The Pirate Journal

THE PIRATE JOURNAL

It is the beginning of summer. A family travels to the coast for their vacation. They are renting a beach house on one of the islands. After a storm the kids uncover a buried crate.  The crate contains a Pirate Journal and a few artifacts. The Journal belonged to Rob Knifehand who sailed aboard the Black Pelican under the command of Tortuga Pete. The family reads the journal, which chronicles the life of Rob Knifehand. It begins with Rob leaving home and making his way across the Atlantic to the New World.  While on a merchant ship, Rob encounters a fierce storm and is blown off course. A pirate ship, the Black Pelican, under the command of Tortuga Pete, intercepts Rob and the crew of the merchant ship. Rob joins the crew of the Black Pelican. Their base is Skull Rock, a fortress on Tortuga. There, the pirates are planning a raid on the Spanish Treasure Convoy that sails each summer from the New World back to Spain laden with riches. Captain Mort, a merciless cutthroat pirate, has his eye on Skull Rock and it’s treasure. He attacks the fortress from land and sea. Later, Tortuga Pete and his crew sail in search of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. They find a damaged ship undergoing repairs, which was separated from a convoy. After a fight, they seize the ship with its treasure. Tortuga Pete and Rob rescue two French Countesses, sisters, from the Spanish Galleon. The Spanish held them captive. On their way back to Skull Rock, the Black Pelican has another encounter with Captain Mort on the open seas. A battle ensues on deck of the Black Pelican. Rob almost meets his end at the hand of Captain Mort. The Black Pelican returns to Skull Rock. The Journal ends with a map of another buried treasure. The vacation nears its end as well. The family heads home planning to return the following summer and search for the second pirate treasure.