Jolie Rouge

[paying homage to Neptune when crossing the equator (got any GAoP era evidence of that btw?)] It's pretty much an immortal ritual. It's still performed today, and not as a quaint revival either. It's always been done, and always will be.

Meself, and my wench are havin a wedding in a little over a year, and are aimin at an early 1700s period ceremony (with a bit o' pirate flair o' course!). I were wonderin if any o' ya tars had any info, or references ta give me a bearin on? Not lookin fer navy traditions, and not looking fer anything held by the by the upper, upper classes (bugger the bougouise). I'd be in yer debt fer any help ya might muster up. Thankee kindly

Here's a fine one. It's called 24, or 41, I once even seen it called bilge dice. I learned it in a pulic house in Sacramento (they were kind enough ta have dice and cups behind the bar). Don't know the history on it, but it's a basic enough gamblin game that one would assume it has been around fer some time. A simple game played with six dice for stakes or chips. Play: Every player begins by putting a unit of stakes or chips into a pot. Then each player in turn rolls the dice six times. After each roll at least one die must be put aside. Players must roll a 4 and a 1 to qualify (hence 41) to enter a score. A score is the total of the remaining four dice. If a 4 and 1 are not rolled the player scores nothing and must ante one unit to the pot. The player with the highest score at the end of a round wins the pot, the maximum bein 24 (which explains the other title). If two or more players have the equally high score then another round is played by all with double ante to decide the game. Play continues until players elect to end the game. Shure enough, a fun, fast paced way ta loose yer plunder.

It was the t'gallants, not the topmasts, and everyone was fine

Tis true. Me mate's one o' the sailing/ pirate extras, an' they've been sent home. Donn't know the details though.

Captain Enigma, yer bein a right twit. Ya just told someone that a period astrolabe would not work due to calender changes? If I may be so bold as ta quote the link you put up "To find the latitude of the ship at sea, the noon altitude of the Sun was measured during the day or the altitude of a star of known declination was measured when it was on the meridian (due north or south) at night. The Sun's or star's declination for the date was looked up in an almanac. The latitude is then 90° - measured altitude + declination" The tool itself has nothin ta do with dates, ya use the astrolabe ta find a measurement that ya look up on a table that is not part of the astrolabe. Ya follow?

I was before the mast durin the 2002 festival. Definately a grand time, says I. Need ta find me a bosun's billett fer 2005.

26 as o' yesterday. Grand! I now be fittin ta the 26-30 on polls. Bloody hell..

The Dawdler, built in Wilmington CA 1928. Gaff rigged, bald headed schooner. 28' on deck, 36' sparred, 10' abeam (which be damn beamy fer somethin so small). Aven't taken note of her sail area yet, but she sports a bit: jib, gaff fore, gaff main, fisherman (an' if ya know yer schooners, she also has a gollywobbler fisherman almost the size o' the fore, and main tagether). Steerage is tiller, Wheels is fer lubbers. Word's come down from the old salts that afore she was neglected fer about three decades she was damn fast, and she will be again by the powers. Got her from a drunken bos'un fer a song ta boot. note: these pics were taken from me mates camera phone so there not that good. She 'as a clipper bow which ye can't quite see 'ere. Some fool back in the seventies decided she needed a fiberglass coat on the deck (hence the blue cockpit). That'll be goin back ta canvas n' paint soon as possible seein' that the deck leaks because o' it. An' if be you who did it, an' yer readin this, when I find ya I'm puttin yer eyes out wit me spike. I'll post bigger better pics as the project progresses

EXCELLENT!! I'll be trackin ya all down as soon as I 'ave a bit o' funds fer some rum, an' proper entertainment o' guests. She needs some o' her standin' riggin replaced afore I kin git her underweigh, but after that I'll take all o' yas sailin as well.

Alot o' what I've read says that on pyrate ships the quartermaster held an (theoreticly) equal footin with the capn, cept fer times of action (chase, boardin, or runnin), at which point the cap'n was not ta be questioned. Only reference I kin sight out o' memory be "Under The Black Flag" though I seen it elswheres. An' the quartermaster was generaly actin' in the interest o' the crew. Bos'uns tended ta do.....bos'unry. An' bos'uns taday still bein' what they 'ave fer the past few centuries, tend ta 'ave very little interest in the crews well bein'.

Any o' the bretheren down near the LA harbor area? I recently "purchased" 'bout the smallest schooner ya ever clapped eyes on, an' am now winterin in San Pedro. Asides from a few o' the tars at the Los Angeles Maritime Institute(who're a wee bit too upstandin fer my tastes, though good folks ta be sure) , I don't know a bloody soul in the area. So if yer about, hail me. I'll scrounge up some rum, an' we kin 'ave a yarn.

Flogging Molly's definately the Pogues fer the next generation. If ya happen ta be a sailor as well as a pirate, the song "Every dog has it's day" will probably bring a tear ta yer eye.

Antoher thing 'bout bar shot. It has the slight advantage over chain shot of not doin that whole nasty bind in the bore, blow up yer gun crew thing.

Aye it twere last fall. I can't speak fer the chieftain, but the Lady did fire up once ta go full astern ta avoid that schooner with the tanbark sails (any idea who she were, by the way?) who was so kind ta stuff herself betwixt us, and the chieftain. Which be an acceptable, an' expected time ta fire up the motor (it be cheaper than rebuildin' tha boats).