iPirate

I grew up in a very catholic household and went to an all boys catholic high school in D.C. (Gonzaga). One good thing about that is that my teachers were all great thinkers and they taught me how to think for myself.

boy did that screw me up...

I thought for myself alright... just thought in completely the wrong direction.

by the time I hit college I was pretty much stark raving mad. I turned Punk and Pagan, started partaking of illicit substances and fornicating with any wench that would have me. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with anyone who lives that kind of life or makes those kind of choices. In fact, I'd say I was still a pretty good guy during that time. I always helped out other people when I could and I never did "mean" things to anyone. And I learned a lot of things I would have never have learned otherwise.

I'd say that phase of my life lasted about 15 years or so. I had moved to Richmond, Va, which according to Dr. Timothy Leary, is one of the "weirdest" places on earth. After almost getting killed there a couple of times, I packed up my belongings went home to Northern Virginia.

I guess that's about the time I started calming down and trying to do better things with my life. My Pagan Gods had stopped talking to me, or maybe they never had... I don't know anymore and it's irrelevant now. I searched for a new direction.

I met Sunny at a Cafe where she was working. Long story - short. We fell in love and got married. Changed my whole life.

Now... I had never really given a fig about pirates or ships or sailing or any of that before then. I mean, pirates where cool, yah, but I wasn't like... into them. I was more of a fantasy buff at the time. Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, all that kind of stuff. I had been a member of the SCA for many years and I fooled around with boffer LARP groups like Darkon and Amtgard.

Most of those things I left behind when I got married. I still had interest, sure, but my wife didn't really like me running around and bashing people with fake swords and getting bashed.

So, on our Honeymoon, we took a cruise to the Bahamas.

As we pulled out, I stood very close to the bow. The first time I felt the bow dip... and then rise again...

something happened

those of you who have felt it know what I'm talking about

it did something to me

Instantly, I was madly in love with the ocean and with sailing upon it. And visiting Nassau, the very haven for piracy in the 17th Century, just sparked things inside me.

Maybe it's corny... maybe you might think me a pouser... but the final shove that turned me into a "Pirate" was the first "Pirates fo the Caribbean" movie. It just kind of brought it all together and gave form to this nameless passion I had inside me.

Six years later, that passion has only grown... it's pretty much an obsession now. Everything to do with tall ships, the Age of Sail, or pirates gets my attention.