Consort was the naval term for a sister ship, ship's tender, or for two allied vessels sailing the same course; there was also a custom among pirates and sailors in general called "matelotage" (from the French for "seamanship”), which was sometimes referred to as “consortship." Some writers argue that matelotage was effectively same-sex marriage, while others maintain it was primarily non-sexual and was more akin to a civil partnership: an agreement to share goods and wealth, survivor's benefits if one partner died, and so forth. Written matelotage agreements were rare, and there is no detailed information on Swann’s actual relationship with Culliford beyond that of sailing in consort and living together, and so the issue remains open.
