MarkG

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 was wondering about the ankle thing. Some men have them. Most who have one only have one but one guy has two. Were they iron bands lined with rags to keep them from chafing?

Jamestown Settlements lost some of their reference works and put out a call for documentation showing sailors wearing slops to justify how the sailors are dressed on their 1607 ships. I found some nice examples from the British Museum that I thought were worth sharing. First there is this guy from 1600. Notice the thrum cap and cassock (the pull-over). It is hard to tell how full his slops are but there is no question that they are straight-legged instead of gathered below the knee. Next are some etchings from Flanders, 1647. These are from a set of views from a waterfront. One final etching. Notice the sailor sitting on the right. Very full slops and another thrum cap. A couple of observations about these: 1) I have seen assertions that slops were worn over regular breeches. None of these show any sign of having another layer underneath. Breeches during this period were very full and would show if the slops were being worn over them. 2) The slops were not limited to just sailors. Mark

We are having a pirate weekend on the Santa Maria (just an hour north of the Ohio Ren Fair) on that weekend. Mark

You sure did.... I've done a quick search (like very quick), and I have not been able to locate a rental source for the small cabins I noticed on the shuttle from last year. I'm not sure they would be cheap, but when I saw them last year they left me with the impression they would be one of the more cost effective accommodations on the island (given one pooled in with two or three people, as they looked like small two or three bedroom cottages). The hotel we had access to for showers and breakfasts also looked like it might have been reasonable (but loud as it was on the "main strip"). We found the Park Hotel's web site. They go up from $112/night for a doublesize bed. Three twin beds are $145/night. And that's with a shared bath. I don't think that any accommodations in PIB are cheap. Mark

He did indeed. Everyone was always doing something that was interesting to the people coming by. It was really awesome. :) The organizers, including the Mayor, were really happy with the displays. Several people mentioned us to them. They want us back next year... in greater numbers. Mark

Captain Kidd switched ships for the same reason. He started with the Adventure Galley but eventually abandoned it because it was worm-eaten. Mark

There are advantages to smaller ships. As you pointed out, a smaller ship needs a smaller crew (with larger shares for everyone) and fewer specialties needed. They had to do all of their maintenance themselves which means that the ship has to be small enough that it can be careened on a sandy beach and refloated easily. Another advantage is that small ships can take refuge in rivers and shallows. We went through Nelson's Victory last month and I was struck at how unsuitable a ship of the line is for piracy. When you need hundreds of men to crew the ship there is never going to be enough treasure to make piracy worthwhile. Mark

Probably a 7x7 wedge. Mark

Actually, we will be camped in a public area, just off the main drag so period camping is preferred. And they would like us to keep a period ambiance despite our camp not being a part of the formal display. A big part of the reason for this is the previous re-enactors left an unfortunate legacy for us to try and overcome. I was leaning towards using Mark's pavillion for the display tent in the main park, as he has a fly for it, and it is the largest tent. So I would recommend saving your lean-to/wedge for your own personal sleeping quarters. To go into more detail, we are camped on a private owned small amusement parks grassy area, because the current mayor had a bad taste in his mouth from the previous re-enactors camping in the main park from last year, and wouldn't issue a permit for us to camp in the main public park. Make sense? I am not sure how much the car ferry is, but it isn't an issue as the event organizer is covering us (for one or maybe two vehicles, and those would be the vehicle<s?> towing the boat<s?>) and all pedestrian ferry users with us. Which is kind of why our hands are somewhat tied in all showing up at the same time. You could look up the ferry and price it out, but you will likely have some serious issues parking on the island as well. So if I can at all convince you to hold off until 7:00 PM, then please do so. But if you are bound and determined to show up earlier, I will see what I can arrange for you, just please let me know what you are planning and if you are willing to wait or not. I would guess this is true, but the display re-enactors (as in "us") are not a part of this. My best guess only the crew of the Niagara wold be involved in that. The organizer and I talked specifically about us showing up Friday evening at around 7:00 PM (he is flexible there, I just wanted to give everyone a chance to show up, as some are coming from further out). Host group.... To my knowledge there is none. The festival is organized by a small group of business folks from the island (mostly Bar owners). The skirmishes you read about are likely the POTC impersonators that are also a part of the festival (who do sword fighting only, no Black Powder), or perhaps a reference to us re-enactors (but re-enactors skirmishes haven't been sorted out just yet). As far as I am concerned we (the re-enactors) will be operating as "The Scioto Pirates" or "The Mercury Crew", or even just "a bunch of like-minded re-enactors from different groups working together for this event".... I have never cared much for that whole "Crew" thing. All good questions M.A.d'Dogge! Keep 'em coming! And for now, I guess I will have to get on sorting out the details of what battle arrangements we will have. Right after I count how many pirate we will have available (which is looking like about a dozen +/-). Last year they had a small group of PotC impersonators who did a fairly good four-way choreographed fencing bit. That is probably the skirmish. The had a group of F&I reenactors who set up a half-hearted camp. We tried to talk with them but they immediately started in about pirates wearing eyepatches so that they could see in the dark. I think that the depth of their knowledge about pirates came from watching Mythbusters. This was the group that left a bad impression. There was also someone who has a foundry and casts cannons. He had a really ugly barge with a really impressive battery of cannons. I think that he is the reason the mayor said no black powder. The mayor didn't like the noise from the cannons firing on the green. The mayor's authority ends at the waterline so we can fire from the boats. Prior to last year the festival was limited to some bars. Last year it became an official island-wide event. Mark

That's true for all historic ships. At best they are educated guesses. The Santa Maria we have in Columbus is about the right size and we know that the original had three masts, five sails, and a cabin. We know that Columbus had red bed hangings (he gave them away) and that it had a quadrant that Columbus did not trust (he used the Nina's astrolabe on the way back). That's about all we know. Even ships built to the same modern plans differ. There is a Santa Maria built from the same plans in Texas but the railings are different and theirs is all brown while ours is natural wood with red and white trim. Plus the Texas one has a wheel. The original three ships at Jamestown were too small. The historic records showed that they were larger than the ships that were built. The reason that they made them too small was that the governor in the 1950s had a painting of the three ships that he really liked and he insisted that the ships match his painting. When the replaced the Godspeed and Discovery in the 1980s they used the same plans. It wasn't until they built new ships for 2007 that someone discovered that they should be larger. The Pilgrim shallop was supposed to be lapstrake but the people who built it felt that only inferior boat builders did lapstrake so they built it carvel. Mark

Jack and Will commandeered the ships. Jack "borrowed" the ship he was first seen in. I don't count fights between the Royal Navy or the East India Compay and pirates as acts of piracy. The taking of the Interceptor was close but it was more of a fight between rival pirate crew. The attack against the ship carrying Will was definitely piracy but it took place off camera. For real piracy, you have to go back to movies like Captain Blood or the Black Swan. I think that the Spanish Main had some real piracy, also. Back then, pirates nearly always attacked evil Spanish ships captained by fat, pompous captains who obviously deserved to be taken (plus they had all the gold). Mark

I used a small, special purpose ironing board that is meant for sleeves to shape the crown. I also used something, I don't remember what, to get the sharp edge at the top of the crown. I don't think I had to use anything in the crown while I was shaping the brim. I don't use anything when touching it up. Mark

The London ship has a gallery. I was a little surprised that the flooring is solid. I am more familiar with the Susan Constant which has spaced planks for drainage. Wheels are controversial everywhere. When one of the Jamestown ships was sailed across the Atlantic in the 1980s it was outfitted with a wheel at the captain's insistence for safety. Most of the other early colonial ships either use a whipstaff or a straight tiller. Mark

Why not The Sea Hawk? Spain counted the sea hawks as pirates and wanted them hung. After all, there is no real piracy in PotC:AWE or Cutthroat Island. Treasure Island is more of a mutiny than piracy. I fact, very few pirate movies feature actual piracy. More often they have "pirates" whose crimes were committed earlier. Out of the entire PotC, the raid on Port Royal was the only act of piracy. Mark Mark

Two that I know of. The other one is at Brixam Harbor in Devon. http://www.goldenhind.co.uk/ Mark

You can get this shape with a steam iron an ironing board. Start at the edge and work your way in, going in a circle. Use plenty of steam. Try it on every now and then to be sure that you don't go in too far. I have a hat like this except with a flat top that I shaped from a hat blank. It didn't take long to do although I do have to spray the brim with hat stiffener every couple of years. Mark

Here's an original from 1691 - Queen Mary's Shallop from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.

i think that was suggested...but the logistics would come into all trying to meet BEFORE getting on the ferry....most will be traveling from quite a distance yet...so far best idea i think wopuld be to have somebring for share of many.. ..or just stay up all night instead....hmmmmmm I was planning on that. That's how we transported four people and tents for six to Blackbeards last year (and this year I have a better trailer). Mark

Which one? The one in London.

The Black sheep needs a mast and a better sail - the one that came with it is only suitable if the wind is right at your back. Firefly sails nicely but it would probably be a 20-hour round trip. On the other hand, we will probably take our big tent. It has room for a few others. Mark

Remember when the Mythbusters did a pirate episode and they investigated the "myth" that splinters caused more deaths than cannonballs? After firing holes through a number of pig carcasses in a row and shooting holes in a reconstructed ship's side, they pronounced this a myth. This always bothered me (almost as much as the eyepatch myth they popularized). Period accounts all say that splinters were a major threat and that people did die from them. They must have done something wrong - but what? I found the answer on the HMS Victory - Nelson's flagship at Traffalgar. According to a display there, making splinters is an art form. The faster you shoot your cannonball the fewer splinters you get. In order to generate maximum splinters, gunners would reduce the size of their charge until the ball would barely pierce the hull. When the Mythbusters tried it, they used an aircannon and they were concerned about not having enough power, not too much. They also brought in a real cannon, but, again, I think that the cannon crew used the strongest charge they could. With such powerful shots, they cleanly pierced the hull with few splinters. Mark

Interesting though I know not what a morian is, or for that matter a corslet, that is interesting. Though Jamestown might be a good resource, I would challenge their perspective of muskets being "new" Jamestown has professional researchers. I try not to challenge professional researchers unless I have research in hand. The musket that Jamestown was referring to is the Dutch design from 1590 which still counts as new for 1607. Earlier designs were used by the Spanish starting in the early 16th century and some of those were heavy enough to require a rest. The English did not start using this design until encountering them in the Dutch Wars so even this style of musket would have been fairly new to Drake's men. (I got this from Osprey's Matchlock Musketeer, 1588=1688). Osprey's book, The Armada Campaign, says that the majority of shot consisted of calivers rather than muskets although it is looking at all of the troops mustered including trained bands instead of just the ones on ships. I don't seem to have any Osprey books on Drake himself. A morion is the type of helmet you associate with Spanish conquistadors. It has a high comb and wide brim. This could refer to the English version which is also known as a cabasset which substituted a high crown for the comb and has a smaller brim. A corslet is armor for the check - a back and breast. Mark

You can see the evolution of this over the centuries. The Medieval Cog had a high prow and stern to part waves. As it developed into a full three-mast ship, the angle was incorporated into the upped decks. On the Santa Maria we point out that any water that comes onto the ship drains to the center and then to the scuppers (drains) under the rails. The angle is there but not all that bad on the Santa Maria. Jump forward a century and the angles get crazy, especially on Dutch ships. The Half Moon's poop is not really usable it is at such a steep angle. The captain says that it is nothing more than the roof of the cabin and not meant for anything else. English ships from that period are not as bad. I've been on most of them including the Golden Hind two weeks ago. All of the decks are usable on these. Possibly the development of the race-built galleon was a factor. These high, sloped decks make navigation more difficult since they catch cross-winds. The captain of the Half Moon has pointed out that his hull has more area than most sailboat's sails. By the mid-17th century you can see the beginning of a long trend of removing the extra superstructures and simplifying the lines overall. A 16th or early 17th century ship always has a very broken profile with parts going up and down. Later ships were much closer to straight across. I've never seen a discussion of this but the goal of catching water at the center must have been abandoned in favor of making ships handier and able to sail closer to the wind. Mark