Sloops could be one, two or three masted, and (in an age of much experimentation) carried a bewildering variety of rigs and sail plans. In reality in the 17thcentury the word “Sloop” (or “Shallop” as it was originally rendered) really meant little more than a small flush decked vessel varying in size from a few tons to 100 tons or slightly more. The word Sloop in the 17th and early 18th century is not entirely straightforward to define. If the Sloop then became a popular craft for “the Chase”, then the Bermuda Sloop was a particular type of Sloop that was considered to be the very best of the best. Indeed, in American waters (and most especially in the period from 1700 to 1730) Sloops appear as the most common vessel mentioned as the choice of Pirate ship – fast, maneuverable and excellent upwind sailors that usually gave their owners the ability to overhaul any prey that they were pursuing, or outrun any pirate hunter that might be a threat. Wherever you turn in the pages of the histories of the Golden Age of Pirates and Piracy you will find references to Sloops and, more specifically, to “Bermuda Sloops” either in the role of predator or as prey. Bermuda Sloop on the left (Firelock Games model from the 2020 Raise The Black Kickstarter and reproduced by kind permission of Mike Tunez)
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