Now enters Francis Drake, when Francis was twelve or thirteen, his father Edmund Drake arranged him to apprentice under an old sea captain of a small bark, which is a three-masted vessel that is square rigged. The bark sailed near coasts of France, England, and the Netherlands; Drake now learned how to read currents, wind, and tides and was able to maneuver a ship …show more content…
Some have concluded that Edmund left Tavistock, England as a fugitive. Francis Drake recounted his father taking him and his family to South England, where they found a home in the hull of an old ship lying in the River Medway. So it was here that Francis was captivated by old sailor tales and developed his fascination for the sea and ships.
Queen Elizabeth at age twenty-five became queen when her mother, Queen Mary died due to illness and her father King Philip was no longer King. August 1568, John Hawkins and Francis Drake sailed the Jesus of Lubeck a seven-hundred warship which was loaned to Hawkins by Queen Elizabeth. They landed on the island of Dominca and Margarita where they threatened the town because the governor said they would only be able to trade with a license. Soon after the trading began, Hawkins mostly sold negro slaves. The Spanish wanted slaves and Hawkins was determined to make a profit.
On September 16, 1568, Hawkins and Drake entered the harbor of San Juan de Ulua and immediately Hawkins put crew members on watch for Spaniards and Hawkins sent a letter to the governor of Vera Cruz which stated that they come in peace and will pay for all provisions. The very next day there were thirteen Spanish ships that appeared in the distance. At once, they knew this was a …show more content…
Drake found that Port Pheasant was discovered by the Spaniards, they took his provisions and now the Port is on watch. After much planning, Drake decided to capture a town in Nombre de Dios but was unsuccessful in the attack and lost the element of surprise for any future attacks. They sailed away to avoid being hunted by the Spanish and Drake decided to join forces with the Cimarrones and intercept a mule train carrying goods. Cimarrones were Negro slaves who lived as outlaws that escaped from the Spaniards, they did not like the Spanish and wanted to help Drake seize any valuables they may find. After months of preparation, Drake and his men waited in tall grass till the mule train passes but was unsuccessful when one of the men came out ahead of time and scared off the Spaniard and warned other Spaniards about the