Mad Jack Cash1

In a general response to several posts: There is no public camping in Fell's Point. book a room at one of our local hotels: Admiral Fell Inn Celie's Waterfront Inn Henderson's Wharf Weapons. Seems a sore point with some. Baltimore has had its share of problems that large citys do. Maybe more. THe Fells Point siye is open streets, no barricade,no fences and no entry fees. We have to respect the wishes ( and laws) of the City of Baltimore, and no edged weapons or firearms is the word, then thats it. THink of it as a shi to ship action, where the Quartermaster has decreed no noise, and don't show a glim of steel. Belaying pins, trunchions and the like would be the order of the day, unless your involved with the LH camp or stage acts. Besides, the REAL fun is on Sat night, during the pub crawl, and the bars are so crowded, that swords and 'locks are just a hinderance. Better to bring your quarter deck voices, the better to sing out salty ballads with. Nothin better then takin over a pub filled with nonsusspecting 'danes and college students, and roaring out the olde songs, having a wee tip, and moving on. Heres to a successful event , with a good time had by all! Note: all the above is IMHO only and does not reflect the opinion of FPMS, The Brigands or any other group.

As the organizers of this weekend's events, I feel it is appropriate and timely for us to not only clarify some issues, but enlighten you all a bit about what to expect this weekend. First, we'd like to thank all our performers, crews, volunteers and supporters who have been working with us over the past 6 years to help grow this festival from its infancy into what we believe is a great regional if not east coast event honoring all things privateer, pirate, and the like. We could not have done this without your enduring support. Based on the information in some of the postings, it is evident that some folks on this forum obviously do not realize what a task it is to put on a festival of this size and nature; grow it all while at the same time ensuring both fun for the public as well as the safety of those participating. Their is a great liability on the part of our organization put on the line- both financially as well as our reputation- in carrying out this event. While thousands of you will come out Friday night through Sunday morning and partake in all things pirate; you will eventually leave, go back to your homes, your jobs, your lives, and we need to deal with the post-event issues, both good and bad. We are trying to organize an event that appeals to the public at large- that includes not only pirates who may be in their 20s or 30s, but folks with children, and even older people who have an interest in maritime history and privateers. That, plus the fact that Saturday's event occurs in public (city owned) properties of the city of Baltimore, lead us to take many precautions for the safety of everyone involved. Those of you close to the event, know and understand what a coup it was to secure the HMS Bounty for this year's event. 6 months ago we could only have dreamed about it; as I write this they are sailing their way up the Chesapeake, about to land in Fell's Point in a few short hours. This, plus bringing in Vince Lozano, Treva Etienne, an expanded Living History camp with even more reenactors, Chesapeake Roller Derby, more music, more vendors, more everything; is nothing short of amazing in an economy where events are being discontinued, and here in Baltimore, events are moving up to Timonium due to greatly increased city event fees. Thus, we ask you to be understanding and empathetic, and to try to put yourselves in the shoes of us- the organizers of this event- and realize how lucky we are that an event such as Privateer Day even occurs right here in Baltimore, and that we can have activities such as cannon and weapons demonstrations but that there are many, many safety and security guidelines we need to follow, permits must be issued, and that it only takes one incident, one person, one thoughtless act, to bring this event to a swift and early demise. I know I don't want that, and I hope you do not either. So I ask you, stop complaining about not being able to carry your weapons in public (if you really think about it, is that such a good idea in the first place), leave them at home, come on out and have an awesome time, as we all know it will be. Thanks for letting me put in my $.02 Mad Jack Cash Fell's Point Main Street Ye make good points here mate ye surly do, we will make the best of it! In this case we trade weapons for ships. We have both the Pride of Baltimore and the Bounty on dock and sea. This be an event of honor and celebration of top pirates in our community and for that I'll put down my weapons. I will however consider your recommendation of Charleston for next Years honoring the Devil's Dozen into the Order of Leviathan. I think that Charleston, SC would be an excellent choice for next year's Devil's Dozen event. It is certainly a city rich in pirate and maritime history!