Dorian Lasseter

Aye... always room fer another one...

Slainte Mate!

Agreed...

Only the officers were allowed to waste fresh water to shave while at sea.

I have read accounts - post GAOP - about Captain's shaving while out.

The common sailor would either shave once in port aboard, or once on shore, and usually it would be accompanied by a haircut.

There are some superstitions that accompany all that as well....

Edit; Callenish

I've shaved with a straight razor for several years and rarely have cut/nicked myself...

However, I've never shaved using seawater with my shave soap... not sure I want to see how that would affect the shave...

The Lucy

The Lucy was sailing along swiftly in the fine wind on a near cloudless afternoon. Mister Christie was on the tiller as Mister Tucker stood before him at the break of the quarterdeck, looking off at the horizon in several different directions. Jerrod Styles found himself smiling in the crow’s nest now and again, happy to be out to sea. He’d had occasion to call to the deck of a sail on the horizon, but every one had stayed away or completely disappeared not long after being sighted. There were still several smaller boats near to them, but none of a size to cause issue. Fishing boats mostly, with no more than a crew of six aboard, all intent on making a living with their nets. Those men on deck tried to find shade while they waited to tend lines and sails, several conversed in an odd way, as up to three different languages were spoken and translated among them. The strangest was with those conversing with John Black and Adam. Moreso, Adam was talking ‘through’ John, since John was the only man aboard who could understand the gestures made by Adam the mute. All in all, things were calm and in good order. Mister Aretineson remained quiet as he wiped down the breech of gun number 6, named Revanche. He smiled an almost wicked smile as the gun shined brightly in the early afternoon sun.

Walks in out of the 'fine' weather we're having, (cold rain) walks to the fire and warms himself for a wee bit.

"William... If ye'd be so kind as ta have a spot o' tea sent to my table, I'd be obliged... bloody grotty weather..."

Dorian shakes out his coat and hangs it on his chair, takes off his hat and shakes some water from it before hanging it on a hook and sits down.

Aye!!!

And a Happy Birthday to You Master Gage!!!

And many more ta come!

Slainte!!!!

Aye!

Happiest o' Birthdays to ye Mate!!!

Slainte!!!!

Aye,

A lock is more of a deterrent... and how do you prove someone stole specie? "Oi! I had ten shillings in me chest an' someone stole 'em!"

How do you prove that? Now a personal item is another matter, but even that can be difficult to prove given how personalized the item might be.

So the mortised lock is more expensive, yet not as secure? Either that, or the locks of that type available today aren't as good/large as what was used on chests in the past? Most of the ones I've found are rather small in my opinion.

I can even see the common sailor not being able to afford a lock, given their level of poverty at times. A simple hasp could be secured with a bit of line, just to keep it shut, or even a rough wedge of wood. There are hasps that have a hook already attached that swings into the loop to secure it.

Now what would it be like on a pirate ship? Would any of the crew have the same security of a sea chest as they had aboard a navy or merchant ship?

Next bit; inside the chest.

We see most have a 'till box', which is essentially a small storage box with or without a lid on one side of the chest for small items so they do not get lost in the bottom of the chest. Edward mentioned he may add a lock for that as well. How common was that? I personally like the idea of a second lock on the till (again most likely on higher end chests) for extra security for your small valuables.

Also, I've seen a couple examples of a till box with a drawer underneath, some of which are almost a secret compartment...

Details, details, details... keep them coming!

Aye!!!

Happiest o' Birthdays to ya Lass!!!

And many, many more ta come!!!

Slainte!!!

Interesting take on why have a lock on your sea chest...

I guess you could argue the same on every chest on this page;

http://www.mycountrytreasures.com/blanketc...umentboxes.html

Why have a lock on a chest inside your home? it's already locked inside your dwelling, right?

Lock = privacy...

Just my humble opinion...

Dutch, get some pictures of your stuff up!

Aww, come on... get just a little excited...

Any other bits of knowledge?

Here's another question; Locking the chest.

I see most chests with mortised or half-mortised locks... those were expensive to a point and in some ways, easy to pry open.

I see only a handful of hasp/padlock combos on chests, which I would think would be more common?

I can't find the image of a setup I really like; two hasps spaced on the front of the chest with a bar/rod passing through them, the end has a ring that a padlock goes through and the one hasp. A nice rugged way to lock the chest, but using only one lock.

Beckets; I also see several chests that have no beckets, some with no handles at all, and others with more 'traditional' handles... Thoughts on this?

Turning this...

into a captain's sea chest...

Oh, I see were gonna have some more interesting conversations!

I see a conflict in this thread, are the slant sided chests too early, too late, or in period at one end or another?

Regardless, a straight sided chest is probably THE most common style, as it was said in a manner "Functionality over style is the rule of the sailor."

If the slant sided chest was superior, why do we not see them today?

Pros to the slant side; If you set two chests side by side, the beckets are given space so the bottom of the chests could touch, no waste of deck space. Plus, to pull one out you can get to the sides to pull easily. Lower CG so harder to tip over.

Cons; Harder to construct, very slight waste of wood, harder to repair if damaged, slightly less space inside than a straight sided chest.

At present in my very sparse spare time, I'm refurbishing a grand old chest into a sea chest... it was in my parents basement and is actually a patternmakers chest... I'll post images of the progress later...

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

That's great!

as i recall from a class i took a couple years ago. nails were more common than turn screws, but they were both used. iron fasteners mostly, copper nails would bend too easily in this application- not sure about brass. copper or brass rivets would have been used in some finer pieces.

So, using these would be the ticket...

Aye!!!!

Happiest o Birthdays to ye!!!

Enjoy this day and many more to come!

Slainte!!!!!!

That's ok John <sniff> I don't mind you not agreeing with my every word...

Ed... haha... too bad there's this big pond in our way, because I'd really like to shake your hand someday.

Ok, I wouldn't be suprised if you felt this way. If necessity is a spur to ingenuity and the mother of invention, then disagreement is a spur to research and the mother of new ideas.

I've seen a sea-chest from the Vasa (roughly contemporary with the Plymouth colony) which was basically a square box like the ones in the pictures I posted. Are the Plymouth ones radically different John?

I don't know, I'd have to look at Lisa's Wasa book (she lived in Sweden for a year and has actually seen the Wasa). Since there is so much in this Plymouth book, I'll have to do a little bit at a time.

"The simplest form of construction of case pieces is the nailed configuration. It was quick, efficient and less expensive than joined furniture."

"Dovetailed joints on boxes and chests were not commonly seen until the end of the century, and rarely then. Nailed construction was used well into the nineteenth century in the more rural and isolated communities in the United States." Bold, my addition...

This is from A Cubberd, Four Joyne Stools & Other Smalle Thinges: The Material Culture of Plymouth Colony. It's a great book, and don't let the title fool you. There's a wealth of info on things later than the Pilgrims.

The book has a good 15 pages on chests, though only the first few resemble anything close to a sea chest. Frankly, I'm surprised that nailed construction was so popular.

Digging up an old thread....

Nails used for chests, any ideas what?

The old square, forged style? Copper or brass?

Think their were ever brass wood screws used?

I know copper and brass nails/tacks were used aboard ships, just wondered if the same goes for sea chests...

most of the images I've found of sea chests, they are painted so you can't see what might be holding them together...

Seems folks are posting their Airship Personas here, and it got me thinkin'....

So...

Name:Angus MacAvaddy, call him Mac...

Crew Position - Pilot/Helmsman/Jack-of-all-Trades

History - Done a little of everything... worked on the Railroad, Riverboats, Sailing and SteamShips in Europe and the Americas. Don't trust the government - any government to get a fair deal on anything... Seen enough war to make any man sick of it. Got interested in air machines but them 'aeroplanes just aren't quite good enough.... yet'... Can be pretty quiet but if you insult a comrade, be afraid... Good with many different weapons, or tools, or tools as weapons... Has slight 'mad scientist' tendencies, has read about Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and finds electricity fascinating. The idea of harnessing lightening as a power source or even weapon has possibilities.

Still thinkin'... always thinkin'...

you dont have to use it on yer eyes. smear it wherever you want "dirty".

and thanks now i have a picture of jack running through your brain. and he looks very scared. lol

I smell a new Patrick Hand comic from that comment....

Wardroom of the Lucy

Dorian studied Preston a moment before answering. He knew the man was yet to fully recover from his sickness.

“Well, there were some deeds in th goods we got from ‘Lady' Ilex… Property on Trinidad, so we was headed there an’ now as a fortunate addition we be guardin’ the Spanish ta its port, Get paid fer goin’ where we were a’ready headed… Wot we do from there, heaven knows… mebee along th’ way we’ll have issue an’ tow another prize in ta port.”

Dorian turned back to his meal, spreading some cream butter on a piece of bread. All were no more than a day old and still fresh. A pleasure that would not last long in the tropical region they were in and he savoured every bite along with the fresh meal. After taking another drink of the wine, some mirth was seen in his eyes.

“So… if th’ wine is not to yer likin’ we c’n break out some rum r’ whiskey ta quench yer delicate pallet if you’d like…”

The Lucy

As the ink dried from the last passage he had written, Captain Lasseter finished his glass and placed it neatly on the desk and studied it. It was a fine piece of French craftsmanship, that of the glass blower. He watched as the slightest bit of wine slowly pooled in the bottom and considered a second glass for a moment, and then disregarded the notion, unless it was had with a meal such as dinner which had been already served to the crew. Not that Dorian was famished, as a point of fact he was undecided on food at the moment. He turned to pose a question to Miss Ashcombe, but held his tongue as he saw her looking out the stern and wondered for a moment if she was having second thoughts of coming aboard. She turned slightly and the smile she wore on here face told him otherwise. Lasseter turned back to his ledger with a smile as well, wrote one more line and cleaned the pen, capped the inkpot and waited the briefest of time before shutting the book and placing it in its niche solidly. He drummed his fingers on the desk a couple times before deciding what his next point of the ‘business of captaincy’ was to be. He thought to order his Steward to fetch dinner for them and Master Whitingford, but instead made it a question as he stood and pulled out the chart of the area and spread it on the wardroom table.

“I wonder where Preston is? It’s not like him to miss a meal… Would you be so kind to see if the cook has prepared our dinner?”

He smiled at her as he spoke before heading to the desk and withdrawing his chart compass and ruler, and taking up the last notation from the traverse board and laying it all out in the unrolled chart

Starboard Watch on Duty

Two Bells of the Afternoon Watch

6 August 1704

The Lucy

First Bell of the Afternoon watch

At the change of the watch, Preston had taken the sighting and showed the yonkers how it all worked. They watched in fascination and might have even learned some of what was taught. It took a half turn of the glass to finish the calculations and soon after they had discerned where the Lucy was on the vast ocean. So now they would change course, to a more Southerly bearing which would be maintained for several days. Those who just came on watch were fresh and the change in tack happened smartly. Dorian smiled from the holy ground and leisurely headed to the wardroom, leaving orders with the deck officers to report any sightings from the lookout to him. Once in his quarters, hat and coat were removed and again Miss Ashcombe had attended to him, placing both pieces of clothing in their proper places. He sat at the desk quietly for a moment before turning to the labours of captaincy. Ledgers were pulled from their niches, an inkpot opened, and a pen selected. Pages were rifled through and selected to be written upon. Dorian hummed a tune faintly as he began and occasionally stopped while he tried to recall the past events in order to properly record them. Once his memory recovered the information he picked up the tune where he had left off. Some of this he had no wish to recall, but to leave it in the dark past of the last couple of days, but once it was put to paper he would have the option to quit it from his memory. Once or twice he had written a passage and put down the pen until he could steady his nerves, as what he wrote caused him to be angry. As the emotion passed, his tune returned as did the pen to page. At one point he stopped and made to ask Miss Ashcombe if she would get him a glass of wine. As if she knew his wants, she had been standing close with just that, a freshly poured glass that she now placed on the desk.

“Thankee Miss Ashcombe…. Join me if you’d like…”

He pushed away from the work at hand and took up the glass, gesturing to the woman, giving his permission to pour a glass for herself.

Starboard Watch on Duty

6 August, 1704

Aboard the Lucy

Seven Bells of the Forenoon Watch

The Lucy had spent the last two hours or so sailing with all normal sails set. The crew had worked in good spirits and Dorian wondered if they too had been happy to quit the island of Martinique. The dozen less one Spanish sailors that had been berthed in the hold had been checked on by the Captain and between Maurice Roche and Charlie Marsh, good conversation was had, needs were met and once they had gotten into deep water, Charlie had served light fare to them. He was his usual grouchy self, but it appeared he enjoyed the praise for the food he got from those men, as if they were dining in the kings hall. It made Captain Lasseter wonder about the condition they had on Le Vedette. However it was not his concern as it was not his ship and these men were now in his care. Already it appeared they were being treated better, three of them soon after had the strength to make their way on deck without assistance.

The breeze had gotten stronger, allowing a speed of nine knots to be achieved when checked at six bells. In one more turn of the glass it would be noon and the backstaff would be brought forth for the mid day sighting to work out their position. Martinique was still large in their wake, but much detail was gone. Dorian had found himself in several areas on the ship in this short time they had left port, from the hold to the quarterdeck and the wardroom and back. He had watched the Navarra and Watch Dog in his glass several times, seeing how well they were sailing in his wake. He had consulted charts and wrote notations from the markings of the log and traverse board. All the while he had a shadow in a green hat. His last trip to the wardroom took him to the cabinet where the navigation instruments were kept. He removed the backstaff and took it purposefully on deck to where the Ship’s Master stood.

“Mister Whittin’ferd… Care you to show the yonkers how ta shoot the midday position? Further their education in th’ navigation o’ ships?”

Young Liam Rowan heard the Captain and leapt up, ran over to the other boys and told them what the Captain had said. All four bustled over and stood at attention as best they could to see what the Ship’s Master would do.

Thank you for letting us know you have a link with this episode. I look forward to seeing it. Does anybody we know get any screen time?

Fair winds,

-Greydog

Not that I've heard...

I was almost contracted with the producers of the History Channel show, but they got all wishy-washy, said they wanted one thing, so I did the dance, then, no they wanted a different thing, I did the dance... then... No more returns on phone calls or emails... fancy that...

I fear they got a Hollywood type pirate to do the bit....

No offense for the hollywood type pirates out there... but they wanted historical...

Interesting...

Must be their answer to this show on the History Channel....

http://www.history.com/content/warriors

Aye-aye Cap'n Syren...

Prayers and more...