You know better than that, Loki, my friend.
If you have read all these versions as claimed, you probably noticed that they all variations on the same material with supporting,writers personal pet theory ;ie, the Templars with Bruce at Bannockburn, Sinclair led the Templars at that battle, Templars became pirates, Templars buried treasure on Oak Island, etc, all circumstantially presented without real solid documented evidence or proof.
What are interesting variations in Captain Tonz version, concerns the "treasure" being books, the 18 galleys on the Seine in Paris and not at La Rochelle, the Templar "fleet" NOT disappearing, but waiting offshore for King Phillip's army, then dividing with one setting to sea for Scotland the other to Portugal.
As you are aware, Loki,what all these versions and variations have in common is that there is NO contemporary Medieval records or documents confirming any of the content of these stories beyond de Chalons very vague testimony reference, allowing the creative assault on minimal period factual information concerning those events concerning the raid and the alleged "flight" to be made into fabricated facts in support of these "modern" Templar fables.
Yes, I have read as many of those reports that I know of that are out there as I claimed. I have not yet claimed anything on this forum that I don't believe to be true.
18 is simply a number, we know for a fact that at least that many vessels were in port because of several historical notes.
For instance, we know for a fact La Rochelle was a very busy Atlantic port that the Knights Templar had full control of and operated trade operations out of up and down the Atlantic Coast. We also know that they kept their whole Atlantic fleet at this port because it was well away from the theater of war.
We know for a fact many vessels had just arrived in France from Cyprus the Templars Eastern Mediterranean headquarters with a large
contingent of Knights, Squires, horses, treasure and ect.
We also know for a fact that all of these vessels disappeared with no record of where they went. If anybody doesn't believe this produce an account of where they went. There actually may be such a record out there as I only premise a small number of them going to Nova Scotia.
We know for a fact that Gerard de Villers whom de Chalons mentioned along with the 18 vessels also disappeared becoming the most wanted man in France.
All of which adds credence to de Chalons testimony of the 18 vessels leaving port.
Then we have the positive evidence of the coconut fibre on Oak Island dated to the correct period, a fibre that could only have come from the Eastern Mediterranean where, guess what, those Templar vessels that were just in the French port before disappearing had come from.
No, my premises hold water, and one thing everybody here keeps forgetting is that I have no idea where most of those vessels went, I only premise a couple (two or three, maybe one or two more) that eventually took the object generally called the Holy Grail to Nova Scotia.
The proof I mention concerns a few Templar Vessels that stopped at Oak Island for an undetermined period, nothing more. They could have come from any French port (I premise La Rochelle), anybody could have lead the group, (I premise de Villers), they could have carried any kind of treasures, (I premise the Holy Grail as identified by Don Brown), they could have deposited their treasures anywhere, (I premise Annapolis Basin). And btw, I have my own evidence for all of my premises, including the "fact" that I stood on the site near Annapolis Basin in 2009.
Cheers, Loki