Pirates of the Gaspe Coast

Just in from the printer, the revised paperback edition of the Pirates of the Gaspe Coast book. 

The Gaspe Coast was once a much sought-after destination for some of Canada’s most famous and notorious pirates. The shores and inlets around the peninsula offered strategic advantages and its many resources made it a focal point for pirate activity. Its geographical features, combined with the rich fishing grounds and sparse population, provided pirates with the perfect environment to conduct their operations.

Piracy thrived during the overseas expansion of Eastern Canada and the Gaspe Coast got caught up in the chaos. The Gulf of St Lawrence was one of four areas that were central to the Golden Age of Piracy. And because the Gulf is among the largest and deepest estuaries in the world, covering 236,000 square kilometres, with an average depth of 148 metres, we can only imagine how much traffic there would have been in this body of water during that time.

When England, France, Spain, and other powerful navies weren’t exploring the New World, they were often busy fighting each other for ownership of these new territories. This resulted in numerous ships navigating the open waters between Europe and the maritime regions of Eastern Canada including the waters of the Gaspe Coast. Therefore, these routes were lucrative targets for pirates because they were filled with valuable goods and resources being transported. Many of the small fishing stations were vulnerable to pirate attacks because they were isolated and had little protection from the colonial authorities. 

The legacy of piracy is interwoven into the intriguing history of the Gaspe Coast. Today, for the most part, their stories have been forgotten in the pages of history. This book will take the reader on a journey back in time to meet some of the pirates who were known to have sailed in the Gaspesian waters.

This book is also available on Amazon as a paperback or on Kindle.