This ship would prefer to travel under sail, when conditions were good - the exceutive officer, who is telling the tale - liked it that way best.

These guys have just spent a year - circumnavigating the world, and capturing Yankee commercial ships. They have taken some 38 ships as prizes - the bulk of these, whalers.

As the tale is told, they have just put the Cape Horn passage behind them, coming from the North Pacific whaling grounds. They have a favorable wind, lovely weather and are about to make the final long Atlantic run to Liverpool. They hope to avoid any Yankee gun ships and capture - but they expect they will make it, and believe they can out run and/or outsmart most Yankee ships.

This ship is the CSS Shenandoah - and the story is "told" in song some 2 months after they've learned their country (CSA) has surrendured to the Union, and that many of the prizes they captured during the last 6 months, were captured after the war was over. They know they would likely be hanged if they are caught by the Yankees. They hope that England will help them negotiate a safe return to the US (and they are correct).

The prop would be raised, when they are under sail like this ... and the exec is a well trained, seasoned seaman. Men in family have been Captains and such for generations. His grandfather fought with the rebels in the 1798 rebellion in Ireland, before coming to America.