Buccaneers

In 1630 a treaty was signed with Spain that allowed the English and French to colonize some of the lands along the Spanish Main. Many of the European settlers wound up on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). One of the main sources of food on the island was wild pigs originally introduced by the Spanish. The settlers barbecued the pigs on open fires called buccans or boucan. From this the settlers eventually got the title buccaneers.

The Spanish became nervous over the many buccaneers on Hispaniola and sent hunters to slaughter the pigs. This backfired as the buccaneers, with their food supply gone, turned to piracy to meet their needs. Many of the buccaneers, who also referred to themselves as the "Brethren of the Coast," moved to the island of Tortuga, off the coast of Hispaniola and it became a pirate stronghold. Its fresh water, fertile ground, good anchorages and defensible harbors made it ideal for their needs.

The buccaneers often used small boats called pinnaces for their attacks. Using these they could sneak up on unsuspecting merchant ships and get control of the ship even before the crew knew they were under attack. When they used larger ships the pirates often favored smaller, single-masted sloops that could operate in shallow water. This allowed the ships to be easily hidden in small hidden bays and inlets. The English buccaneers liked attacking with the dozen or so cannon on deck, while French pirates preferred hand-to-hand combat with small arms and knives.