Attendees commented how interesting they found Philips talk. Several new facts and unknown stories. Initially a distinction was made between Pirates and Privateers as the characters often switched between the two.

It was said that the anchorage off Portishead (The Kings Road) was more important than the Bristol Docks. Apart from the docks Minehead, Bridgwater were well-known and indeed there were plans for Martello Towers along the channel, although none built.

Lundy Island was quite prominent as being a navigational crossroads in the channel. You could hide your ship to one side of the island with a lookout on land and hence intercept. The months around St James fair in Bristol was particularly lucrative.

There was an interesting period in the 17^th Century when after training provided by English sailors in the Mediterranean. Algerine pirates returned to the channel to capture many surprised home dwellers into slavery. Conversion to Islam lead to the phrase “Turning Turk”.

In the war with America in 1812, an American privateer targeted ships in the Channel which lead to a reprisal of the burning of the White House in Washington.

To finish, do you know why they are called pirates? Because they RRRR!