Back Down The Orinoco

I've been laid up with COVID for the past couple of days, so not really been up to doing much in the way of games. I've been passing the time, when not asleep, rereading Patrick O'Brien and watching old Doctor Who episodes.

However I had got a game partially set up, and in a more lucid moment decided to give it a go, simply because it was something distracting. I'd fancied a rerun of this scenario from a couple of years ago, in which an English ship, the Gloriana, attempts to flee downriver, but into the wind, from some Spanish guard-vessels, the San Antonio de Padua and the Augusta. The Gloriana's consort, the little Saucy Jack, is sailing upriver in support.

Here's the Gloriana hugging the northern bank of the river, with the Spanish ships, Augusta in the lead, to the south. The wind is coming from the east, so all vessels will need to tack in order to make progress, although he San Antonio does have sweeps.

True to my comment on the previous version of this I ran, I decided to add in a current; if any side rolled a turnover, then all ships would drift one S downriver. This happened a couple of times so, as the Gloriana turned to cut into the wider southern channel of the river, it started to drift dangerously close to an island.

The Augusta opened fire, causing some damage to the Gloriana.

Scraping through the shallows the Gloriana crossed the bow of the Augusta and raked it most cruelly.

The Saucy Jack was coming up in support, but as it did so the Gloriana was obliged to turn away from the southern shore; the wind had shifted into the north and was driving the English vessel into danger. In turning the Gloriana exposed its stern to the heavy guns of the Augusta, and took more damage.

The San Antonio grappled the Gloriana, but its initial attacks were repulsed by the gallant English sailors.

The Saucy Jack came up and grappled the damaged Augusta, putting up a bold fight. But the badly damaged Gloriana couldn't last against the San Antonio, and swiftly struck, ending the action.

This is a tricky mission for the English, with very limited room for manuever. Changes in the wind can make a lot of difference, and the current added a whole new level of peril to the proceedings.