Wreckers

Along the coast of England through the age of sail and in Ireland and pockets of the American Atlantic seaboard and elsewhere, the wrecker was a constant. Living by the sea gave access to food and trade and wealth but certainly there were times when strange keels ground on the gravel beach and menacing forms came out of the cold night with steel and torches. But for most of latter history the wrecker had the upper hand. Whether a Spanish galleon blown off course by the trades or a thirsty ship slipping in to look for a spring, they were vulnerable to a determined group. In theory, the wreckers had rights to flotsam and jetsam and could salvage a ship legitimately after it lost its battle with the sea and the reefs. But what of the lure of that unwary ship, lost or besieged by hunger? It might just take a bit of misdirection to put her on the shoals.

Keep a close eye on the sea and it may bring you what you seek.