another interesting note about pirates, is a point of view. NYC (and many of the coves and inlets that exist in the area) were home to pirates. in an independant free spirited way, many ships and captains tried to avoid the port exsise taxes.. and would try to under cut the 'legally' registered english ships --the only ones permitted to run rum in american (pre independance america) waters.
NY, which was founded a trading (not religious) colony, was always keen for a bargain.. and lots of people were interested in cut rate rum.. no questions asked.. and the rum runners were seen as shrewd business men!
but rum running was illegal, and once you started working the wrong side of the law, every legal 'british' ship was your enemy.. should you encounter one, you could let yourself be taken in, lose the ship, and all the profits, or blow the british ship out of the water, steal her cargo, and not leave anyone around to tell what happened.. so it was a small step from being a rum runner to being a cut throat pirate. back home in NY, on land, it was very hard to procecute.. and many a pirate had a fancy NY house!
(NY pirating continued, and continues.. look at Merrill Lynch, and the stock market..what is being pirated, how has changed, but shading goings on are a real part of the NY business scene)
