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My new article about John Julian has just been posted! You may read it at: http://www.cindyvallar.com/JohnJulian.html

Hello all! Due to the rules of the web site, I can't post the actual article here, but I did publish an article entitled "Peter Cornelius Hoof and Me" in April/may of 2013 in the "Pirates and Privateers" newsletter published by Cindy Vallar. I believe you can still view the article on the web site at: www.CindyVallar.com. If it has been replaced by the new issue, you can also see it on my blog at: PeterCorneliusHoof.blogspot.com. I promsied UndertheBlackFlag.com that they could re-print it on theri web site in 60 days, so you'll be able to catch it there later this year. For those who don't know, Peter sailed with Sam Bellamy on the Whydah Galley and was hanged in Boston of piracy in 1717. Enjoy!

Real Pirates will soon make their way to Milwaukee's lakeshore this December (December 14, 2012 - offical roll out date). The Milwaukee Public Museum on December 14, 2012, as Real Pirates takes over the Museum’s special exhibit halls. Experience the Golden Age of Piracy aboard the Whydah, one of the most successful pirate ships of her day, and learn about her roots as a slave ship and subsequent takeover and conversion into a pirate ship in the early 1700s. One of the most technologically advanced vessels of her day, the Whydah was captured on her maiden voyage by legendary pirate Sam Bellamy and his crew. After a few alterations and a quick hoist of the Jolly Roger, the Whydah became the flagship of Bellamy's flotilla, leading raids throughout Caribbean waters and up the Atlantic coastline. On April 26, 1717, the perfect storm put an end to the Whydah's sailing days, and she sank with most of her crew aboard—as well as the bounty from more than 50 captured ships. Almost 300 years later, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and his team managed to locate the wreck of the Whydah and painstakingly unearthed her treasures from the ocean floor, making her the first fully authenticated pirate ship ever to be discovered in U.S. waters. Organized by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International, Real Pirates examines the history of rich Caribbean trade routes during the 18th century and the link between the slave trade and piracy. You'll encounter compelling true stories of those who lived aboard the Whydah and learn about the forces that shaped their world. http://www.mpm.edu/pirates/

I'm pinning this thread for any Whydah related conversations. -Dutch

Don't know if this has been posted before, but here's an interesting notation from the Whydah website- "2005 was a successful year for us on the wreck site--and 2006 promises to be even more spectacular! Toward the end of the dive season, Barry Clifford and our dive team found a new area of the site with fifteen more cannon--bringing our total located so far to over fifty! The new artifact concentration is close to Data Reference Point A, but is covered with a 30 foot blanket of sand that could not be previously penetrated... ...since since our former recovery vessel--Vast Explorer II--was only capable of excavating through 22 feet of sand. Cyprian Southack, the salvor sent by Governor Shute in April 1717 to recover the riches of the pirate ship, predicted at the end of his unsuccesful mission that "the riches with the guns will be buried in the sand". These are clearly the cannon of which he wrote. They had been stored in the very bottom of the ship's hold, we found them lined up, cascabel to cascabel, like soldiers standing at attention, wheras the deck-mounted guns we have found in previous seasons were far more scattered. According to Peter Hoof, one of the captured pirates, the money found in the Whydah when Bellamy captured her "was counted over, in the cabin, and put up in bags, fifty pounds [weight] to every man's share, there being 180 men on board...Their money was kept in chests between decks." When the Whydah rolled over and capsized, the cannon stored below crashed down through the decks, pinning countless artifacts underneath them. Below the lined-up cannon in the sand, we observed rigging, timbers, barrels, lead rolls and what appears to be a large iron chest. Before pulling off the site for the season--just ahead of a threatening hurricane--we recovered gold dust, coins, and two herefore elusive silver "biscuits". These are extremely rare ingots, which are about the diameter and height of a large biscuit. According to one historical source there were "many hundreds" of such round silver and gold ingots aboard the Whydah. Our fieldwork in the coming season therefore promises to be incredibly exciting! Given that we have found approximately 15,000 coins within a hundred feet of this area in past years, we may finally be on the brink of the long-sought "mother lode" of the Whydah." http://whydah.com/index.php?option=com_fro...ntpage&Itemid=1 Yours, &c. Mike Oops, that should be "Whydah"