Charles Vane:
Essentially nothing is known about Charles Vane prior to 1715-1716, when he was reputed to have been a member of Henry Jennings’ pirate crew. By 1718 he had his own command, with the brigantine Ranger serving as his flagship.
While Vane and his crew were pursuing their fortune at sea, the English monarch had appointed a new Royal Governor, Woodes Rogers, in New Providence. His sole and extremely challenging mission was to rid the area of its unwanted pirate inhabitants. Rogers established a policy commonly employed during this era; namely, he offered a royal pardon to everyone who would renounce their pirate ways.
Vane soon established a new base of operations in the Carolinas, where he met another famous Carolina pirate, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.
Vane's Letter to Governor Rogers:
To His Excellency The Governor of New Providence
Your Excellency may please to understand that we are willing to accept His Majesty’s most gracious pardon on the following terms, viz. That you will suffer us to dispose of all our goods now in our possession. Likewise, to act as we see fit with everything belonging to us, as His Majesty’s Act of Grace specifies. If your Excellency shall please to comply with this we shall with all readiness accept of His Majesty’s Act of Grace. If not, we are obliged to stand on our defense.
So conclude
Your humble servants
Charles Vane and company
Not surprisingly, Governor Rogers was incensed by Vane’s response to his generous offer of a pardon. Determined to make an example of Vane, Rogers sent his flagship to capture him and his crew before they could escape from New Providence. While attempting to escape, Vane set one of his captured vessels on fire and had it sailed directly toward Rogers’ flagship. As the flagship turned to maneuver out of the path of the fireship, Vane and his men sailed around their would-be captors and fled with their treasure intact. It is reported that as they sailed past the flagship, the pirates jeered at and fired on its crew. Thus, while Charles Vane failed to secure a royal pardon, he certainly earned a reputation as a cunning and skillful pirate captain.
Vane and His Crew:
Given his daring and ability on the high seas and his skill in locating and accumulating treasure, one might be inclined to think that Vane would have been quite popular with his crew. However, such was not the case. In the first place he was extremely cruel, known for torturing and murdering many of his captives. He also paid scant attention to the “Pirates Code”, often trying to cheat his crew out of their proper share of stolen booty. When Vane wisely decided to disengage from a bigger and more heavily armed French man-of-war that he should never have attacked, his disgruntled crew inappropriately accused him of behaving in a cowardly fashion. As a result, they voted to replace him as captain with his first mate, Calico Jack Rackham
The Cache:
In true pirate fashion, the treasure must be searched for. The cache is a small treasure chest inside of a golden tube, the treasure is about 30 feet west of GZ. Be careful where you beach you craft and be mindful of the river traffic and the current, and be stealthy. Keep an eye out on the water, it can get swift and is really cold at times.
In search of this one you most certainly will get wet, but done during the warmer season.