He was an active pirate from 1690 to 1692 and sailed under George Raynor, the captain of the Bachelor's Delight, described as a "man of war."
Cotter sailed from Jamaica to the Red Sea for two years attacking ships before returning to the colonies.
[3][4] In 1691, Cotter was sailing under Raynor when they arrived at Adam Baldridge's pirate trading post in Madagascar after they had attacked a Moorish ship.
After arriving in South Carolina, Raynor's crew attacked a ship that belonged to plantation owner Jonathan Amory.
He confessed to having sailed on a private man-of-war vessel under Raynor and was convicted of piracy in court.