s father finally gave Jack the permission he had been seeking for so long.
Jack doesn’t just want to go to sea, he wants to be a captain one day. He imagines his family’s reaction when he returns to Yarmouth to buy supplies for his own ship from his family’s store! Young as he is, he knows he has a while to wait before this can happen. In the meantime, he is working hard to learn as much as he can from Captain Garrett and the rest of the crew of the New Adventure.
Adam Garrett
Role: Captain
Born: Port Royal, Jamaica in 1677
“On the New Adventure, we live within the laws of the countries we travel to as much as we can, but what is right and wrong is not always captured in the law.”
– Captain Adam Garrett in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 6 – Outward Bound
Adam disliked the family plantation and, as a middle child, knew that his older brother would be running it one day anyway. Inspired by his tutor and his readings to seek a more adventuresome life, Adam ran away to sea at fifteen. After falling in with Laurens De Graaf, he found that life too bloody for his taste while still lacking the type of adventure he sought. This led Adam to steal a ship of his own and to build a special crew of individuals that could help him fulfill his goal of seeing the world.
Underneath the search for adventure, Adam is hoping to find a society where a person’s worth is measured by their skills and deeds, not their background or current circumstances. He believes this is unlikely to exist in the world as it is today, so he tries to make a difference at the individual level. He shares his views and values with his crew, especially the younger ones like Emma and Jack.
Catherine Ducharme
Role: Master-at-arms
Born: Port-de-Paix, Saint Domingue in 1675
“It was une affaire d’honneur. I won, he lost. The family would not accept this. They are very wealthy and in favour at court. They hired people to hunt me. I killed two before leaving France. Maintenant, je suis ici.”
– Catherine Ducharme in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 13 – Getting Underway.
Strong-willed and rebellious, at an early age Catherine found herself starting down a path to a life of violent crime, as a pirate or otherwise. After being sent to France when her father died, she began to gain some sense of principles. But then, when she was forced to flee and hide herself in amongst Laurens De Graaf’s fleet of privateers, she started to backslide to her previous cut-throat way of life. Meeting Adam and Robert turned her around once again. She came to value them and their ideas, especially Adam’s plan of leading a life as a merchant adventurer, inside the law. Sailing with the New Adventure has given Catherine a positive family-like environment that she had not experienced until now.
In the back of her mind, Catherine plans to return to France one day in order to restore her father’s name. She knows some of the circumstances under which he was exiled and so knows it may be an impossible task. But after her experience of having been forced to flee France herself, she feels the desire to fight those responsible all the same, even if it leads her all the way to King Louis.
Robert Bellows
Role: First Mate
Born: Blue Mountains, Jamaica
“Ya ’eard that, ya lazy bilge rats? Jump to it! Get this deck cleared! We’re to be down river by dusk!”
– Robert Bellows in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 3 – Decision Made.
Born a Jamaican Maroon, Robert was captured by the French years before Adam Garrett was “encouraged” to join Laurens De Graaf’s crew. After he and Adam met, they became friends, sharing many views in common. The most notable of these was the belief that no one should be owned by anyone else.
From this friendship and their discussions, Robert has proposed to Adam that one day they found a free society, not beholden to the whims and wars of any kingdom. He knows this will be difficult, and many things will be needed, especially money. For the time being, he sails with the New Adventure, slowly building the required fortune. He also helps Captain Garrett select crew that not only fit the needs of their ship, but may also be instrumental in executing this grander plan.
Mary “Cookie” Douglas
Role: Cook
Born: Dumfries, Scotland
“Hurt ya?” echoed the older woman, running her tongue over narrow, dirty teeth. “Ha! Fer stealin’ from me,” she growled, “I’ve a mind ta chop ya inta me stew!”
– Mary Douglas in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 4 – Caught.
Mary, or “Cookie” as she is commonly called, genuinely enjoys cooking for and feeding the crew of the New Adventure. She hides this behind a gruff and grouchy façade, but a compliment or two will always crack this mask.
Since being rescued from the dot of an island where she had been marooned, Cookie has not had any larger goal in mind than to simply repay the life debt she feels she owes to Captain Garrett. She has vague intentions to retire from the sea one of these days, and is accumulating treasure to do so. But she also knows she can’t just be some village granny with no family, wiling away her final days drinking tea and spying on the comings and goings of her neighbours.
Nicholas Thorne
Role: Doctor
Born: Oxford, England
“I never could stand a wound that has gone bad. You see what can happen? Be sure to get any injury treated right away!”
– Nicholas Thorne in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 17 – The Doctor Comes.
Doctor Nicholas Thorne moved to New York some years ago and quickly established a successful medical practice. Then, he came to be involved in gambling and turned to drink. His mounting debts and dissatisfied patients drove him to the sea. Now aboard the New Adventure, he is working to overcome these weaknesses.
Nicholas is not the typical barber-surgeon one might find aboard a sailing vessel, with little or no formal training. He is also not content to know only what he knows. Doctor Thorne continues his education through study of any medical writings he can find and through his own thoughtful experimentation. Travelling the world aboard the New Adventure directly supports these interests and so he is in no hurry to return to land. There is always something new to discover on each voyage!
Korede
Role: Sailor
Born: Lagos, Niger Delta
“Follow me below, but be careful with your pistol. I do not want to be shot by accident. And do not turn your back going down the ladder. Eyes forward.”
– Korede in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 18 – Boarding the Swift.
When Korede’s jealous uncle killed her parents and sold her and her sisters into slavery, Korede knew her life would never be the same. But after she seized a chance to escape, she knew she would do everything she could to take it back. But first she must find her sisters and Captain Garrett has pledged to help her do just that.
Once she is reunited with her sisters, Korede intends to take revenge on her uncle and all who aided him. Sailing aboard the New Adventure has let her hone her fighting skills while amassing the treasure she will need to raise a small army.
Signe Møller
Role: Sailor
Born: Copenhagen, Denmark
“No one died if that’s what you’re asking. A few slivers like the one you caught with your forehead. Even the captain got singed. But we’re the only serious injuries.”
– Signe Møller in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 9 – Good Intentions.
Signe was a dutiful child of a wealthy family, though with occasional bursts of stubbornness. So, her parents never doubted she would comply with whatever they asked of her if they simply held firm. However, when they presented Signe with the person she was to marry, she objected. When they insisted, she rebelled and fled. In fact, Signe had never been content with the life her parents envisioned for her and longed to escape that fate.
Now she is living in the moment, enjoying the rough and tough life at sea, without any particular long term plan in mind. If something had to change, and she had to leave the New Adventure, Signe would seek the opportunity to be a first mate or captain of a privateer, or maybe even of a pirate crew!
Morgan Lewis
Role: Master Gunner
Born: Brighton, England
“Monkey! Sift that powder,” he would demand, especially when he had nothing else for her to do. “I don’t want ta find a single lump!” And if she objected, “I don’t care one wit if ye jus’ did it yesterday or a minute ago! Do it again!”
– Morgan Lewis in The Day the Pirates Went Mad, Chapter 5 – Ship’s Monkey.
Morgan deserted from the Royal Navy for the better conditions, freedom, and pay of the merchant navy. Finding a place aboard the New Adventure was more than he could have hoped for. Of course, Morgan thinks it is Captain Garrett who is lucky to have him, and his gunnery skills.
Morgan feels he deserves to live in comfort. With a lucky prize or two, he would retire immediately. At the same time, Morgan also hopes to have the chance to command the guns of a frigate or larger-sized ship. To destroy a target with the firepower of the broadside from a 74? It would be a dream come true!