Captain Charles Vane: The Lucky Pirate

PiratesHistory

Jun 4

Written By Hector Navarro

In our last pirate article, we told you about how ruthless Charles Vane was during his rise to Captain.

But if you haven’t read that, here’s a very quick summary:

He helped steal gold and silver from a shipwreck.
He didn’t abide by the pirate code and refused to accept the pardon from the King.
He was captured and then was convinced into taking the pardon as long as he didn’t go back to pirating.
He went right back to pirating.

Today we’ll tell you just how stupid all those decisions were and why he’s probably a believer in karma in hindsight.

Chase for Charles Vane Begins

Last we left Charles Vane he set his largest stolen ship on fire and used it as a distraction to escape the clutches of the British Naval Captain Woodes Roger, the new governor of Nassau in the Bahamas. After he escapes, Woodes Roger hires former pirate Captain Hornigold to capture him and so the chase begins.

Except it doesn’t last long, Hornigold heard Vane was at Green Turtle Cay only 120 miles north of Nassau but before he could get there, Vane had left without knowing he was being chased. So he lucked out.

Vane’s next stop is South Carolina, docking there with his fleet of ships and three captains sailing under his leadership. Once Woodes Roger received word of his whereabouts he sent Colonel William Rhett to capture him. This time Vane was tipped off and he ran off worried about being caught… oh wait no he didn’t.

At this point, Vane had evaded capture so many times, that he didn’t feel a rush to leave. His captains didn’t feel the same way though. During the night one of the captains decided to sail off with a ship full of gold.

The Cautious Charles Vane

By the time Colonel Rhett reaches South Carolina, Vane has already left, continuing to capture more ships but avoiding larger ones. Something that doesn’t exactly sit right with the rest of his crew.

Bigger ships mean bigger risks, sure, but they also mean bigger rewards, and with Vane already not abiding by a pirate code that would have guaranteed equal pay, the crew wasn’t getting paid a whole lot to begin with.

It’s around this time Vane and his crew join Blackbeard on Ocracoke island for a week-long celebration. Rumor has it, Vane tried to use this as an opportunity to get Blackbeard to join him in taking back Nassau from Woodes Roger but Blackbeard refuses. Little did Blackbeard know he’d be dead just a few weeks later.

Luck Runs Out

After being refuted, Vane sets sail again with his crew spotting a large French warship and this time electing to go after it. But as he gets closer he changes his mind and decides he wants to retreat. This angers his crew, believing him to be displaying cowardice in the face of danger.

So they decide to vote like the pirate code says they should and despite the majority of the crew voting to risk their lives and go after the French ship, Vane decides to ignore it and sail the opposite way.

And here is where Charles Vane's luck starts to run out. Those under his command had enough. They didn’t agree with Vane’s tactics, he was ruthless, using torture and killing those he captured, he had no pirate code, and he ran away from danger. In a very real sense, it wasn’t the pirate way.

Vane’s own quartermaster, Calico Jack, called for a vote to remove Vane from his leadership. It was an easy vote. Vane and the 15 who had sided with him were kicked off the ship, placed in a smaller boat, and sent off to nowhere.

The Re-Return of Captain Vane

But this setback wouldn’t keep Vane down; he was a pirate! Within a few months, he was pirating around the bay islands near Honduras and had captured more ships.

Vane was building his fleet back up and nothing would stop him… except a little karma. That’s what I’m calling the hurricane that hit him, they didn’t have names back then.

Karma slammed into Vane’s small fleet of ships, killing nearly everyone. Reportedly it only left him and one other alive, they were able to float their way to a small island where they were left stranded… and all the rum was gone.

But it seemed like Vane’s luck hadn’t run out completely when a ship was sailing by and rescued him. Seeing as Vane was a wanted pirate without a crew, he gave a fake name and hoped no one recognized him… and they didn’t. Until another ship came by and a Captain Holford recognized Vane immediately.

Vane was arrested, chained to the ship, and brought to Port Royal for trial, where he was found guilty. He was hanged in March of 1721. Like other pirates that were hanged or killed their bodies were left on display as a warning to others of what would happen if they were caught.

And that’s the story of a lucky, strategic, ruthless pirate who probably should've called it quits the multiple times he had a chance to, luck does eventually run out. Or maybe it was just karma.

But what about Vane’s quartermaster Calico Jack who led the vote? What happened to him and who exactly was he? Turns out he wasn’t that great of a pirate, in fact, he was pretty bad.