Fighting Sail - Action

 A small Royal Navy fleet consisting of six Ships of the Line and a brace of frigates clash with a Spanish fleet of six Ships of the Line.

The British are led by Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood aboard his flagship Royal Sovereign while the Spanish have the huge Santisima Trinidad for their flagship.

  The Brits.

  The Spanish.

A spot of long range gunnery starts the action.

As Bellerophon scores some hits upon San Juan.

And sails swiftly to close the range.

The Spanish have turned in towards the attacking British and look to cross some T's.

The San Francisco de Asis lines up the frigate Euryalus as an easy target but in doing so finds HMS Temeraire in position for a bow rake.

Before she can get a shot off  the Temeraire gives a thunderous broadside...

San Francisco de Asis is forced to strike!. HMS Temeraire takes damage from the Spanish 1st rates in return.

Billy Ruffian does some impressive sailing to get a stern rake on the Spanish 3rd rate San Juan.

But someone who isn't very good at Age of Sail games hasn't spotted the massive Santisima Trinidad...

A close range broadside from the biggest battleship in the world is not much fun and Bellerophon is forced to strike.

As the wind veers the Spanish are getting themselves into a formidable line.

While the British are out of position and taking damage.

The Spanish 3rd rate San Juan Nepomuceno having escaped a stern rake from Billy Ruffian bravely grapples with Collingwoods Flagship and attempts to board her.

The lines are close and the Brits are still out of position and still coming off worse.

The broadsides are tremendous.

As the Spanish 1st rate Santa Ana tries to rake HMS Neptune she takes a fearsome broadside from HMS Prince.

And she too strikes her colours.

The Santisima Trinidad and Rayo unleash their broadsides on Prince, the horrendous carnage taking her out of the battle.

And the fierce hand to hand battle between Royal Sovereign and San Juan continues.

The fierce fighting continues down the line and it is the good discipline of the British that keeps them in the fight.

The larger complement of the British flagship eventually get the better of their brave opponents and San Juan Nepomuceno is taken as a prize!.

While the Santisima Trinidad has to take evasive action to avoid the entangled ships and puts herself in irons in the process.

The 1st rate HMS Britannia is in prime position to rake the Spanish flagship with a devastating broadside. The Santisima Trinidad strikes her colours and the Royal Navy get a narrow and hard won victory.

A smashing game was had by Paul and while my sailing skills are abysmal it all added to the narrative.

To finish off here are some photos I took of HMS Trincomalee in Hartlepool a few years back. Built in 1815 she is of the right era for these games and well worth a visit.

Grand!.