William Brand

As always, I recommend Red Hawk Trading Company... http://www.redhawk-trading.com/ The tent I purchased from them is remarkably well made and very sturdy. You are allowed to carry steel weapons. Many pirates came armed with steel and lead. There will be certain safety officers in place to watch over the use, or point out the 'misuse', of any weapons at the festival, but restrictions are few. So far the fort and festival planners remain very open about gear, so we must continue to use good common sense.

July 21, 1704 - Aboard the Watch Dog William joined his share of the Apollo gold to the modest strongbox which housed his personal items. Among his small fortune lay the Spanish and French letters of Marque, along with a few other documents he kept about for their personal value. Mister Lasseter returned from his respective duties and the two men sat down to discuss the caches that would be made on La Blanquilla. The island charts were perused for the most suitable location to be found well above the high tide mark. These included some natural formations such as caves and hollows among the rocks. Many sites were discussed and then rejected for locations offering better shelter. Once three locations were chosen, they delved into those goods aboard that would last any rain and wind that might pass over the island in their absence. Rum, fresh water stores, iron nails, timber and some food stores were to go ashore there to be left for their use when they were this way next. They were interrupted only once during this deliberation by the ship's cook, who brought his list of supplies for their examination. They each complimented him in turn for his recent fare and for his considerable effort to offer them variety while remaining frugal in his use of stores. Lazarus seemed humbled and appreciative of their words and took the time to thank them for his shares in the Ilex Fortune and Apollo gold respectively before returning again to the galley. When all of this was accomplished, they returned to the quarterdeck to find the Watch Dog making good speed across the sea between Los Hermanos and La Blanquilla.

"Have Mister Badger bring us about and set the boat crews to lower away once we arrive at La Blanquilla. You and I should then retire to the Ward Room and choose a location for the caches." "Aye, Cap'n." "And have Mister Lazarus make a report of the larder, so we know which stores may be left behind." William watched a few remaining men of the previous watch go down into the noise below decks. "Please remind the crew that no gambling shall be allowed until we make landfall. I'll not have a knife fight aboard ship."

July 21, 1704 - Aboard the Watch Dog Forenoon Watch begins William took up his hat and then replaced it on the table. He went for his coat and decided against it. Instead, he went up upon the quarterdeck in nothing more formal than his waistcoat. He walked to the rail which looked down on the gundeck to the waiting crew assembled amidships. "Gentlemen. Ladies. Good morning." He received a resounding good morning from the crew, though some seemed undecided, waiting to hear what news should come to them before making a final judgment about the day. "We, the crew of the Watch Dog, have seen our share of troubles and trials mixed equally with freedoms and rewards. It is of rewards now that I wish to speak, and to those of you which signed on at the beginning." William paused here to take up his ledger. He read out the names of those who signed on prior to the gleaning of the Danzig, making note of those signed articles which specified the shares and how they were to be divided. Each officer, mate and able seaman nodded as he or she was reminded of their respective shares. Once this reminder was well absorbed by the crew, William read the tally from the sale of goods taken from the Danzig Trader. "Of the goods sold from the Danzig, only the bales of cloth rescued intact were of significant value. The other barrels of goods, including: nails, combs, iron materials, and other sundries were traded at a fair value for new sail, additional spar, flour, rum, salt, sugar, vinegar and other ship necessities." William paused here for effect, pretending to check his figures, which he had already confirmed at least two dozen times since the sale of goods. "Those fortunate forty of you which were present when the Danzig was rescued shall have twelve pounds, two shillings and 10 pence per share." A swift reaction of murmurs and whispers ran through the crew which quickly compounded into a roar of exclamations, cheers and not a little bit of profanity; some of it blasphemous. They were understandably exulted, considering that a single share was now more than an able seaman would make in a year with the Royal Navy, and every lowly seaman aboard had four shares a piece. Fours years of pay in a moment. Many crew members who had seemed hesitant before, could now not contain themselves. Luigi and Robert Thatcher clasped hands together and begin a dance in the middle of the crowd. Of course, there were some that were not so joyous. Eight members of the crew had not been apart of the Danzig Trader discovery and were therefore not entitled to a share. Some of them tried to demonstrate enthusiasm for their comrades, but not all. Still, crew members like Mister Gage and Meg Wardell, who had been rescued from the sea and given place aboard ship were content enough to be alive and they waited patiently for the division of the other fortunes. William raised a quieting hand. "The Ilex Fortune is more problematic. Much of the fortune is tied up in deeds and in stone and gold. These must be sold at market for what coin may be made from them. However, there is some coin that can now to be divided into shares for all but two of you, each share comprising eight shillings and six pence." The reaction from the crew was much smaller this time. Each crew member pausing to do the calculations of this lesser share. It worked out comfortably to two months wages in the Royal Navy and small appreciative nods passed among the able seamen. "Of course, " William continued, "The other gold and stones will fetch considerably more for us once we reach Martinique." What followed next was a cheer equal to the first, not because the promise of more gold moved them much, but the promise of landfall at Martinique. Here a sailor might spend four year's wages in four weeks, and regret nothing. Their tongues wagged at once and more than a few of them took to laughing or shouting until William raised his hand again. "And now we come to the Apollo." The crew quieted at once. For in their elation at the first sums, many of them had forgotten the last fortune. "With this new found fortune, each of us has found ourselves well placed and well paid. Fortune has been good to us of late and because of this I should like to divide the Apollo fortune not by shares, but by equal portions among all aboard. The gold, discovered by chance alone, should be shared by chance equally, and while this means some of us will have less by dividing it thus, most of you shall have a little more." Some of them didn't understand how this worked out until those standing next to them explained the gain. Divided into shares, each able seaman might make roughly eighteen pounds and six shillings, but divided into equal portions for all, than the able seaman would make twenty pounds, eight shillings and five pence. Some of the officers recognized that they stood to get a lot less of the Apollo's gold in this fashion, but in the face of their shares in the Danzig sale, none of them was too troubled by this. Each of them also recognized that any boon to the laborers aboard ship was a boon to all. This also allowed the newer crew members to gain more and no one could object, seeing as how they themselves had gained so much. "The Apollo gold shall be divided presently. All other shares to be given out prior t the landing at Martinique. However, given the opportunity to buy goods there, we shall be caching a large quantity of our stores at La Blanquilla against the winter." Of course, by 'winter' William meant any famine of profit or long term spell without gain. It was a frugal move not always taken by privateers, but William had known his share of dry spells and he meant to provide for himself and the others. "What say you?" This time they were all in agreement and everyone was satisfied that it was a good morning indeed. "Then it is agreed, but one more amendment. I should like to take the five pence allotted to each man and woman's share and give this small taxed sum to Mister Press for finding the Apollo gold. In this way he gains a reward of one pound for making all of us twenty pounds wealthier." There was no decent in the vote and Harold Press beamed at the addition to his already wealthy purse. Then William closed the ledger with a loud pop, dropping his hands behind his back. "RETIRING WATCH TO FORM A LINE AND RECEIVE THEIR PORTION OF APOLLO GOLD! STANDING WATCH TO THE WINDLASS! MISTER BADGER! PREPARE TO WEIGH ANCHOR!"

Two words. Take. Pictures.

It should be pointed out that Blackjohn, in addition to entertaining and instructing the crowd, is also bagging lunch for the day.

Most fine wenches...? First of all, the definition of fine women, like art, can be very subjective. We would have to know your personal taste to answer this question. I will tell you this, there are some delicious, intriguing, remarkable, admirable, striking, intelligent and talented women of the sea to be found here in the Pub. Like all treasure, one must seek them out.

You might consider sharing a rent a car and splitting the cost.

The price is a rule of thumb in almost all cases. Cheap price = cheap sword quality. A well made sword will last forever if not mistreated. I don't own one yet because I know what I want will cost me a fair amount of cash.

July 21, 1704 - Aboard the Watch Dog Just prior to eight bells of the Morning Watch Manus Hingerty approached Nathan with an unhidden look of dislike, though what justification he had for such disdain, no one could say. Perhaps it was his added duties at the galley which were making him surly. Or perhaps it was the rumors he was privy to all day which he heard while serving out food to the watches as they came and went. Rumors aboard a ship are often enough to change the views and perspectives of the less educated and easily bored sailor, and sailors often make as many enemies as they do friends. Unexplainable hatreds spring up among men at sea, and given the limitation of gambling, entertainments and distractions, it isn't wholly strange. Manus Hingerty had simply decided to not like Nathan. "You're Flint's man." Hingerty said. Not a question now, but an accusation. "I am no one's man, but I can count Bill Flint among my friends." Nathan explained, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Hingery made a dismissive sound sound at this. Owen had joined Hingerty, which was not surprising given Owen's taste for stirring up trouble. Together they made a mismatched pair of unfriendly dogs. "You an' Jonas as well, I'll wager." Hingerty continued. Nathan's face darkened a little at the implication of being paired up with Jonas and he narrowed his eyes at Hingerty. Owen just smiled a little, grateful to find something that goaded the new sailor. "Aye." Owen said, his smile widening, "You and Jonas and Flint. Royal Navies." Nathan was unsure how to take this. He had believed that many aboard ship had previously served in the Royal Navy, and he wasn't wrong. Still, he didn't like hearing himself bound up with Jonas. He didn't like Owen much either. Owen bore all the signs of a smart man who prefers being disagreeable and stupid too much of the time. Owen was just clever enough to be tolerated by most, but he had a habit of pushing people a little too far. "The Cap'n made your frien' Jonas part o' th' crew." Hingerty declared, stepping a bit closer to Nathan. "That's the Cap'n's business." Nathan said, ignoring the word friend altogether. Hingerty pressed on as if uninterrupted, "An' twas Flint that foun' th' box." "Mister Lasseter found the box from what I hear." Nathan retorted. Hingerty did not seem to like answers, especially good ones, coming from this young sailor. He stepped forward as though he intended to punctuate his accusations with a well placed fist or two, but Robert Thatcher had come up behind him. "Leave 'im be, Manus." Robert ordered, though he held no real power over the man. "Keep t' yourself, Thatch." Hingerty growled, never taking his eyes of Nathan. Owen smiled at this, for it was he that had first used this truncated version of Thatcher's name and he was glad to hear others using it. "You're expected in the galley, aren't you, Manus." Robert inquired in an overly polite voice. It had the desired effect, for Hingerty turned to Robert at once, and looked as though he meant to make him regret being here. Hingerty did not like being interrupted. He stepped towards Robert, but Mister Pew had arrived from the Ward Room, and recognizing the signs of a disturbance in the making, he crossed to where the man were standing. "What's all this?" Hingerty straightened at once and Owen put away his smile. "Nothing, Sah." Robert Thatcher said agreeably, grateful not to tangle with Hingerty. Not that Robert couldn't take the man. Robert had always been a 'scrapper', but he knew that punishments would be given out to both of them if they tangled on the ship. "We were discussing the treasure, Sah. It seems to be on everyone's mind." "Aye." Mister Pew agreed, scrutinizing Owen and nodding very slowly. "Mind it doesn't interfere with your duties." Not content that they would do so without encouragement, the Master-at-Arms stood there with his hands behind his back waiting for them to disperse. Hingerty couldn't help giving Thatcher a contemptible look as he went, and Owen, hat in hand, gave a simple 'Aye-Aye' and skulked away. Thatcher saluted the Master-at-Arms, gave Nathan the simplest of nods, which Nathan returned, and went about his duties. Mister Pew recored all of this in his mind for later, knowing that no argument aboard a ship this small is too soon forgotten.

July 21, 1704 - The Ward Room of the Watch Dog Nigel Brisbane and Jacob Badger passed the night in conversation and checkers on the quarterdeck. They spoke at length of England, for both of them had been gone from there for some time. They laughed about the mutual places each of them had visited and the gossips of the English world. Ciaran kept the watch aloft content to hum away the dark hours, sometimes pausing to exchange words with the other lookouts, but they soon fell into a silence, each to his or her own thoughts. Patrick Hand kept the gundeck along with Constance and Miss Wardell. They revolved about the small deck where Harold Press mended the spare sail for the cutter. And this is how the night passed, without incident, until the morning showed its bloom. Still the crew slept, preparing for the long day ashore at La Blanquilla where they would offload the extra supplies to caches on the island. By the time William awoke, the morning watch was almost over. He dressed while the sixth bell sounded and by the seventh bell of Morning Watch, he and Dorian were dining in the Ward Room, joined by the Bosun, Coxswain, Master Gunner and Master at Arms. All of them spoke on subjects ranging from food to warfare and back again as Miss Smith went about the table like an inn hostess, humming as she served. William was about to inquire after her good mood when he noted her noting the strongboxes where their fortunes lay. "Gentlemen. A toast. To fortunes gained and fortunes to come." "Aye!" They mutually agreed, and Petee added, "May fortune favor the foolish." William smiled and addressed the Master Gunner, "Mister Youngblood. I like the look of that new six pounder." "As do I, Sah." "I should like it to remain behind at La Blanquilla for our use there." "Aye, Cap'n..." Petee said nodding, "She'll weather betta' than the iron guns." "We can sell the four pounders off when we make port next." Mister Warren said, smiling, "Not that we shall be in great need of additional coin." William smiled along with the rest of them. It was the first time that he didn't mind their small numbers. Had they been more, the treasure would not have seemed so great, but given the crew's small size it was more than generous. "When we are finished here, I should like the crew assembled at the changing of the watch. We must put rumors to rest and let the crew know our minds." Between seventh and eighth bell of Morning Watch

July 21, 1704 - The berth deck of the Watch Dog First bell of Middle Watch By the time Jonas McCormick reached his appointed place of sleep, he was quite tired. He found himself hanging between the towering, snoring Ajayi and the diminutive Jean Dorleac. The sleeping arrangements were of no surprise for McCormick had enjoyed his share of cramped quarters. Owen Monahan fixed Jonas with a leery eye and Jonas returned the look as he hung his hammock. "Cap'n must be desperate for men." Owen said over-loudly. Jonas said nothing. "Stow it, Owen." Thatcher growled, not looking up from the game of backgammon that he and Roche were deeply involved in. Thatcher had become increasingly more obsessed with the game ever since Roche had beat him in ten games in a row. No one had ever beat him so many times. "Beg pardon, Thatch." Owen said, careful to truncate Robert's name in such a way as to irk the man. "But this man 'ere was yesterday a prisoner." Jonas smiled to know that it bothered Owen so much. He made a great show of taking out the gold coin and rolling it over his knuckles. More than a few men stood up and came close to see the coin. "Where did you come by that?" Mister Smyth said with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Jonas let the question hang in the air for a long time, looking around from face to face. "Your captain has a full box of 'em." Tucker didn't like seeing the gold in the man's hand. He was still suffering from his share of cuts and scrapes from gathering the gold off the reef, and to see it now in the hands of this new recruit bothered him. He shouldered his way between the crowding men. "Aye. The ship has a box full of 'em, but ye've not explained yet how it is that you have one." Jonas pocketed the coin with a smile, but in truth he felt a little naked in this hold with so many crowding and unfriendly looks. He wished, no for the first time since coming aboard, that he had a sailor's knife or a cudgel. "It came from the Cap'n." The crew exchanged looks. Harold Press came down to fetch up a fid and needle to do some mending while on watch and found the men crowded about Jonas. Press cut a large figure as he stood between Jonas and the others. He gave Owen a stern look. Owen muttered something under his breath and went back to his place. The others drifted back as well, some of them shrugging off the coin, while others rubbed chins or scratched at imaginary itches, each man's mind on the gold and the Ilex fortune. "Thank you, mate." Jonas said with an air of victory in his voice. Harold turned part way around to look at the man. He fixed Jonas with a look that made him shrink a little. "Cause trouble for the Captain and I'll bleed you." Harold said in a tone that was low and dangerous. Then he went and gathered his things, fixing Jonas with another look as he went out. Jonas decided it was in his best interest to sleep, whether he could or not.

I flew into Key West via Fort Lauderdale. It was a puddle jumper of a plane from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, but it beat driving. I imagine you could also fly into Miami.

I had the pleasure of seeing Phantom in San Francisco some years back. It is a great production live.

July 21, 1704 - Aboard the Watch Dog Eighth bell of First Watch. Middle Watch Begins The Watch Dog was alive with the possibilities of future and fortune. Everyone aboard enjoyed their share of rumination over their portions of the treasures now tucked safely aboard the frigate. Music played on even as the calendar rolled over to the next day with the ringing of the eighth bell. With the start of the new calendar day, William gave the deck over to Mister Badger, who came on deck as the Middle Watch began. Most of the crew retired, having been too long awake, and though the conversations continued into the morning, the 'Dog was relatively quiet on the sea by itself. They could not have known then, as they retired to their hammocks, that half way around the world, Admiral Rooke and Sir Cloudesley Shovell were about to capture Gibraltar.* *footnote - The Capture of Gibraltar and the Treaty of Utrecht An Anglo-Dutch force led by Sir George Rooke seized the Rock in 1704 on behalf of the Archduke Charles, pretender to the Spanish Throne. The territory was eventually ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht as part of the settlement of the War of the Spanish Succession. In that treaty, Spain ceded Great Britain "the full and entire propriety of the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications, and forts thereunto belonging … for ever, without any exception or impediment whatsoever." Nonetheless, the treaty stipulates that no overland trade between Gibraltar and Spain is to take place, except for emergency provisions in the case that Gibraltar is unable to be resupplied by sea. Another condition of the cession is that "no leave shall be given under any pretence whatsoever, either to Jews or Moors, to reside or have their dwellings in the said town of Gibraltar." This restriction was quickly ignored and for many years both Jews and Arabs have lived peacefully in Gibraltar. In a reversion clause, should the British Crown ever wish to relinquish Gibraltar, Spain was promised it will be offered to it first ("And in case it shall hereafter seem meet to the Crown of Great Britain to grant, sell or by any means to alienate therefrom the propriety of the said town of Gibraltar, it is hereby agreed and concluded that the preference of having the sale shall always be given to the Crown of Spain before any others"). As the UK and Spain are both members of the European Union, which is committed to free movement of goods and services, the UK government and Gibraltarians claim that this supersedes any 'restrictions' contemplated in 1704.

Noooooooooooooooo...! Drat. They moved the dates for the event. Now I can't attend. The humanity.

July 20, 1704 - Los Hermanos Between the seventh bell of Forenoon Watch and the seventh bell of First Watch When the eighth bell of Forenoon Watch sounded, the watches changed out aboard the 'Dog. Resting at anchor, the frigate passed the rest of the day in routine. Watches changed out. Lookouts ascended and descended the rigging. The galley crew cooked and cleaned in revolutions. All was clockwork. Jonas McCormick was forced into the cycle of life aboard the privateer vessel whether he liked it or not. He remained under the Master Gunner's eye the rest of the day, repeating the disciplines of arming and cleaning a great gun. Murin McDonough waited out the Doctor's decision to release her to duty, but Tempest refused the request for the present, knowing that the injured hand of the newly appointed tailor wouldn't take to labor so soon. Callie was not allowed the privilege of much rest, for Mister Lazarus kept her busy in the galley for most of the day as he tried to put up as much fish against the next outgoing voyage as he could. Badger gave the deck over to Mister Morgan part way through the afternoon, and the Bosun's Mate remained on the quarterdeck late into the evening. Eric Franklin invited Chanault to take his place among the watch after consulting with the Captain on the matter. William did not disagree and Chanault excepted the watch, allowing a tired Sergeant at Arms to retire. As all of these things scenes played out aboard the Watch Dog, the shore party passed through their share of perils and duties. The Master Carpenter finished her work almost to the minute of her predicted repairs, returning the cutter to duty in as good a condition as it had been before the mishap. Dorian returned the cutter to service at once, making use of the damaged block and rigging of the Apollo, to run lines out to the remaining wreckage. With great effort, the shore party affixed the lines and pulleys to raise the Apollo's shattered timbers. Over several hours of difficult labor, they freed up three of the four cannons discovered my Mister Pew. Two four pounders made of iron and a beautiful six pounder made of brass were brought back to shore through the employment of many hands. More than once a line was lost and they were ever splicing them again to recover the three guns. Mister Pew brought these cannon and his rescued items back to the Watch Dog in repeated voyages and when finished he immediately requested the pleasure of returning to shore to aid in the efforts there. William did not refuse him. All the time they were engaged in the recovery of the cannon, the swimmers sent out by the Quartermaster returned old coins to the Ship's Steward as she tabulated the amount and the value of the gold. Then the amount reached 256 it was impossible for those ashore to keep their excitement to themselves. When the pile had reached 350, it became a distraction to the laborers employed in the salvage. By the time they had exhausted themselves and all efforts of finding more coin the final count had reached 479 coins all gathered in the evening sun. It was astonishing. With every assurance that no more coin could be found, Dorian released the shore party from their duties for the space of an hour and those who had labored to bring coin and cannon ashore were allowed to collapse on the sun heated sand. After some rest and no small amount of conversation, the last of the salvaged items returned to the Watch Dog with the cutter. The First and Second Dog Watch had come and gone by then and no man or woman from shore was made to return to their watches. Many of them ate and went below, no doubt to share what they had seen with their shipmates. This second discovered treasure, coming so quickly after the Ilex fortune, left many talking late into the night. William allowed an additional ration of rum to pass among the revelers, with a caution to any many assigned as a lookout. Despite worn and tired hands, Rummy set the Berth deck to dancing with a lively tune which soon infected the weather decks. William made no effort to correct the liveliness of the crew. The lookouts were vigilant enough that a relaxed attitude did not threaten the frigate, for they were alone in the dark of a moonless night.

A 1992 annular eclipse from the same site...

One of things we discussed as a "wish" for PIP this year was a cutter, longboat, jollywatt, or any other small craft for doing night raids. It would be devilishly fun to sail a boat of 6-12 pirates into one of the dockyards and give the locals a good show.

Patrick is right about the olive oil. We made hard tack with a touch of olive oil and the entire platter of hard tack we made disappeared during our last "Speak Like a Pirate" event. Everyone was raving about them, and I never thought I would use the word "raving" when discussing hard tack. Except perhaps "raving mad".

July 20, 1704 - Aboard the Watch Dog Eric Franklin brought Jonas before the Master Gunner. They found him in the armory where Mister Youngblood was giving instructions on the handling of powder to a few of the younger seamen who served as powder monkeys aboard ship. Most of them were familiar with such things, but prudence dictated that the Master Gunner remind them regularly of their duties. Repetition prevented accidents from happening. With the arrival of the two men, Petee dismissed his class as Eric explained the Captain's wish that the recent prisoner should now be placed in a gunnery crew. Petee Youngblood did not try to hide his surprise, nor did he hide the fact that he didn't like the idea. Eric, relieved that the Captain had not assigned Jonas to the watches under his or Pew's charge, was empathetic to the misgivings of the Master Gunner, and Petee, recognizing the need for more trained men aboard ship, dismissed Eric with a nod. Then he eyed Jonas up and down. The man was of an average height and build, and while he had an unfriendly aspect about him, his eyes showed intelligence which might prove good or bad for the gunnery crew. "What know you of guns, Mister...?" "McCormick." Jonas finished in a surly tone. "Sah." Petee added. "Sah." Jonas returned, then added. "I've 'andled bigger guns than these...sah." "Have you?" Petee returned, and while the question was rhetorical, Jonas answered it anyway. "Aye, sah. I'm good enough for these guns." "I shall be the judge of that." The Master Gunner said, and he was not enjoying the subtle defiances of his latest charge. He gestured to the door and followed the man to the gun deck where he had the man show him the proper order for preparing, arming and then discharging a gun. All of this was pantomimed of course, for Petee had no intention of wasting powder or allowing an unknown to discharge any of his well kept guns. The seventh bell of the Forenoon Watch came and went, and all the while Mister Youngblood noted the icy looks which visited Jonas from the Quarterdeck. After a time he also noted Mister Flint's pipe smoke drifting forward along the decks. This prompted an interruption in his examination of McCormick's skills. "Mister Flint! There's no smoking abaft the mast! Get yourself forward or put out that pipe!" Flint snapped off a quick apology, moving down and forward. Jonas smiled at Flint's expense and the cold front which passed between them did not go unnoticed by anyone on deck. They seemed to exchange quiet threats and predictions of violence as they passed and Mister Youngblood was mindful to cut Jonas off from his mirth. "Again, Mister McCormick. From the beginning."

The average viking was 5'6" and all of Europe feared them.

I understand the concern, but most studies have shown that high percentages of alcohol are retained when it is cooked. A study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory calculated the percentage of alcohol remaining in a dish based on various cooking methods, and the study concluded that alcohol may be added to other boiling liquids or boiled alone and still retain up to 85% of the alcohol on average. In fact, boiling has proved in studies to be the one method of cooking alcohol which retains the highest percentage.

Very nice, mates. That's the spirit. Or...spirits...in this case. If anyone knows the first recorded use of the word Rumfustian, I would greatly appreciate a reference, but I have found the term often enough among reputible pirate sources to know that it existed during the GOAP. Here is one Rumfustian recipe. Rumfustian 1 tsp. sugar 2 oz. sherry 1 cup ale 2 egg yolk Lemon peel 2 oz. gin Cinnamon stick Nutmeg (ground) Several cloves (ground) Beat egg yolks in a bowl with sugar. In a saucepan, bring ale, gin, sherry, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon peel to the boiling point. Turn heat to simmer and pour in egg mixture. Stir briskly with a whisk. Serve in a warmed mug and top with grated nutmeg.

July 20, 1704 - The Ward Room William considered the matter at length before replying. "If we leave the coin where it lies, then those who left the fishing boat here might return to discover it. This would bring unwanted attention to Los Hermanos. Also, some small meddlesome creatures might make off with some of it, so it cannot be left to the sea's whims. Besides, the men would never let it rest there, and we both know how quickly word will spread of this. No, it's best that we retrieve it at once." Mister Lasseter nodded. "Take three of your best swimmers when you go. An extra rum and a relief from the other labors of the day for each, and a coin to Mister Press prior to the dividing of shares for his delightful discovery."