Made promotion as Daring Patrician on November 1st, and am number 1 on the Mayor election list. CV passed a million in October.
Running seventeen ships, with thirteen captains. Shipyard is fast now with repairs, and up to the 480 size cogs. 31 businesses running, with quite a few under construction as well. Housing consruction is a nuisance.
Pirates' ships are almost valueless now, at least to me. All are fully extended, and a snaikka from the shipyard will carry nearly as much and is cheaper to operate. I will use a few (former) pirate cogs for outrigger duty, and as leaders for nearer bulk Med trading. I will shift to crayers when the 350 models are available, and the 250 model snaikkas. No auto routes set up yet ... only the trade offices sell or buy automatically.
The ultimate dove contest would have no captures at all, only builds.
Three ships are busy exploring the Med. Bordeaux, Barcelona, Tobruk, Tunisia so far; cloth contracts in the last two. Skins, pitch, beer; and me with no good hunter lodge city. The International version of the game is different than the German version; iron goods can be desired in nearby cities, the distribution of trade goods is more random.
But honey is the sweetest trading good of all.