MarkG

I don't know about the Caribbean but I can confirm that they were still around well into the 18th century as a folk instrument mainly used for dance music. Here is a site with the history of the rebec. Here is a relevant quote: I'm not sure why a violin would not be considered a woman's instrument. There are paintings of women playing other stringed instruments such as the Viole da Gamba. Here is one from the second half of the 17th century. Here's another. But a viole would be too expensive (to say nothing of too large and heavy) for a street musician. A couple of notes about the rebec. By this period they were made from shaped strips like a lute instead of being carved from a single piece of wood. The earlier paintings show it played from the shoulder but I find it easier to play from the arm. Mark

I'm skeptical about the sword explanation. Through a lot of history, most people were not allowed to wear swords. When they were, they wore them at the hip where is wasn't likely to catch, anyway. I always heard the men dressing themselves/women being dressed explanation. It is more reasonable. A lot of women's styles through the ages need help getting into. Mark

I tried making Black Walnut ink a couple of years ago... And while it isn't poisonous or harmful (that I know of or experienced), I did end up walking around with hands stained almost black for a few weeks after. I think it was almost 6 to 8 weeks before the last remnants of the staining was completely gone. And I wore protective gloves! The tannins in black walnut are acidic enough to eat through latex, trust me, I found that out the hard way! However, it is the tannic acids in black walnuts (and other substances used for tanning) that allow for the tanning process to succeed, so I would very much imagine black walnut could be used for that... But I also think black walnut didn't become widely used until later in the 18th century than the general GAoP (1680 to 1720) time-frame many here focus on. Black walnut is a great natural dye. My parents once left a plastic bag of them sitting in the garage too long. They ended up eating through the bag and staining the concrete. Mark

The Mercury flag is welcome to be raised on the Santa Maria for our pirate weekend on September 18 & 19. Mark

Most people who want to fire a ball are going to want a different pistol anyway - something longer and possibly rifled - so making it as a screw-on barrel would just add to the expense without adding anything. After all, you can't tell by looking at it that the barrel doesn't screw off. The few people who do want to fire one can carry a separate rammer. Mark yes...but i where period "drawers" while in Kit as well...not that anyone may see those either... Too much information.

There's another Santa Maria event in three and a half weeks. Still time to sign on. Mark

I hope not. A good bit of its value is the collectible value. Mark

Most people who want to fire a ball are going to want a different pistol anyway - something longer and possibly rifled - so making it as a screw-on barrel would just add to the expense without adding anything. After all, you can't tell by looking at it that the barrel doesn't screw off. The few people who do want to fire one can carry a separate rammer. I got one for my wife a couple of years ago. The kit makes a nice-looking pistol that goes together easily. Mark

You know, the Menendez landing is coming up in a few weeks... just sayin :) For some reason I can't quite pinpoint, going to Florida in August to wear period clothes does not sound very appealing to me. It can't be any hotter than Indiana in August. Mark

Attendance was down a bit. Nate said that one an entire British unit got the flu. Too bad, I usually spend an evening or two playing music with them. It was still a well-attended event. Common Stock was fun to watch. They were the entertainers. It was really hot all day Friday and Sunday afternoon but Saturday was manageable. It seemed like there were fewer pirate trappings around camp than in previous years but more boats. I really enjoyed the Sunday battle. I think it worked better than any of the others. Having boat to boat fighting works better than shooting at cannons with small arms. If we are lucky the current El Nino event that caused record summer heat will have ended by next year and temperatures will be back to normal. Mark

Wired linked to this video months ago. It is a spoof. Mark

Funny thing about Peter Pan - that's where the idea that pirates made people walk the plank came from. Yes, I know that there are a few historic instances but it didn't hit the public consciousness until Peter Pan. Just like buried treasure came from Treasure Island. Mark

Here's the official synopsis: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise — this time in Disney Digital 3D. In this action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise, Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he’s not sure if it’s love — or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. Mark

Speilburg had pirates in Hook. They were boring. In fact the whole movie was boring. I remember looking at the pirates and the lost boys and realizing which group I would be with (not the annoying kids). The ship was ok. If you think about it, you can picture a tall, hansom actor as Jack Sparrow in the first movie. If you've seen Kevin Klein in Pirates of Penzance, the part was probably written for that type of character - heroic but every now and then he would trip and fall. Mark

I haven't read "Silver" but I can recomend "Flint and Silver" and "Pieces of Eight". Both are installments of a Treasure Island prequel series by John Drake. They are being published in England and are difficult to come by in the US but Amazon carries them. There is also "Pirate Freedom" by Gene Wolfe which is also pretty good. The Pirate's Primer is ok for what it is but it didn't impress me. Mark

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/29/black_tot_rum/ Those of you with a taste for rum and 600 quid to spare might like to uncork a bottle of Black Tot "Last Consignment" British Royal Naval Rum, lovingly decanted from the official stocks held by the Senior Service since sailors' final rum ration in 1970. On July 31 of that year, at precisely six bells in the forenoon watch, Jack tars were issued their ultimate hit of rum on what became known as "Black Tot Day". The remaining rum - likely imported from the West Indies in oak barrels by official supplier ED & F Man & Co - was poured into stone flagons and transferred to HM bonded warehouses, where it lay undisturbed, apart from tapping for the odd state occasion. Six thousand bottles of Black Tot rum have now been released to landlubbers to mark the 40th anniversary of Black Tot Day. For your £599 you get a 70cl bottle* of 54.3 per cent strength rum in a custom wooden box, complete with 80-page history of naval rum by spirits author Dave Broom, a certificate of authenticity and, crucially, a half gill copper cup to dispense the correct ration.

See here for the complete article Canadian archeologists have found a ship abandoned more than 150 years ago in the quest for the fabled Northwest Passage and which was lost in the search for the doomed expedition of Sir John Franklin, the head of the team said Wednesday.Marc-Andre Bernier, Parks Canada's head of underwater archaeology, said the HMS Investigator, abandoned in the ice in 1853, was found in shallow water in Mercy Bay along the northern coast of Banks Island in Canada's western Arctic. "The ship is standing upright in very good condition. It's standing in about 11 meters (36 feet) of water," he said. "This is definitely of the utmost importance. This is the ship that sailed the last leg of the Northwest Passage." Related article here Canadian archaeologists have located a British ship abandoned in the Arctic while on a 19th Century rescue mission. Parks Canada researchers found HMS Investigator in Mercy Bay this week. Canada's government says the discovery bolsters its claim to sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, which is feared threatened by increased shipping. The Investigator was abandoned while searching for the Franklin expedition, itself lost with all its crew during a mission to discover the passage.

I'm on it! I am going to ensure the gambling/gaming demo gets done again, as it is a lot of fun, and potentially very interactive (see last paragraph of this blog). If real life and time permit, I hope to even have reproduction period coins for that demo. Jay, Sam and I really had a good time of that on Sunday at P-I-B, and I feel foolish for not thinking of getting that going on Saturday. The gaming demo is a great one, because anyone can come in and exit out of the demo at leisure. Kate (the wife) has some good ideas she has been kicking around for quite a while as well. I'm also contemplating a more fun (but a bit off the wall) addition for Friday night, but I want to run it past Mark G and some of the others before I getting a feel for it here (it is fun but would require a majority participate). Some other activities will be going on across the river. The arts festival will be going on again. Riverfire will be held both nights. That's fire juggling and music. I know the Irish band performing Saturday night. BTW, I have a "shut the box" game which is easier to document than that thing with the dreidel. I think that there was one on the Whydah (at least that's what the accompanying gift shop claimed). Mark

The whole Masons/Jacobites thing is debateable (and has been debated... extensively... with no firm conclusions). I'm interested though that there were more than one item with Masonic symbols - I was only aware of the one plate. Of course, it's quite possible that it was a former owner that was a Mason rather than a pirate. FWIW, the only image I've seen of "Masonic" symbolism (on the aforementioned plate) hasn't entirely convinced me - it's a bit crudely done for a group who apparently took their symbolism very seriously. I'd like to see the other pieces. Bear in mind too that not all Jacobites were Masons, or vice versa, so the presence of a small amount of Masonic symbolism is not really evidence of piratical Jacobitism. Is anyone entirely non-political? Bear in mind that the director of the Whydah exhibit is one of the foremost advocates of the "black men were free on pirate ships" argument... In the 18th century, a high percentage of gentlemen were Masons so Masonic designs were likely to show up regardless of sympathies. I don't know about attacking with boarding pikes but that would be the best weapon to keep boarders from coming over the rail. Mark

I'd go with lead-free plumbing soldier. Unless you are really good at brazing you are likely to burn through the thin brass. Also, I'd apply it from the inside. As long as you have something liquid in it, it shouldn't get hot enough on the inside to melt the soldier. Mark

I'm on it! I am going to ensure the gambling/gaming demo gets done again, as it is a lot of fun, and potentially very interactive (see last paragraph of this blog). If real life and time permit, I hope to even have reproduction period coins for that demo. Jay, Sam and I really had a good time of that on Sunday at P-I-B, and I feel foolish for not thinking of getting that going on Saturday. The gaming demo is a great one, because anyone can come in and exit out of the demo at leisure. Kate (the wife) has some good ideas she has been kicking around for quite a while as well. I'm also contemplating a more fun (but a bit off the wall) addition for Friday night, but I want to run it past Mark G and some of the others before I getting a feel for it here (it is fun but would require a majority participate). I have a stash of repro Spanish coins for gambling and such. Some good news from the ship - so far the ship has had its best attendance in years. More people (20,000+) have been through the ship so far this year than usually go through in an entire year. Mark

The cannon that the Mythbusters welded together worries me. I think that they realize that it is questionable. They always run behind a lexan screen when firing it. Years ago a friend made a 16th century "organ gun" out of iron pipes and wondered why I didn't want to be anywhere near it. The article said that the barrel was 2 inches in diameter. That sounds a lot like steel tubing. Mark

Mystic has done that before. Normally the only live oaks left are in people's yards and they get angry when a boat-wright knocks at their door asking if he can cut down their shade tree. After Hurricane Hugo they sent a crew down to clean up fallen live oaks, free of charge. They have their own sawmill so, after some seasoning, they made live oak available to other historic ships (for a price). I know that the Constitution and the Mayflower II have oak from Mystic. Mark I happened to be in Mystic Seaport the day after the Morgan was hauled out so I got a few pictures. I just posted some. Mark