Desert Pyrate

O' course th' safety is th' utmost concern. Lifejackets fer all involved an' whistles/air horns/ship's bell. That, and she's a protected waters only boat, which helps things out. Dunno what we're doing about sails yet. There's a long way to go before that.

Update onna boat: The mast has been rough-turned on the lathe, now comes fine-tuning and sanding down. After that, it's time to laminate the boom and the gaff for turning. She be a 15' gaff-rigged vessel with about 92 square feet of sail area. Much like a catboat, her mast is stepped nearly at the bow, and there's no heads'l or jib present. As to her armament, I'm planning on getting a .53 caliber bronze swivel for a stern-chaser. There's the design from the plans. Plenty o' room abaft of the cockpit for a gun and a small trolling motor fer when I'm lazy-like. That, and Lake Berryessa is supposed to have nearly no place to launch a sailboat that has any wind. So a motor might be needed to get out to the middle. Hopefully pictures'll be up today.... Right now, her name stands at Peridinos, Greek for "circling about". It also is a euphemism for pirate, raider or rogue. The name is up in the air though, not sure what she'll end up being called.

These are great! Keep em comin'!

The Ship's Company of the CSS Royaliste wishes to thank Sgt. Foster and the 3rd US Artillery for their compliments, and extend our own. The Ft. Reynolds battery fought with valiance and honor whilst attempting to further the plans of the Northern invasion of the Confederate States. Though major damage was not caused to Royaliste, we report several very close misses. Though the wounds to our musicians appeared to be grievous, the Ship's Surgeon happily reports that the nine-inch splinter in the fifer's neck missed all vital sections of the body, and that the drummer's finger might not have to be taken off after all. The Surgeon and the musicians are all confident that they will be playing Dixie right up through the eventual Southern victory. CSS Royaliste hopes that the Benicia Armory may supply your battery with effective powder soon. However, we are confident that necessity is the mother of invention, and the South has the upper hand in this regard. Therefore, you may expect a further increase in powder amount and quality on our ship as well. Rest assured that we await with great anticipation future engagements. With respect, the Crew of CSS Royaliste What d'ye be thinkin', crew? Be it fittin'?

And all the "near-hits" from those exploding shells!

Ye will indeed, mates. Pictures of the current state of affairs are on my camera... they just haven't been uploaded yet.

Now that the building of my own little boat has begun in earnest, I thought I'd start a thread to document its progress and construction. Having sailed on Royaliste several times, I was hooked. I decided to start teaching myself to sail, and what better way than on my own small vessel? I hunted around for plans, armed only with a garage full of tools, a father who was willing to help, and a small list of requirements. 1) The boat must be able to fit (on its side) through a three-foot gate. This would allow backyard storage. 2) It should be gaff-rigged, and wooden. Both of these are aesthetic reasons. In addition, the gaff-rig would help me with understanding Royaliste. 3) It needs to hold two adults. 4) Last, it needs to not be prone to capsizing (a V-hull for choppy water). I contacted a designer, who came back with a design for me. It had been published in Duckworks Magazine, but hasn't been built. We got the plans, and started on our way. There'll be pictures sometime when I get home, but so far the following has occured: A lathe has been modified to accept 16' boards. This will allow us to turn the gaff, boom and mast. An old rusty trailer has been located. It's in the process of being taken apart and de-rustified. There's a three-ply laminated mast next to the lathe, ready to be turned. Like I said, pictures forthcoming. Any tips, comments or thoughts would be appreciated and most welcome.

Were ye talking about the bosun, or about the lovely ladies we had on board? There's our "aged" picture fer yer convenience. This weekend certainly was grand... best I've had so far on Royaliste. More cannon, pistol and rifle fire than you could shake a stick at, and the little depth charges certainly were cool. The amazing incompetence of Union gunners... never did hit CSS Royaliste! A big thank you to the Crew, Mr. Dog, and most especially the Ship and Her Captain for a fabulous weekend. Here's to many more like it.

What d'ye need to know?

Ah reckon yuh kin drink whate'er yuh damn well lahk, Cap'n. We'll a-shoot em if'n they complain.

Aye... understood about the responsibility thing... that's always been understood, as far as I'm concerned. And th' next one won't be crashin' computers... I think I got that all worked out.

Does this mean ye be wantin the video camera aboard fer some high-quality filmin'? It be a might conspicuous fer a reenactment (comes in at somethin' like 18" long, but damn does it make some fine video).

Well... at least the motor will start and not leak water or exhaust!

Arr... four or five hours o' firin' sounds good to me!

Aye... the cost o' me pyracy is only limited by th' amount in me bank account. This raise I just got is going to do great things fer me garb!

We've got all sorts o' things happenin' in the Bay Area if ye could get yerself out here...

Did Royaliste's colors ever make it over there?

Haha... Claire told me I've got a stripey shirt too... so they'll be a whole boatload of French artist-types. "Shoot him again Pierre!" "Oui, Capitan!" It'd be good practice for Canada though...

Whas' the difference? Yer one mean-assed cap'n, too! Another crew wouldn't want t' deal with the yellin', but we're all mighty used to a long string of obscenities and nautical terms.

Aye, this be mighty excitin'... so should all o' th' crewin' pirates start their lookin' fer accurate period clothin' items? Speakin' o' sweeps... we should give those a try sometime.

Bravo? Nah, Bravo's that network with Queer Eye... and THERE'S an entertaining show. Makes me wish I still had cable!

Arr.... I know I be not a Cap'n. I be but a sailor, and heck... don't e'en like the title so much. More o' a term o' respect, really. I don't hafta call the captain o' the Royaliste "cap'n", but I do, nearly every time I talk to him (at least in the email, onboard it be different). Jus' seems right somehow...

Looks good... but nothin' in me size. Large or XL, dependin'. That, and I don't even be havin' the openin' bid amount at th' moment.

I be real confused mates.... considerin' me birthday were in February! Just check me profile! Howe'er, I thank all o' ye fer yer wishes, and I'll consider 'em t' be a couple o' months late. BTW... it feels good to be home. The Bay Area has a feel that can't be beat.

Arr!!! Happy birthday Jack, and here be a toast t' whate'er yer black heart could be a-wantin'!