I've been working on building a fleet using the Revenant I pulled (beginner's luck), and this is what I have come up with. Please give me your ratings and advice!

30 point Pirate fleet

Ships
1 Revenant
1 Longshanks
1 Venture

Crew
1 Captain Jack Hawkins (on the Revenant)
1 Pirate Explorer (on the Longshanks)

Use: Longshanks makes runs for treasure, while the Revenant attacks the enemy's fleet. The Venture is a cheap third boat that I can use to suicide into ships or as a few extra guns.

I would drop the venture and tru to get more crew on the other ships, mainly on the long shanks, but I would definatly get a helmsman on the revenant. But thats just me.

I've updated my crew a little bit.

Instead of Jack Hawkins on the Revenant, I have a plain old captain. On the longshanks, instead of just the explorer, because it can't pick up three gold at one island anyways (if they each have three treasure, Longshanks can only take two), I'll give the Longshanks an Explorer and an Oarsman, so he can make it home, even if he takes some damage on the way back.

I wanted the Venture there just as some extra muscle, because I've played with just the Revenant as my only source of gunpower, and it just can't take on too many guns at one time, so the venture can go between being a treasure fetcher (pick up the last treasure longshanks leaves behind) or an extra attacker. Thanks for posting though.

Believ me the three ships in this fleet offer M.B. Zero a ggod amount of flexibility to adopt to stiuations. Now that he has captains his nack for cornering others will now lead to a quick death for them. I played him with a similair fleet - the captains.

The first game I won quickly due to dirty island placing:) The second game though he outmanuveverd me pursuing for well over an hour finally closing the noose and finishing me off. 3 ships work well for him watchout if you face it.