PirateQueen

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!

A properly fitted bodice/corset will be snug but comfortable. You have to adjust your breathing, but you shouldn't be as winded as Elizabeth Swann was in POTC. As to how to wear one, a lot depends on the style and cut. Personally, I prefer the styles that cover about half of the bosom while still allowing for a lot of cleavage. I don't like the ones that are so low cut, you fall out of the top. That, to me, just looks tacky. (The bodice should support you firmly with enough lift to give you nice cleavage without exposing your nipples.) But, to each her own. One of the best sources for a good fitting basic bodice is The Dye Spot. Dianne stocks something like 15 different sizes of bodice (S, M, L, XL, XXL, and for each, Short, Long and Medium), and also does custom fitting if none of those work. Unfortunately, the only way to get a proper fit is to be fitted in person, either at a faire where she's boothing, or at her factory in Sun Valley, Southern California. And once you know how a good fitting bodice should feel, you can confidently buy bodices from other vendors. (My current favorite is Chivalry Sports.)

I remember the ship, it was fun to get a sandwich from the galley below deck and then eat and play above. There was also a "skull rock" with a waterfall in the "lagoon" that was very cool. Last time I was at the Disneyland Hotel, the beach/pool area was in a Peter Pan theme, and there was a pirate ship there--or rather, the aft portion--for kids to play on. (I don't think it was the old restaurant structure, though.)

Is it true that there's NO animation department at Disney Studios at all? Even at the savedisney.com site, it says that the Animation Dept. in Florida closed, with some animators being offered transfers to Burbank; so my understanding is that the Burbank studios still has an animation department (although it doesn't sound like there's much production going on). But I'm not an insider, so I wouldn't know the up-and-up.

Pavé isn't French for fake jewels. It describes a method of setting jewels, which can be very real indeed. (They are set very close together, sort of cobblestone fashion, so you can't see the base. Often done with diamond chips—real ones.) Back to the topic: I've gotten a lot of cool stuff off eBay, not all of it piratical. Among them: -- The costume worn by Morgan's uncle Malachi in Cutthroat Island (yes, won during the auctions held by that Hollywood charity): coat, shirt, vest, breeches. I love the coat, wear it to events, get lots of compliments on it. -- Lots of jewelry. I collect fleur de lis motifs, and have gotten several lovely bracelets, pins and necklaces. One favorite is an elaborate costume necklace with brass fleurs de lis, deep red stones. -- Another favorite is a sterling silver cuff bracelet with black leather inlay. It's got an elaborate fleur de lis design, I wear this bracelet almost every day. (It's actually considered to be biker jewelry, but most people don't guess that.)

We ladies can and we have: Check this out And this is classic. :)

One of the best sites is www.noquartergiven.net. Extensive list of links to merchants and other piratical sites; book and movie lists; and an up-to-date calendar of events of interest. Plus lots of other fun stuff! Another good site is www.cindyvallar.com/pirates.html. Ms. Vallar writes a monthly newsletter about some aspect of pirate history. All her articles are archived on the site.

Just wanted to mention I enjoyed reading this thread. The "pirate accent" or rather, what most people think is the definitive pirate accent, has been one of my pet peeves for a long time. When I first heard about "Talk Like A Pirate Day," I wondered, what exactly does that mean? Of course, it really means, "Talk Like Robert Newton as Long John Silver Day." (When co-workers, who know I'm into pirates, asked me if I was going to participate, I said, "Sure!" They expected me to sound like the stereotype, and were a bit puzzled when I would just say, "Well, this is how THIS pirate talks!" )

I just finished watching an episode of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives on the History Channel. Tonight, it was about The Outlaw. Interestingly enough, it seems that monetary compensation for injuries was common among medieval English outlaw societies (e.g., so many shillings for loss of an eye, loss of a limb, even different amounts for teeth, depending on which teeth). So, the pirates were merely utilizing a system that had been used by outlaws at "home" for a few hundred years already!

Yes, Ile de la Tortue, the island north of Haiti is part of Haiti. Isla la Tortuga off Venezuela is part of Venezuela. It is west of Margarita, which was famous for its pearl beds around the buccaneering era. The pirate haven of history is Ile de la Tortue, AKA familiarly as Tortuga, so named because from a distance, its shape resembles a turtle. It was to here that the buccaneers were driven from Saint-Domingue, and later from where they were wooed by Port Royal, Jamaica.

Nope. I've seen both islands referred to as simply "Tortuga." It's not unusual for names to be trimmed.

Not really. "Tortuga" is Spanish for "turtle," whether or not there's a "la" (which means "the") in front of it. On maps, you will see the island north of Haiti referred to as either Tortuga or Tortue (French for "turtle").

Yes, there is a Tortuga island off the Main. But the one famous for being a pirate haven back in the day is L'Ile de la Tortue (or in Spanish, Tortuga), the island north of Haiti.

Since the age of 8 or 9, have played flute and piccolo. Played all through high school, a little in college, but haven't played as part of an ensemble since then. I just play for my own pleasure nowadays. My favorite pieces are by Bach and Mozart. A few years back, I splurged and bought a sterling silver French flute (the type with holes in the keys). Sweet!

Consensus? I don't think so! That line is definitely in the song. Here are the lyrics: Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me We pillage, we plunder we rifle and loot Drink up me hearties, yo ho We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot Drink up me hearties, yo ho Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me We extort, we pilfer we filch and sack Drink up me hearties, yo ho Maraud and embezzle and even high-jack Drink up me hearties yo ho Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me We kindle and char inflame and ignite Drink up me hearties, yo ho We burn up the city we're really a fright Drink up me hearties, yo ho We're rascals, scoundrels villains, and knaves Drink up me hearties yo ho We're devils and black sheep - really bad eggs Drink up me hearties yo ho Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads Drink up me hearties, yo ho Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads Drink up me hearties, yo ho

I have a copy of this book, it's one of my favorites! The era is the great buccaneering era, roughly the 1660's, during Tortuga's heyday.

Men, men, men, men Men, men, men,men... It's great to be on a ship with men and sail across the sea, oh, We don't know where we'll land or when, but it's great to be with men. 'Cause men can sweat and men can stink and no one seems to care, oh, We'll throw the dishes in the sink and clog the drain with hair, oh! (And clog the drain with hair, oh!) Men, men, men, We're a ship all filled with men, So batten down the ladies' room, there's no one here but men! There's men above and men below and men down in the galley, There's Butch and Spike and Buzz and Biff and one guy we call Sally! (And one guy we call Sally!) Men, men, men, We're a ship all filled with men, You'll never have to lift the seat, there's no one here but men! We're men and friends until the end and none of us are sissies, At night we sleep in seperate beds and blow each other kissies! (And blow each other kissies!) Men, men, men, we're a ship all filled with men, So throw your rubbers overboard, there's no one here but men! Amen (prounounced "Ahhhhh, men!") I think this is a song by Martin Mull. Heard it a lot on the Dr. Demento radio program.

(From Joe Ditler by way of Barracuda d'Morte:) To all my "salty" looking/acting friends: My buddy Judy Bouley, the legendary casting director, is looking for pirates to appear in a new kids' movie about Sponge Bob Squarepants. Here is the information. Judy was casting director for "Master & Commander," Russell Crowe's new flick. This could be you! Send her pictures asap. (The Reverend Judy's message:) For this film, which shoots in LA in January we are searching for 'over the top' Pirates - all makes, models of ADULT pirates. They can send their fotos/info asap to: Judy Bouley, Casting c/o Sande Alessie Casting 17503 Burbank Blvd. Encino, CA 91316 no phone calls please. I'll be in LA Dec. 5 - 11 auditioning. and will blast down to San Diego for auditions as well.

Here's the advice we give newbies who join the Port Royal Privateers: Costuming Advice Start basic, do some research, and you're on your way. As to whether I wear any of my garb anywhere else? Yes, I've got some buccaneer style shirts that lace up at the neck and wrists, and I wear 'em on ordinary days. They're very comfortable, look good tucked into jeans or not. I get lots of compliments on them too!

The Port Royal Privateers will be there, some of us are portraying the pirates during the raid. The rest of us will be providing color throughout the day. You're right, it's not really a pirate festival, not like Ojai, anyway. But it is an excuse to dress up in pirate garb!

One of my favorite series: The Brethren of the Coast by James L. Nelson. Three books: The Guardship, Blackbirder, and The Pirate Round. Nelson is an excellent storyteller and worked a tall ship for many years. (He can use nautical and shipboard jargon without leaving lubbers like me glassy eyed--which happens when I try to read authors like O'Brien. )

Just uploaded a page of pics on our web site, including some of the handfasting. See at: www.portroyalprivateers.org/fallojai03.htm

Oriental Trading Company sells bags (1 gross or 144 per bag) of plastic gold coins really cheap. They also give quantity discounts. (Example: last year, PRP bought 21 gross for $2.95 each.) The coins are not replica doubloons (they've got some Roman-looking dude on them), but they provide the right effect.

I wanted to mention a couple things about the Port Royal Privateers, since another post on another thread led me to believe there might be some misconceptions. 1. We are not affiliated with any particular ship. The picture on our home page of the Witch of Wood was taken several years ago, and it was just a great photo op. Over the years, we have been privileged to sail on many wonderful ships. 2. We follow a well established and time tested set of guidelines, and are quite democratic, much as real pirates were. We don't have a "captain" or specific leader. We have a Board of 4 which is elected every 2 years, and at any time, any of the board members can be voted out by the membership. The Board doesn't really run the group as much as it carries out the wishes of the membership at large. We just do the "grunt work" that no one else is really interested in (filling out event applications, dealing with event organizers, keeping track of club accounts, maintaining encampment equipment and organizing things for events, generating the club newsletter and moderating the club's listserve). We are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Of course, we've had our share of growing pains, and with so many strong personalities in the group, we'll continue to run across a few bumps in the road as we journey on our next 10 years. But we currently boast an active roster of 87 members and applicants, and the inquiries from interested potential members just keep coming. I think we've been doing something right, eh? Lorelei de la Mer Secretary, Port Royal Privateers Founding Member Port Royal Privateers

Next time we have an encampment, check out Barracuda's flag or my flag. We got them about 8 or 9 years ago from Baron von Eisenfaust (you probably don't remember him). He painted the designs on and bound the edges with a gold & black cording. He also hemmed a side edge and put in brass grommets. I've taken mine to events and had it hanging on one of the poles all weekend for all these years, and it's held up very well.