silas thatcher

william, the fort was a washout !! literally !! they blew the damn ( as was told to me ) and gave everyone 2 hours to get the heck out... bos'n carl was planning on attending but the rain scared him away i guess...it was a good thing that nobody went....

i do plan on going to the cannon training and the fall fort, though...

william, heard that the crew just got something neat and you are supposed to post some pics of whatever it is.... where are the pics of what ever ???

happy b-day !!

great pics, guys !! especially envious of the night itme pics, jim

until they let us camp on the beach again, i don't think i'll be down anytime soon...if i spend the time, effort and money to get there, i wanna camp on the beach... yeah, i know---whiny !! but for right now, that i where i stand...of course, that may change...

enough of your fancy words !! we are simple men...pictures !! we need pictures, man !!

huh !! how'd i miss this thread ?? richard southard sounds good to me also ( my 2 cents ) ...only sutherd... would have probably been misspelled that way also...

will capt. jim still be our "unofficial" capt. ??? kinda like the idea of him staying the captain...

WHOAH !! total score !! very nice addition

bad news !! sanded the paint off the wood, didn't like what i saw... took a piece in to a local wood store and they verified that it is white oak oh, well, thought i ran into a little gold mine... still interest ?? or do i just have some ok wood good for a few things ??

some of the people do make things unpleasant... two events i like to attend we are not usually welcome (as "pirate" reenactors ) but as time goes on, people come to apprecieate us even though we are not in the mainstream of the event... those die hards that can't let go of "hating" us just get more bitter but leave us alone, while the others come around to accepting us

it's kinda funny actually

bo, i have some pieces that are 8" but not that long...should have thought of this before i let loose with the sawzall, but wasn't thinking at the time... i will probably bring what i have and sell it off, but like i said, these were the engine stringers and i want to make sure that these pieces are mahogany as well.... i'll make sure i save you what i think you need... and..... if i make it there...

bo, will see if i have one that long...

the dates are nov. 2,3 and 4

god willing, a portion of the mercury crew will be in attendance the first full weekend of november at fort de chartres, ill.... even though the event is more "rendezvous" oriented, the mercry crew has been welcomed and appreciated the last two years...

anyone else thinking of attending the fall fort at fort de chartres in illinois the first full weekend of november ?? god willing i will be there representing the mercury crew...

reclaiming a ditty bag and a half of silicon bronze screws from an old wooden boat... these are various lengths and sizes... lags bolts, carriage bolts, and regulatr bolts are in the mix... any boat builders interested ??

lemme know

recently had to cut up an old 1967 wooden boat.... some of the salvagable wood are pieces of african mahogany ( have to double check this still ) ... they are 2x6's in various lengths that still seem sound... any interest in this wood for gun stocks, etc ?? not real sure if they are pc or not but want them to go to some good use...

lemme know if anyone is interested

just as a side note, anyone needing to borrow in the midwest... we currently have 3 tents, awnings, tables, chairs, lanterns galore ( starting to be a lantern whore since i started to make my own candles ), ground cloths, rugs ( nice to soften the hard ground ) chests, but not much to spare in the clothing dept.

capt. bo has graciously lended tents etc., at various times, but he is also hard to get ahold of at times

william, your hats have gone awol ??

might as well put this thread in it's proper place if this is not it...

proudly show off your bargain finds

recently, connie found a wide brimmed wool felt hat for 5$

two queen size, brand new, thick @ss wool blankets for 20$ each

and a glass and wood lantern for 4$ that has excellent ventilation

two wooden spoons for a $

scott, i think due to the heat the past two years, most of the northerners have opted to ixnay the fort...don't blame them really... i will not be able to attend this june, but i think carl and aj ( bos'n carl and his son) will be attending...kinduva shame more won't be able to make it... darrell really went all out in accommodating us even though we didn't really fit in...

a few of us will probably be attending the fall fort... just look for the mercury flag !!

fort de chartres gonna happen again this year ?? reason i am asking is that i may have another venue to attend... since the last two years were kill joys weather wise, i'm not gonna shed a tear if it gets voted down...

what's every one think ?

during the gaop, they had candle lanterns as well as oil lanterns...my question is which type was used aboard ship and why ?? i am gonna take a semi educated guess that oil type lanterns ( may have been animal fat type ) were not used due to the fire hazard they posed if spilled...

does anyone have any info on this ??

here are a few thoughts... we have a very large wall tent, one good size wedge, and a diamond shelter... doors in the back are almost a necessity... allows for cool air circulation ... sod flaps... helps keep the wind out, and helps prevent gnats and the like from an easy entrance...

a wedge is ALOT easier to set up than a wall tent, requires far less poles, fewer stakes and if necessary, one person can set it up, and it's alot lighter....BUUUUTTTTT you don't get as much room as a wall tent.... our 9x7 wedge can sleep 4 in a squeeze and have room for the heater... we store stuff under the cots and cover the cots with wool blankets...our wall tent is something like a gazillion feet long and half as wide...looks like a cavern inside, yet takes alot of poles and time to set up...

for a fly, figure what you need and get an even larger one !!! not kidding here... the extra shade, rain cover etc., is well worth the extra little cost... for a neat set up, wicked william and doug put two wedges facing each other and use the fly as kind of a leanto between them to provide shelter and a back drop on the back side...