PirateQueen

Here's a web page with some interesting articles on the subject. (I stumbled onto it last year while doing some research on Barbary corsairs for a writing project.)

British Slaves on the Barbary Coast

There's a link there to a news story from January 2003 on the discovery of the corsair gold in question:

Seabed gold 'clue to white slavers'

I got Blackadder ITC for free from Font Freak.

When did you download it? I just checked and couldn't find it, either in the B's or the I's. And neither in the PC section, nor the Mac section.

Could be he realized it wasn't freeware or shareware, and he took it down since then.

Not bad, the layout is clean. The main problem I see is the font you've chosen: Blackadder ITC.

It's a cool font, but unless a person's bought the font (that's right, it's not available for free) and downloaded it or it came with an application they've installed, they won't see it. Based on some of the posts, I'm guessing most people don't have this font on their system. Most systems will default to something like Times New Roman or Arial.

Look for a free font and invite viewers to download and install it to better enjoy your site. Maybe you can find one similar to Blackadder ITC.

I didn't think Swashbuckler was all that bad. Not the best, but certainly not the worst I've ever seen.

The movie that gets my vote for absolute worst pirate movie is "Blackbeard the Pirate", a 1952 flick starring Robert Newton as Blackbeard. Here's the synopsis:

Reformed pirate Sir Henry Morgan (Torin Thatcher) is sent out to eliminate the extremely evil Blackbeard (Newton), while Morgan's adopted daughter (Linda Darnell), due to marry the captain of another ship, falls for Maynard (Keith Andes), a handsome young adventurer. Together, Maynard and Morgan's daughter discover the captain has been killed, and worse, that Morgan and Blackbeard are in a plot together.

Morgan sent out to hunt down Blackbeard? Morgan was dead long before Blackbeard was ever on the scene. And then they plot together? *aaack*

Am trying to find a decent copy of "Treasure Island"- any suggestions?

I haven't seen it yet myself, but I hear the version with Charlton Heston is one of the best.

Here's a bit of history of grog:

Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon is known as the father of grog. Vernon was a noted seaman, and victorious at Porto Bello. He was also a constant critic of the Admiralty and a supporter of better conditions aboard ships. He derided pressment and advocated better treatment of sailors. His sailors gave him the name of "Old Grog" because of a waterproof boat cloak he wore. The boat cloak was made of grogam, a thick material which was a combination of silk, mohair and wool. Grogam was often stiffened with gum.

By Vernon's time straight rum was commonly issued to sailors aboard ship - and drunkenness and lack of discipline were common problems. On August 21, 1740, Vernon issued an order that rum would thereafter be mixed with water. A quart of water was mixed with a half-pint of rum on deck and in the presence of the Lieutenant of the Watch. Sailors were given two servings a day; one between 10 and 12 AM and the other between 4 and 6 PM. To make it more palatable it was suggested sugar and lime be added. In 1756 the mixture of water and rum became part of the regulations, and the call to "Up Spirits" sounded aboard Royal Navy ships for more than two centuries thereafter.

If the use of grog was common practice, the mixture was anything but standard. Vernon ordered a quarter of water to a half a pint of rum (four to one), others ordered three to one, and Admiral Keith later issued grog at five to one. The mixture seamen used for grog was named by compass points. Due North was pure rum and due West water alone. WNW would therefore be one third rum and two thirds water, NW half and half, etc. If a seaman had two "nor-westers," he'd had two glasses of half rum and half water.

From The Contemplator's Short History of Grog

There was a punk singer(?) prolly long before yer time who's costume consisted of strategically placed black electrician's tape. Now that's thrifty

Might that have been Terry Nunn of Berlin? Ah, yes, the 80's, those were the days....

Don't forget our own Jamaica Rose Barton (Christine M. Lampe), I'd consider her "serious" when it comes to pirate history as a hobby. And she publishes a damn fine zine on the subject too, every other month.

I live in LA, where they hate Wal-mart.

And for several good reasons, but I won't open that can o' snakes here. -- You're welcome --

There's a pretty good fabric outlet just down the street from the Citadel outlet complex, right off the 5 freeway:

Fabric Outlet

6001 Telegraph Rd

Los Angeles, CA 90040

(323) 728-1506

This is a favorite source for several of the Port Royal Privateers (who probably now hate me for giving away one of their favorite "secret" sources).

One of my favorites is Bedtime Stories for Pirates, by Captain Bogg & Salty.

Lots of catchy songs for the little ones, but adults can enjoy 'em too.

Web site: Captain Bogg & Salty

The good RumbaRue did her best t'notify me o'the closin' date fer applyin' t'the PRP, but alas I missed it. 

Closing date for applying to PRP? As Red Maria mentioned, there is no "application season"; you can apply anytime.

You should contact a Board member if you have questions about PRP: me, Philistina d'Morte or Boats O'Toole. Anything sent to us via email links on our webpage go to Board members. Only Board members are authorized to give out official information about PRP--for precisely this reason, to avoid confusion!

So if you're interested in membership, what are you waiting for?

Edited to add: OK, I should have read the thread further. I see Rumba corrected Capt. Grey's misinterpretation of something she read. However, you can get your application to me as late as the day before the anniversary party to be added to the roster as an applicant and be more than welcome to attend.

You'll find lots of links and resource listings here:

Grace O'Malley

The list of books is particularly good.

That's just one of many stationery styles designed by our own Jamaica Rose Barton (she of No Quarter Given fame). Also check out the stationery with Felonious Ferret.

In one or two early issues of NQG, there was a comic strip featuring SwashBunny. I think more were intended, but it just never happened.

A mere bauble.

Plunder THIS:

Silver Skull/Bones Necklace :)

I posted two sites with shoes earlier today in another thread:

Post regarding colonial style shoes

Still haven't solved my nagging "where do I find good period shoes that aren't $400" problem<snip>.

Basic colonial styles can be found at:

G. Gedney Godwin, Inc.

Fugawee Corp.

and for much less than $400.

Following Red Maria's lead, you might also try rubber stamping on your cotton onesies with fabric ink.

Wondering where to find appropriate rubber stamps? I got 'em!

Artistamp Rubber Stamps

They all really do seem like fish out of water, though!

Couple of things grate on me most:

1. how most of them seem to keep wanting to apply their 21st century ideas to living in the 17th century, e.g., the woman who doesn't believe in God who refuses to go to the Sunday meetings. She should go anyway, because if she really were in the 17th century, she'd be punished quite severely or worse.

2. The woman who is the preacher's wife (and now with the regime change, the governor's wife), seems to have no clue how to dress! She looks gawdawful! The servants are dressed better than she. She goes around in a loose bodice with the straps always falling down, her shift falling off her shoulders (sometimes one shoulder, sometimes both), and the coif she wears looks like she justs lays it on her head without a thought. Plus, all of her clothes look dirty. Again, the servants look nicer!

I'm enjoying Colonial House, although I think I enjoyed Frontier House more. (Maybe because some of those participants tried to play the game.)

Eddie Floyd designed and made the original on which the Museum Replica cutlasses are based.

Thank you for the clarification! At first reading, your earlier post wasn't clear to me on that score, but upon a second glance, I do believe you mentioned this when you said, "He designed it, and made the prototype for Hank Reinhard back when he headed MRL, IIRC."

Those acronyms didn't click when I read it the first time, but now they do! *smile* It's a nicely designed cutlass.

<snip>Eddie Floyd <snip> also does custom work, such as this version he made for the wife of one of the SFI members:

If it's custom, then he must have fashioned a blade for an existing basket/pommel? The one in the pic is similar to the one offered by Museum Replicas:

I have this one, and it's lovely! (Have had it for several years now.)

sorry to disapoint!

Jewelry! Almost as good as hot men...oh, heck, OK, often better than!

We can thank Robert Louis Stevenson for a lot of the characteristics of piracy that have become stereotypical today, from buried treasure and maps to the dreaded "black spot."

I sent an application to PRP, so I hope I can audition fer them out there.

To whom did you send your application, Wolfy? I'm PRP's Secretary, all applications are sent to me either by email or snail mail so I can add applicants to the mailing lists. I don't think I've received yours. The most recent application I received was from someone with the first name of Paul--not you, was it?

Visit our web site to apply by email (link in my sig below).

Congratulations! I'm a new Mom myself: young William is 6 weeks old today. (Which explains why I haven't visited this forum in a long time.)

One of my friends sewed him a pirate theme quilt. Oh wait, you all know her: Jamaica Rose Barton, AKA Christine Lampe. She found Tampa Bay Buccaneer printed fabric that just says Buccaneers on it, and other fabric with skulls, and combined this with red fabric and fronts from pirate theme T-shirts. She also put loops on the back so I can display it as a hanging. It's terrific!

If you know anyone who is crafty this way, you might want to hint that such a quilt would be a lovely prezzy!

Early in our crimson career, the Port Royal Privateers were the stars of a Pirate Day at the main library branch in Burbank, CA. This included a display of pirate books and artifacts (many of which were loaned by PRP members) in the lobby of the library that remained for about a month. We put on a skit and then got the kids involved in making newspaper pirate hats, etc. We were, of course, a hit!