REVIEW OF ‘IBEZENCO CORSAIRS IN GIBRALTAR’

At the end of the 18th century, thirteen English colonies in North America fought a war that would change the world and that would finally achieve their independence from the rule exercised from London.. at the same time, thousands of kilometers, Ibizan navigators strive to take the rock of Gibraltar and Menorca, then in british hands.

The xebecs were the ship used by the Ibizan corsairs for their great speed.

The researcher and former naval aviation pilot José M.. Prats Marí develops an exciting follow-up of these two related disputes in his new book ‘Ibicencan corsairs in Gibraltar‘. This post, which is part of the Collection test Barbaria, focuses on the operations of local sailors who patrolled the waters between Gibraltar and Menorca to search for and capture enemy vessels.

Prats Marí reviews the interventions of all kinds of the Pitiusan corsairs Bartolomé Cavanillas, Anthony Ferrer, Miguel Garcia, Antonio Serra, Juan Palau, Rafael Prats, Juan Ros and Bernardino Sastre. Among them were some unfortunate, such as the boarding of a Menorcan ship by Palau that was not rewarded for not having the necessary letter of marque to perform this function. Meanwhile, Ferrer tuvo un papel más importante al interceptar frente a la costa de Almería un barco mahonés que transportaba provisiones a Gibraltar.

The author also offers throughout the book an overview of the life led by those who served in the Royal Spanish Navy.. After exposing the characteristics of their vessels and the economic conditions they had to face, Prats Marí concludes: «Ehe privateering trade was not as profitable as one might imagine, at least in the second half of the 18th century; and very probably the sailors of the Balearic Islands became corsairs out of necessity and not for anything else.».

his unwavering faith in God and the numerous trips that brought him into contact with diverse cultures and to settle in Santa Eulària

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