How did boarding combat work in the Age of Sail?

by dandan_noodles

I'm thinking particularly of the 18th and early 19th centuries, when the flintlock and bayonet had completely replaced hand to hand weapons for infantry. How were boarding parties armed, and how did they use their weapons?

voyeur324

/u/jschooltiger and /u/darwinfish86 offer some answers here, about times before cannon.