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switters

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  1. I have been on a wooden boat building tangent for a while and thought I should check in on the pyrates. The Republic of Pirates: Agree with Joe Pyrate, lots of intentions that are attributed but not documented. fun to read the speculation though. A thought on idiots guide to Pirates. It was given to me as a gift, as I have a collection of pirate history, and I thought you got to be kidding. One hung over morning I started reading because I couldn't really focus on a novel or any history text, and found the short chapters and sidebars enjoyable. I recall finding two inconsistencies with other history I had read, but over all it was better than I expected. Empire of blue Water: I liked that the author put so much of the story into context with other more widely know events at the time, that was very helpful to fill in the mental picture of what it was like. One of my favorites. I keep noticing that the bibliographies all come back to the same few books, so I'm reading Goss.
  2. Lets face it, a lot of GAOP history comes from Dafoe, Captain Johnson if you like, and he had an agenda. Granted, his agenda was the same as the person paying his salary at the time, but he wasn't exactly an historian. Having got that out of the way, read as much as you can and take what you like until you you find a better source.
  3. If you are already familiar with Dampier and Exquemelin, you may not find a lot of new material in Mr. Littles latest tome. I'm halfway through, perhaps there is more yet to discover.
  4. Thanks for the heads up, the book has been ordered. Bloody amazon makes it too easy to get books , like a bookstore with a tab.
  5. next port, cutlasses, first blood. I've heard several different accounts, which may be due to the fact that it was a NK ship or that the Navy is trying to keep a low profile or because the they finally got permission to enter the Somali area of influence. Very hard to say, but it sounds like there is much more of a story than is being reported. It is what we don't know that makes it interesting. I would like to know more about this one. I learned a few things when I was young and seeing some of the world. Never sleep on a navy ship without first stowing anything that could "walk away" Never drink with merchant seamen to see who has to pay the total tab. Semper Fi,
  6. The US Navy is now involved. So much for privateering.
  7. congratulations on the hull, Who is the designer? I'm working on a 16' Goat island skiff but not as far along as you are. (winter project anyway) Keep posting pics as you progress. I've been trying to figure out how to mount a few four pounders, what do you plan?
  8. start with duckworks and you can get several links from there. The wooden boat forum is another good source. I just started on a 16' skiff (Goat island Skiff) . Once i get it armed I'm hoping to trade up Good luck
  9. small diameter rope, I will look for a source and get a citation. so right now rope belt is just something I read once.
  10. I can see why Defoe is considered the author of The General History of Pyracy after reading the introduction. This is part history, part sensationalism and part political handbill. While the prose is fun to read at first it is slow to read after a while. I will endeavor to persevere. The sentences that begin, "I will not weary the reader..." are starting to weary me.
  11. Hoppes #9 If I ever go out and smell Hoppes on a woman she will be the next one to get a free house and car from me. (assuming i have paid off the second wife by then)
  12. I have taken a literary detour from piracy for two weeks but will start reading Dafoe/Jophnson next weekend. Post your thoughts sir, and i will attempt to keep up. If Marines couldn't read, the navy would just drop them off anywhere. Good day, YHS Switters
  13. Under the Black Flag I can see that it could be tough to read, but I enjoyed it, there was some good research and a possible stoned shuffling of note cards. I did find myself wishing for more illustrations, especially of the ships described. A lot of general history on the pirate prime time. I also read a Sea Rovers Practice (Little) at the same time. An interesting read, but if you didn't like the editing in Cordingly's book you might not like Little's either. It reads like an outline at times, the opposite of Under the Black Flag. more general history with an emphasis on tactics, but the tactics used then were never really tied to todays sea roving tactics (SEAL) despite the claim made at the beginning of the book. maybe I just didn't get it. I would recommend it if you like pondering the nuts and bolts of things. more illustrations. (what can I say, I'm a visual kind of guy) Capt. Johnson's A General History of Pyrates just showed up from amazon today, the day I found this web site. I will leave it to you salty dogs to argue whether or not Defoe actually wrote it. I tend to side with Cordingly, but I will wait to read it before committing. Zach's new book , Pirate Coast, was a great read but more about the diplomacy at the time than pirates. As usual for Zach, the research seemed sound to me and the narrative is easy to read. If you are familiar with the second line of the Marine's Hymn, "to the shores of Tripoli", (Semper Fi, Leather necks) this is a must read. I would have wished for more on Lt. Obannon, but it was still great. Zach may do for pirates what Ambrose did for WWII and Lewis and Clark.
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