William Brand

Aye. We will all be in the same general area. Harry is going to begin mapping out that part of the park for our encampments. Then a week before the festival he will rope off all of the areas we'll have to choose from and we can set up as we see fit. When I told Harry how many people had already delcared a desire to attend PIP he nearly choked. He is very excited.

All pirate attendees camp for free.

John Raven over Raven McKay.

Welcome aboard, Captain.

Not too long ago, Harry mentioned that Fort Zachary Taylor was seeking funding to repair the barracks and walls of the fort. The fort has recieved the 2.4 million necessary to repair the large portions of the fort necessary to extend the life of this historical landmark. This money will be used to stabalize the structure and correct the ravages of time which have rendered some of the fort unusable. It is excellent news for the fort and those of us who want to see her repaired and fully restored for our long term use. What does this mean to those of us who are attending Pirates in Paradise? I shall explain the conversation I just had today with Harry. In order to repair the barracks, a construction fence will be placed along the parade grounds inside the fort itself. This means that the portion of the field from the cannon to the flagpole will be blocked off all along the Easterly and Northern side. We will still have access to the West wall of the fort by way of the circular stairs there, so that firing on the fort and cannon fire from the fort will still take place as part of the festival. However, all camps will be outside of the fort this year. The 1680 Port Royal, Sutler and 1720 Careening camps will all be situated in the trees just south of the fort in what is known as the 'picnic area'. This allows us to camp in the open very near the water and it furthers the necessary construction on the fort that will allow us more opportunities to camp within the walls of the fort the following year. Those of us who have enjoyed fort Zachary Taylor so far understand how very necessary these repairs will be. It will be possible to house even more redcoats and pirates without the need for tents in 2008. It is possible that we might double the number of attendees again in 2008. Harry and I also discussed scheduling and he has restated that participants in the festival camps can attend for free. There will be no camping fees or festival fees at the fort. Attendees may arrive as early as Tuesday, November 27th and stay through Monday, December 3rd. Campfires will be allowed at the various camps. There will be two campfires per camp and perhaps more depending on the population of each camp as the event draws near. For those who have asked about portraying redcoats at the event, there will be a redcoat encampment in addition to the 1680 Port Royal, sutler and 1720 Careening camps. That's four beautiful period camps...for those of you at home who are keeping track. It is our hope that your attendance and participation at this year's Pirates in Paradise will mark the largest pirate gathering in the history of the festival. If you have any questions regarding the fort and camps in general, you may ask them here, or you may contact those individuals working on each specific encampment. Please see the appropriate threads for each camping group.

^ Yes. Liam will have a little of all three. We also plan to travel with him as much as possible. Let him see the world first hand. < He's learning words very quickly. He also likes guns. He will never pass a plastic gun untouched. He gets this evil glint in his eye and he isn't even 2 years old yet. V Can you do a fair impression of a gun or do you make bad 'pechooo' sound effects?

Dorian and Briar have joined the ranks! Sooo...Captain Sterling. How many can I add to the list and in which encampment?

^ My work is art, so yes. Yes I do. It also allows me to be home with Liam. < I'm getting very excited about events and trips this summer. I'm getting a little stir crazy. V Any long distance travel in your near future?

The list for kit is a good one. It offers some very good suggestions.

July 29, 1704 - St. Louis at Martinique The Ship's Carpenter and Blacksmith walked the sunlit, afternoon streets of St. Louis. They did this as much out of habit as cause, enjoying the company of one another and the safety and security of traveling with a familiar in strange parts. They found themselves looking in and then stepping in to every single shop that they passed. Rummy spent money freely, buying herself trinkets, baubles and food as they went. She was carefree in the way she handed over the shares she had won in war and service. She understood Maastricht's worth well enough to know that her present frivolity in coin would be rapidly repaid again and in larger sums. She had waited a long time to feel this freedom and she would not allow any prudence to interrupt her leave ashore. Jonathan's mood was another matter. He spent almost nothing as they ventured from shop to shop. It wasn't that he didn't feel a desire to spend the money, having as much as he did, but he just abstained. He picked up many items along the way, fully expecting to buy them, but even as each opportunity arose, he would depart the shop without the desired goods. Rummy tried many times to get him to indulge, but he was thinking of other matters. "Why the careful purse...?" Rummy asked him when they had exited the nine or tenth shop of the afternoon. "I may retire from the 'Dog." he said in a most matter-of-fact tone, which was common to him. "Retire...? And quit the life?" she said surprised, raising an eyebrow. "Nay. Not the life." He said, shaking his head a little. "Leave the 'Dog, but remain by the fire." "Why...?" was all that she could manage after searching through the many questions that cropped up in her mind. "I've enough. I could buy a shop here." he said gesturing about with the sweep of his hand. "Think of it..." She did think of it. In fact, she had already thought of it. She had thought of it often, but thinking it had made her feel guilty in some way, for she was the carpenter aboard the 'Dog and it was no small life. Still, now that she heard the idea of leaving on the lips of a fellow crew member, she thought she could talk about it aloud. And so they did. They talked about little else, for their two professions and their all too obvious camaraderie made an alliance of purpose very plausible. It also made the idea profitable. ~Starboard Watches on Duty~

Aye, Santa Teresa 1796 and some roasted breadfruit. I'll leave the bottle...

Think "French"

Aye, but should you ever wish to, you have my blessing. That's a nice little parcel of a building, isn't it...? Still, the tent tavern is going to be loads of fun. I look forward to it very much.

Excellent ideas. If the construction at the fort doesn't occupy all of the arches, will you be setting up any part of the tavern under the Northwestern portion of the fort?

As I hinted above, the very best way to contribute is to get your kit as authentic as possible. The backbone of the camp will be peoples individual kits. If they are right, we will have a great impression. If they are wrong, anything done to try and make up for it becomes a mockery! Lots of great hints around here. Good luck! Seconded. Once you have your personal kit in place and as the festival draws nearer, we shall be handing out assignments. You are of course welcome to volunteer assistance by way of donated items and suggestions as always, but kit before camp.

I'm excited about the lanterns. I do plan to purchase two and leave one behind for the following camps. The matching set should be well suited for a pair of night watchmen when we do the rounds. I'm seriously considering a musket for patrol.

There are very simple shirt patterns in the Captain Twill forum. I recommend you make your shirts out of linen. It breathes very well in warm weather. May I assume that I can officially add you to the roll call? And do you have a camp preference?

Aye, I did notice that, though on page 47. Still I would like to see a second source on this for I have seen the "canvas bucket" issue hotly debated before. Perhaps one of our resident historians has a second source on the canvas bucket.

Excellent. Thank you for the fine link.

This is your year. Bring the whole crew down to Pirates in Paradise.

Tonight's specials are a vegan lasagna with a side of garlic bread... Herb Ravioli with organic marinara sauce, vegan parmesean and an olive tapenade on top... Bruschetta interesting variation with garlic spread and black and green olives...

July 29, 1704 - St. Louis William set out items before Ms. Molyneux for the space of half an hour. She inspected each item with the dispassion of a practiced appraiser, noting the unique differences in each piece. William had chosen every item for this particular collection for the quality of the craftsmanship as much as the value of the metals and stones. The other two bags, containing rings, bracelets, stones and other specie from the Ilex Fortune, were of a much poorer make than these, and William would sell them later among the cheap shops and street buyers. "A quality piece." Ms. Molyneux said aloud, for the tenth time since beginning their exchange, and she stopped to make several notations on the value of the ring held in her hand. While she was employed in these notations, her father, Monsieur Thibault Molyneaux, entered the shop room and introductions were made. Monsieur Molyneaux was a polite gentleman of at least fifty years. He was bald, but his fashionable wig did not make this apparently obvious. He had an unusually straight nose with hard, almost right angles to it. It was a chiseled thing which offset the rest of his face, and his mouth seemed out of place underneath it, being an altogether average mouth. Still, he was pleasant and he warmed to William at once, especially when he laid eyes on the large number of precious items lined up on the table. Ms. Molyneaux excused herself from the table and her father stepped in as owner and appraiser. He confirmed his daughters calculations with only a cursory glance, moving to the next items in short order. Like his daughter, his appraisal of each item was fair and to the point. He assigned an average value to every item, that was neither too little nor too much. William had hoped for this, without fully expecting it. It meant that bartering and haggling on the final price would be easier. Perhaps not generous, but easier. It was a long wait, with William siting silent much of the time. He didn't mind the waiting and watching, for Adélaïde was often in the room offering delicate dishes and drink throughout the passing afternoon. She was even so kind as to take drink to John McGinty who waited out of doors. William's only true interaction with the shop owner came in the form of two 'exceptions' to the business at hand, for he spied some items he thought might be put to better use elsewhere, and borrowed them back again. The owner did not seem to mind this, simply moving to the next item at hand. William pocketed one of these items, but left the other on the table. ~Starboard Watches on Duty~

You might also want to consider a monmouth cap, boarding axe, and sailor's bag.

Most excellent sir, I received my shoe buckles today and they are marvelous. They are both beautiful and unique. The handcrafted, hand-finished look of each buckle lends them a subtle antiquated appearance which makes them all the more authentic for their minute flaws. I couldn't be happier with them. I like them more the longer I study them. Now all I need are the shoes to put them on...

Foxe and I spoke at length about the printed materials and I hope to see them on the RH site very soon.