The story behind the name…
In the middle of the vast ocean, a massive 3-masted wooden galleon surges through the blue waters; it’s crew busy with their daily tasks. Some cleaning, some cooking, some manning the watches, while others lounge on the deck playing dice. The creaks and groans of the wooden ship as she ploughs through the water are comforting sounds to these mariners.
A sudden shout from the crow’s nest shatters the routine. "Sails!”. The ship bursts into life. The crew run to their designated stations, each man falling naturally into a well-practiced drill. The captain, a formidable man, picks up his spyglass and looks out into the distance as the first-mate yells out to the crew for 'full cover'. The sailors scramble up the masts and unfurl all the sails. The wind immediately fills these vast canvas sheets giving the mighty vessel a new burst of speed. The first-mate stands beside his captain, waiting for the order he knew would soon come.
The captain's eyes stay glued to his lens studying the faraway ship. A thin smile appears on his lips as he sees it riding low in the water, realizing it must be a merchantman, probably fully loaded with traded cargo. He gives the order "run a course to intercept". The first mate turns and relays the command. The man at the massive wooden spiked helm eagerly turns the wheel…the chase has begun.
As the distance narrows, the captain has an important decision to make. The success of this venture will come down to his carefully timed order. If given too early, it gives the merchantman the chance to potentially get away, if he gives it too late, the captain of the other ship won’t have enough time to consider all his options and will instinctively give the order to fight. Neither is a desirable outcome.
He looks out again as the minutes' tick by in anticipated silence and decides they are close enough. He turns to the first mate and says “raise the colors”. The first-mate grins and bellows the order to the crew, knowing that this is a defining moment. He watches in awe as the massive fabled black flag slowly unfurls. A bold statement that never fails to send chills of eager anticipation down his spine. The crew burst from below decks, swarm up the ropes, and crowd the upper deck brandishing their weapons. The captain of the merchantman looks up at the flag and realizes that he, his crew, and his ship are in trouble. The ship bearing down on him belongs to one of the most feared pirates to have ever sailed the high seas – Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. He gives the order for the flag on his ship to be lowered, signaling his complete and unconditional surrender.
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Pirates have been romanticized in novels, movies and TV shows through the ages. And contrary to what we have been shown, pirates weren't always bloodthirsty savages. The real win for pirates was to capture a ship without getting into a fight. Maximum reward, with minimum effort. But, how did they get ships to surrender without a fight?
They needed to create a perception. A perception that if the ships they chased down didn't surrender, they would pay the ultimate price. They needed to ensure the stories of their brutality spread far and wide. They often did resort to violence, but they always left someone alive. Why? To go back and tell tales. They created a powerful symbol. A visual identity, which in this case was the BLACK SAIL - The well-known flag. This carefully cultivated image was an integral part of their strategy.
While not condoning or glorifying what these ancient mariners did for a living, we take inspiration from them.
The master strategists with unusual foresight,
free-spirited and adventurous.
Bold, strategic, unconventional, and very effective.