MarkG

Just as long as no one passes out in our tent without asking first. (again) Mark

Jamestown Glass Works used to sell sandglass kits for making a 17th century sandglass. I made a couple for the Santa Maria (the first was stolen). The construction was similar to this. The main difference is that the bottles were specially made with a lip so that they could be tied together more easily. The top and bottom pieces are wood instead of cord. A small round piece of metal goes between the two bottles. This has a hole n it. I think that it is aluminum and it had to be trimmed to fit. I solved the problem of humidity by making it on a dry day and dripping wax over the joint between the two bottles. The sand that they included was the sand they use to make glass. It had some tiny glass shards in it so I had to strain it. I used trial and error drilling the hole in the piece of metal and holding the bottles together to see if the sand would drain through. I ended up with an 8 minute glass that we represent as a half hour glass. Mark

What do you have in mind for the Friday naval battle? I'll probably have a crew of three or four available by mid-afternoon. Firefly works really well with two people rowing, one firing the small swivel gun, and one at the tiller. If I get really crazy I might make a naval carriage for my 20" gun (I normally use it as a swivel gun on the Santa Maria but there's no place to mount it at Paynetown). My measure for that is a 35mm film can. Mark

"Ben" comes with us as "Dan". Mark

I've noticed that. I have some canvas tarps I bought around 20 years ago and they worked fine as a ground cloth or fly. I still use them as ground clothes. They work fairly well, even at Hampton (until a drunk slept on one and got wet). I've tried the things they currently sell as painter's tarp. They are very light and not waterproof in the least. A friend with a big house uses the modern ones as curtains for her porch. Mark

Actually, I don't think the insurance thing will factor in as much as the divide between pirate re-enactors and more traditional 18th century re-enactors narrows... The more traditional 18th century re-enactors have a long standing traditional and very ingrained culture of mandating flashguards... As pirate re-enacting sprung up as a more loose and informal thing, a great many things that don't fly at F&IW and REv War events have become commonplace at pirate events. Pistols are another one to watch for... They are used very little in F&IW and Rev War events, discouraged at many events, and all out not allowed at quite a few as well if I have not misread things. If I remember correctly, the Paynetown event is insured. That's why they have had fundraisers. Mark

These boats are meant to turn on a dime. I doubt that a leeboard would be enough to get one to sail straight. Mark

Last year long arms were expected to have them. Pistols were not. Blunderbusses were in a gray area. People firing from boats had more leeway than militia who would be firing in line. For people who get caught without, there was a sutler there with some gun supplies (but weapons themselves cannot be sold in the park). Mark

I can't say for F&I but when you are firing a matchlock you get sparks (actually pieces of burning match) blown all over. If you have any synthetic fabric on then it will have a hole melted in it. I've seem people wearing extra match on their bandoleer have the match lit this way. If you are wearing a cocked hat with a matchlock then the military way of firing was to touch the brim of your hat to your musket stock to protect your face (soldiers don't aim, anyway). As someone else pointed out, the hat is cocked on the left side so it doesn't get in the way when you shoulder your piece. Mark

The Santa Maria is open daily except Monday and Tuesday.

Are you planning on defending the camp or going out in the Firefly (the name of my Whitehall for those who do not know)? Mark

The idea is to make your pirate garb look like clothing instead of a costume. Yes, everything started out new at some point but few people had the resources to replace everything at once. Also, clothes got a lot of wear so they didn't look new for long. Clothing was still sold used, especially in England, so many people never wore clothing that looked new. This was even more true for pirates who often plundered their clothing. Some articles gave a clothing exception to the rule that everything went into a common store to be sold and shared equally. If you had a worn-out piece of clothing and someone on a captured ship had a newer piece in your size then you could take it without counting against your share. Now, if you are portraying a noble then you would throw out everything that showed any wear (or sell it in the used clothing shop). Mark

Nathan has been slowly expanding this event. Last year he allowed 50 tents. This year he is going to try 75 and see if there is room for any more. Mark

Speaking of bilge pumps - I pumped more water out of my boat Friday night than I did when it was in the water. Mark

We (the Scioto Pirates) had a great time. It was the first time we got to use the boat (now known as the Firefly) with other boats. It was fun maneuvering around the other boats. My wife, Jennie, and I were impressed at how friendly and helpful everyone was. We didn't make it to the main camp to say goodbye. By the time we had everything loaded we were too tired to make the six block round trip. Mark

I have this book and love it.... We returned Kate's husband to her safe and sound Monday evening. I want to thank everyone for their help with the boat and general friendliness. It was a lot of fun (even the drunk in our tent gives us a great story). Mark

The book X Marks the Spot, the Archaeology of Piracy has a chapter on river pirates. Yes, it really is piracy - people on boats robbing other people on boats. Most of it happened in the late 18th and erly 19th century on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. During this period there was substantial flatboat traffic going down the rivers and settlements were few enough that there were long stretches where the pirates could hide. They usually tried to pick off individual rafts and flatboats. To prevent this, most river traffic was in groups. Mark

Yes, the thicker rope is overkill. I've used 1/4" sissal for years and never had a rope break. The larger toggles should work. If they are drilled at an angle then it is the angle that holds the rope, not the size of the hole. Mark

I offered two extra wedge tents. One is spoken for. Can I leave the other at home and save the space or is someone counting on it? Mark

I love wheel locks! One of the reasons that you don't see them very often is because they are a lot more complicated to build than flintlocks, dog locks, etc. Plus if you lose your key you're screwed. If you over wind the spring you're screwed. Those flaws aside. In my opinion the wheel lock is the fastest ignition system after cap locks and modern firearms. In the next few years I hope to order a custom brace of wheel lock pistols to annoy SCA people. The earliest documentation for wheel locks is around 1500 in one of Da Vinci's notebooks. It is not known if he invented the idea of using a wheel lock as an ignition system or if he was just sketching his own version. I have two wheelock pistols. Neither is reliable (especially the one with the broken spring). The spanner isn't a problem. I could make one from a socket wrench if I needed to. They don't over-wind. You only give them a bit over a half-turn. It stops when fully cocked. The two that I have were made in the 1980s by J. Schroter. They produce a big spark but most of it misses the primer. I know other people with the same locks who have the same problem. I think that Dale Shin in California makes wheelocks. Jamestown has several pistols, both saphaunce and wheelock, that work well. The wheelock is finicky about being cleaned and has to be put together just right or it fails. There was a German company that made reliable wheelocks in the 1970s and 1980s. I saw a few of these when I first started reenacting. One had a broken spring. I suspect that the broken springs happen because these are small-run weapons and the makers don't get the problems worked out. Once you get a good spring then it lasts. It took 4-5 springs from Schroter before I got a good one on my older pistol. Mark

I know a couple of people who had great success by spot welding a piece of high-carbon steel onto the front of the frizzen.

Good book. I used their ideas for the astrolabe on the Santa Maria - specifically using plywood and brass. This one holds up a lot better than the all-wood one I made previously. That one kept splitting over the Winter and I'd have to glue it back together. Mark

I don't think that anyone can object to a clavichord - no one can hear it! At least mine is pretty quiet, even when played in a small room. Mark

Pirates with bodhrans (flat Irish drums)! No one ever plays them properly and it's really hard to justify having one unless you are an Irish farmer. These were really obscure instruments prior to the 1970s. Mark

If you have plenty of time then a turkey cooked over a slow fire is really good. You need a tripod beside the fire and a couple of skewers. Put skewers in each end then hang it from one end. Turn the bird regularly, either turning it around or turning it over and hanging from the other skewer. Place a pan under the bird to catch the drippings. You won't get much. Because you keep turnig the bird over, most of the juices stay inside giving you a moist meat. Mark