PyratePhil

Aye, "lad" - when yer a graybeard like me, most o' th' populace be "lad" or "lass"... ...but here's a farthin' fer yer troubles, young sire...

Well, I'll be baboon's hindquarters! This'll prove ta be an interestin' voyage, I kin be tellin'...

...and aye - First Mate Phillipus Louigious Bellafontaine, late o' The Snake O' Th' Slops tavern, requestin' permission ta board, sir!

Thank ye, lad... *towels off* Now, then, whot's all this I hear 'bout "me presence bein' required" 'n' all thet bilge? I were havin' a great time in th' tavern wi' this little blonde, 'n' then I... *looks over, sees Christine* LASS!!! Whot are ye doin' HERE?!?

Crazy Crow

*Suddenly, from the dock's tower, a hawser swings out carrying a figure clad all in black...* *The figure loops around the tower once, twice, then begins swinging directly toward the Watch Dog. The assembled parties on-board gasp and shove back as a unit, holding their collective breaths* "AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" *He lets go the line, does a perfect somersault in mid-air, and streaks toward the deck...unfortunately, his aim is slightly off, and he hits slightly above the waterline, sliding slowly down with a sound of fingernails on a chalkboard* "BLAST - I HATES when thet happens..." ... ... ... *splash*

"Songs from the Wood" - Tull

*sigh* I think th' nearest be 3 hours away...

Wow - the last Orange Julius I had...whoa...must have been 25 years ago. Thanks for the memories, William! :angry:

It's all kobudo to me! :angry:

...umm...don't you mean kenjutsu, rather than taijutsu?

BABOON!!!!

...motion seconded! :)

This from a quick Google... "Many of the one and a half million residents of modern Acapulco do not realize that the Aztecs also called the area "Acapulco," which meant "place of dense reeds" in their Nahuatl language. But it was an old place long before being discovered by the Aztecs. Recently discovered artifacts indicate some 2,500 years of human occupation. In 1528 Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico, occupied Acapulco for the purpose of building ships there with which to find a route to China. Eventually, many voyages of discovery set sail from Acapulco for Peru, the Gulf of California and to Asia, but none returned from across the Pacific until Father Andrés Urdanenta, in his ship loaded with Chinese treasures, reached Acapulco in 1565. San Diego Fort From 1565 on, for more than 200 years, a special yearly trading ship, the Manila Galleon (called by English and Dutch privateers the Black Ship), set sail from Acapulco to the Orient. Many a Manila Galleon limped into Acapulco with only half the original crew still alive …but what a fiesta followed! The return of the Manila Galleon sparked an annual merchant fair, swelling Acapulco's population with traders jostling to bargain for the shiny trove of silks, porcelain, ivory and lacquer ware. These yearly treasures soon attracted marauders to Acapulco, so the Spaniards fortified their seacoast bastion. A Dutch fleet invaded Acapulco in 1615 and destroyed the Fort and much of the town, before being driven off. In 1617 the Spanish rebuilt their fort, which they christened Fuerte San Diego. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1776, the fort was rebuilt, and the massive five-pointed maze of moats, walls and battlements was completed in 1783. Fort San Diego still sits atop its bayside hill. Mexico's War of Independence (1819-21) stopped the Black Ship forever, sending Acapulco into a century-long slumber."

Hey, ye got's too many! ...wanna share?

That be it! Expressed in a much better way, of course.

WARNING!!! OFF-TOPIC REPLY!!! WARNING!!! From what little I've heard and seen, pirates aren't the most popular monkees in the tree. If you follow the hard-core rules, the cut-off date is 1600 - well before the Golden Age. Also, SCAdians seem to be court-oriented - they fight for their King and their Queen, but always with honor and proper manners. Kind of a 180 for MY interpretation of pyrate fighting. In our Fest, the Sheriff and Pyrate Queen (both SCAdians) had a swordfight. It was well-done, but it was so bleedin' PROPER. When my son and I got into it as two pie-rats, we spit, kicked, tripped, and distracted each other with wench sightings. I think that illustrates the different mind-sets.

Oh, totally agree! That's why I've never joined. Just last night, I attended an "informal" practice with members of my last Festival's cast, one of whom is the Marshall for the "area"... They suited me up and showed me how to parry my opponent's sword with my free hand... ...straight-line attacks...the back is NOT a valid target... ...when I tried circular movements and hack-'n'-slash, they were kind of lost... ...won't even MENTION the low-line stop kicks and joint locks! I found it extremely hard to un-do 35 years of training just to "fight like a gentleman"...and I really don't have an interest in competition as such. But as you said, I just thought that THEIR training would fill the bill until something more...um...shall we say, "realistic" comes along.

Black Dog- Although not exactly stage combat, you might want to check into your local SCA groups - they usually offer a lot of training in rapier, epee, foil, and espada y daga - it's a start, anyway.

Wow!! They even have the old ciggie cards - I have about 100 of those from the 1930's (I believe) with various Chinese folk on them - thanks for the link!

Awwww - I wanted to be Sleazy...

Awwww... ...jes' be callin' me Blushie th' Pyrate...

M'Lady, M'Lord- It were truly a pleasure ta be meetin' ye - I jes' be sorry I weren't there ta say me bon voyages... Thank ye so much fer yer company, and I hope ye enjoyed th' Fest!

Oh, it's a wondrous, magical, soul-fulfilling event, m'lady! Craftsmen, music, comedy, jousting, and wonderful, HANDSOME pirates wandering around the grounds! ...oh...heh, heh...forgot to mention...I'm one of the pirates...

Thankee, m'lady, but Mad Mike will not be amongst us next weekend - he's sailing on to new ports...I'm not sure he's ready for Faire yet...