"Going on the Account"

Photo by Jakob Rosen on Unsplash

I'm reading Sam Conniff Allende's excellent "Be more Pirate", which has done a great job in reframing how I think of Pirates. (I've put a link below of his talk at the RSA if you're not familiar with his work - it's worth watching)

One phrase in particular has stayed with me. "Going on the Account".

It is how pirates referred to moving from working for the Royal or Merchant Navies, and "Going Pirate". Throwing off the shackles of often abusive working conditions to go into business on their own account with others of like mind, with better conditions and the prospect of riches, although with the downside of getting hanged if caught. (I once had an employment contract that was like that.)

The advantage they had was that they were very well trained, and "Going on the Account" usually meant repurposing the ship they were on. Say farewell to the Captain, hoist the black flag, and off they went.

That had me thinking about how we go pirate today. Taking control o…