Gute Morgan

It's not for lack of desire, Black John. I'd love to do the straight up historically accurate reenactment. I'm always wowed by the Brethren and what you guys do. I also love the singing and performing we do, and portraying the romanticized side of pyracy. Just not enough hours in the day to do it all. Maybe when me powder monkeys be grown and off to sea themselves.

Well all good things... The Mariners and we decided to part company amicably, although we may return for a special event later in the season. The majority of their fans just weren't into the whole pirate thing, they were there for football. But it was way cool to perform on the same stage that held the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Sinatra, and so many others. We've still got a busy season this summer and fall, and we hope to see all you Chesapeake scallywags out a piratin' with the rest of us.

That's pretty much how we looked at it. It's a neat thing to have, but at the end of the day, it is a piece of paper. We're not really certain why folks are upset about it, but we have heard from a great many sources that they are (not that anyone has said anything to our faces). If folks are upset, we think they ought to know the truth of the matter. I'd much rather have a beer with people than be sniping at each other.

A number of Rumors have come to our Attention regarding Pirates for Sail and the crew of the Drunken Ferret. As a Ship's Officer and Senior Crewmember, I would like to Respond to them for the Captain, Officers, and Crew as a whole to hopefully put an End to these Falsehoods. As we Understand it, the Several Tales spreading throughout the Pyrate, Reenactment, and Renfaire Communities are: • Pirates for Sail are Stealing Members from other Ships. • The Community of Pyrates are upset that Pirates for Sail obtained a Letter of Marque from the Maryland Renaissance Festival (MDRF) without being a SCA or Guilde ship. • A Member of Pirates for Sail got into a Fight at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and therefore Pirates for Sail are no longer welcome at MDRF. The Vast Majority of our Members are not current Members of any Guilde, SCA, Reenactment, or other similar Group. Some are, but Most are not. With one Exception of which I am aware, those of us who are Members of Guilde or other Groups were never recruite'd by Pirates for Sail; rather, those Individuals Approach'd Pirates for Sail about joining. They Audition'd and were Accept'd as Performers. We never place'd any Stipulations on anyone that they had to Terminate their Membership with any other Crew or Group with which they were affiliate'd. Some have Maintain'd Memberships with other Groups; others have Chosen to Leave those Groups on their own. Without Fail, each One who left another Group when they join'd Pirates for Sail tell us they End'd their Memberships for Reasons other than joining Pirates for Sail. Pirates for Sail LLC is not and has never claim'd to be a Member of any Guilde, despite Rumors that an ex-member of our crew has made Statements to the Contrary. We are a Performing Group. If someone seeks to join us, it's no different than if that Person had join'd the Pyrates Royale, or the Corsairs, or the Crimson Pirates, or any other Performing Group. If a Crew Member of a Guilde Ship were to join any of these Singing Groups, you wouldn't Accuse that Group of Stealing that Person. A few years back, Pirates for Sail obtain'd a "Letter of Marque" from the City of Baltimore and then-Mayor His Honour Martin O'Malley (now the Governour of our Greate State). At one point, we rais'd the Question among Ourselves as to what would be involv'd in Obtaining a Letter of Marque from MDRF. One of our Performers had been in SCA on the West Coast and had Worked various Renfaires, and he not'd that he thought we would have to be a Sanction'd SCA organization, but he agree'd to Approach his Contacts at MDRF and Inquire as to the Process. It was Confirm'd for us that, normally, the Organization receiving the Letter of Marque did indeed need to be SCA or Guilde related. We Dropped the Matter at that Point. Nonetheless, Pirates for Sail were Contact'd shortly thereafter by Friends within MDRF who suggest'd we Approach King Henry directly. We did so at Faire and, with no further Input from us, MDRF graciously chose to Award us said Letter of Marque. To this Day, we still are not entirely Certain what the Appropriate Process may be. There was no Intention on our part to short-circuit or sidestep accepted Protocols. We asked, we receiv'd Information, and we Acted on that Information, believing what we were doing was Appropriate. It seems to us that Individuals who are Concern'd about this really have a Beef with MDRF, not Pirates for Sail. Finally, it recently came to our Attention that an Individual who, for one early Season had been a Member of our Crew, allegedly was involv'd in some sort of Altercation at MDRF in the 2007 season. At the time of this alleged Event, that Individual had not been a Member of our Group for more than a Year. Whatever happened--and we did not even Hear of the Incident until April of this year--it most certainly did not Involve a current Member of Pirates for Sail. Pirates for Sail LLC is a Business Dedicat'd to bringing a bit of Pyracy to the Masses in a form that Entertains, and we have been unexpectedly Successful at it. We have Perform'd for Audiences ranging from 10 to 3,000+ Souls and have many more Events booked for this Year and next. We have provid'd paid Public Venues for other Pyrate Groups such as Letters of Marque, the Brigands, and the Pyrates Royale. We are more than willing to Accept any who wish to Perform with us and Share any Successes we have with the Pyrate Community whenever possible. We Recognize we are relative Newcomers, and though we have made Mistakes, none have been made with Malice or Intrigue. We Work very hard to keep Politics and Drama out of our Group, and we take Greate Offense at any that is Generat'd in our Name by Others. If Anyone has Concerns regarding Pirates for Sail, have the Courage, Honour, and Grace to Bring them to us rather than Rely on Intrigue and Innuendo. Is that not one of the Injustices that Pyrates of Olde fought against? With Great Respecte for all who Promote the History and Romanticism of Pyracy, We Remain Your Most Humble Servants, Pirates for Sail

Sadly that ship, the Clipper City, went out of business last July. Pirates for Sail have been without a ship ever since.

Why you scurvy, bilge suckin', son of a serpent, I resemble that remark! Just fer that, ye be buyin' the first round in Fells P'int!

Thanks for the photos. We had a great time ourselves. Hope t' clap our lookouts on ye at the next game.

'ello all! Pirates for Sail are the official pirates of the Baltimore Mariners indoor arena football team. We'll be raidin' every home game at the 1st Mariner Arena in Bal-tee-more, performing at pre-game and/or half time shows. We'll also be appearing at the following venues in the coming weeks: Sat Apr 12......Baltimore Mariners Sat Apr 19......Fells Point Privateer Day/Baltimore Pyrate Invasion Fri Apr 25.......Baltimore Mariners Sat May 3.......Private wedding, Havre de Grace, MD Sat May 10.....Baltimore Mariners Sat May 24.....Virginia Renaissance Festival, Lake Anna, VA Sun May 25....Virginia Renaissance Festival Mon May 26....Virginia Renaissance Festival Fri May 30......Baltimore Mariners Sat June 7......Maryland Faerie Festival, Upper Marlboro, MD Sun June 8.....Maryland Faerie Festival Sat June 14....Baltimore Mariners Sat June 14....Long Island Pirate Festival, Long Island Maritime Museum, West Sayville, NY Sun June 15...Long Island Pirate Festival Tue June 23....Baltimore Mariners Fri Aug 9.........Pirates and Wenches Weekend, Rock Hall, MD Sat Aug 10......Pirates and Wenches Weekend And, as always, most Friday nights and every other Saturday night at the Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, Maryland!

That is in fact our intent. We're studyin' the overnight accommodations, plus we have a couple of local events takin' up our attention right now. We are doing the opening/halftime shows for home games for Baltimore's indoor arena football team, the Mariners, starting this Friday. Hopefully we'll have some definite plans for LI by the time we see you at Fells Point in April. Hey, if you all want to stick around for a week, that 18th century market fair is April 24-27 here in Maryland. When you say, "we are thinking about doing a live CD," do you mean just the Brigands, or are you asking us to be on it too?

Pirates for Sail have just released our first CD, "A Shot Across the Bow," and we're hosting a CD release party on Saturday March 22 at the Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, Maryland, 8 pm 'til whenever. Stop by and help us celebrate!

Capt, are you bringing the CD with you to the Baltimore Pyrate Invasion in April?

Pirates for Sail have released our first CD, "A Shot Across the Bow," and we're holding a CD release party at Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring Maryland on Saturday March 22, 8 pm til whenever. All area pirates--or any pirates who are going to be in the area--are welcome to come by and help us celebrate.

Pirates for Sail will be there performing in the square, on board the Pirate Quest, and at Bertha's. And we'll have our first CD for sale. Or sail.

BARGAIN ALERT! Prices on the remaining tickets have been reduced to $15. How could a pyrate pass on that? Get yours now from piratesforsail.com, stop by the Piratz Tavern, or get them at the door.

If you're looking for pirates in the Baltimore area, drive down to the Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring on Sept. 19 for the Talk Like a Pirate Day Party with the Pyrates Royale. Tickets on sale at www.piratesforsail.com ($25 in advance, $30 at the door). Pirates for Sail perform every Friday night at Piratz Tavern. We do pirate-themed pirate cruises occasionally in the Inner Harbor aboard the Prince Charming (www.harborcruises.com). When the mighty Clipper City tall ship returns to the Inner Harbor, we should be doing regular pirate cruises and pirate party cruises with live pirate music. If you're musically inclined, give us a hail. We're always looking for new performers.

Pirates for Sail be proud t' announce we'll be hostin' a Talk Like a Pyrate Day event, Wednesday Sept. 19, at Piratz Tavern in world famous Silver Spring, Maryland. Our special musical guests for the evenin' will be the world famous Pyrates Royale! Doors be openin' at 6:00 p.m., 'n' the party (i.e. music) be startin' at 8:00 p.m. Tickets be on sale now at www.piratesforsail.com, $25 in advance ($30 at the door). We be havin' just 150 tickets available, so don't be missin' out...fork over yer hard-earned doubloons now! We hope t' be seein' ye scurvy dogs at the Piratz Tavern. This be the Wednesday night before Adventure (Pyrate) weekend at MDRF, so start yer pyratin' early 'n' come out Wednesday night for the pyratical sounds of the Pyrates Royale! :angry:

If you enjoyed the Clipper City cruise, come join us again May 26 for our POTC3 pirate party cruise, where you get a ticket to the movie's opening weekend, bus ride to Fells P'int, pirate cruise with live music (Ship's Company Chanteymen and Pirates for Sail), and a ride back to your car. See www.piratesforsail.com for more info. Can't join us that weekend? Come out September 19 for our Talk Like a Pirate Day cruise with the Pyrates Royale.

Blenderwench and Crimson Corsair, another excellent job organizing. This gets better each year. Here's to next year! Let's hear it for the Blenderwench and Crimson Corsair... Hip hip, huzzah! Hip hip, huzzah! Hip hip, huzzah!

Our Pirates of the Caribbean 3 party cruise has just been reduced to $68. Tickets are going fast. Get yours now! A couple of folks have IM'ed me asking why it's so expensive this year compared with last year. Two reasons: Live music this year, and the increased cost of fuel (for the buses and for the ship). Yes, it is a sailing vessel, but as with all sailing vessels in this damned century, the King's bloody Coast Guard requires an engine. We just pretend it's not there. Come out, party like a pyrate! Did I mention that if ye've a black powder weapon, ye may be bringin' it aboard t' fire provided ye not be smokin' 'n' yer grog consumption not be imparin' yer judgment in firin' yer weapon. Any black powder weapons must be coordinated and cleared with our gunnery crew prior to boardin'.

Sadly, no matter how well we might sing, I don't think it' a matter of what the park rangers will allow. It's national park policy...I've never seen them allow camping at Ft. McHenry outside of actual Ft. McHenry-related reenactments. Perhaps with enough ships and cannon fire, the pyrates could TAKE Ft. McHenry! Now THAT would be a true pyrate invasion! Crimson and Blenderwench, might we shoehorn that event into the festivities?!

I've only been out on Saturdays in the past. Are all the sutlers set up on Thursday and Friday as well? Can't go Saturday this year, but am thinking of taking a number of our crew out on Thursday or Friday to help get them suited up in a more historical fashion.

There's also the KOA campground off I-97, where the Juryrig camps during MDRF.

Black John, if ye be wantin' to fire guns, who be I t' deny ye? If ye'll come down 'n' bring that beautiful blunderbuss, I'll bring ye 'board the Clipper City meself 'n' ye can shoot it till we're all deaf! OO-RAH!

Aye Sealegs and Mad Meg, we'll be lookin' out fer ye. If ye be wantin' an activity fer the kiddies, there be three 1-hour long pirate sails 'board the Clipper City that day. Check www.clippercity.com for details. As to comments regardin' black powder, there be some sort o' pirate raid happenin' that afternoon, with pirates comin' ashore from the Clipper City. Me understandin' be that this'll be cleared with the local constabulary. No gun fire on shore, but there be some from the Clipper City as long as all have been cleared by our gunners and black powder experts, as well as the ship's skipper. Aye, there should be no unauthorized gun fire ashore other than that. Captain Thighbiter and his boys know what they be doin', and they be authorized by the proper aut'orities. (But Captain, I was aboard the Clipper City New Years Eve, and me understandin' be that all pistol fire was authorized by Pirates for Sail's gunners and by the ship's skipper.) Don't forget me hardies, the pub crawl that evenin'. And there be a pirate party sail aboard the Clipper City too. And remember, if ye be inclined to venture out to Ft. Fred, that be a 4-day affair. Take a sick day and go out Thursday or Friday, or go out Sunday.

Aye, mates! Pirates for Sail (aka the Crew of the Drunken Ferret) has the cure for what ails ye as we leave the winter and colder latitudes behind. If ye be cruisin' the waters of the Chesapeake, ye'll be wantin' t' chart a course fer the Inner Harbor. Saturday April 28, there be three public pirate sails outta Fells P'int during the day in conjunction with the Fells P'int Privateer Day/Baltimore Pyrate Invasion. Damn me eyes ye'll be a lubber if'n ye don't check out The Brigands 'n' Pirates for Sail peformin' on stage throughout the day, 'n' Pirates for Sail performin' aboard the Clipper City. That evenin', in conjunction with the Pyrate Invasion Pub Crawl, there be a Pirate Party Cruise aboard the Clipper City. (garb encouraged!) Pirates for Sail 'n' a special musical guest t' be announced be performin' fer yer bloody entertainment. Watch www.clippercity.com for details, prices, 'n' ticket purchases, or just meet us at the Fells P'int docks, ye mangy sea dogs. Aye, we be knowin' tis also the Southen Maryland Celtic Festival AND the Ft. Frederick Market Fair. I gots no answers fer ye with regard t' the first, but Ft. Fred be a four-day event, so avast ye barnacled lubbers...sail out t' Ft. Fred on Sunday and joins up with us on Saturday. On Saturday May 26 (that be Memorial Day weekend), Pirates for Sail be hostin' our 2nd annual Pirates of the Caribbean Pirate Party Cruise for the openin' weekend of PTOC3. Visit our website at www.piratesforsail.com for tickets. Tickets be $78 each, or $68 if you purchase before April 1. A lot of gold, says ye? Aye, says I, but fer that price, just clap yer lookouts on what ye be gettin': * a ticket to the movie at Muvico Theater in Arundel Mills Mall, * bus ride to Fells P'int * time t' steal...er...procure dinner 'n' a pint on yer own in Fells P'int * a 3-hour pirate party cruise aboard the Clipper City with music by The Ship's Company Chanteymen 'n' Pirates for Sail * deals on open bar (additional purchase) * bus ride back t' Arundel Mills 'n' yer car This be a garbed event, me buckos. And, as I understands it, the Juryrig be campin' just up the road from Arundel Mills that weekend. What better way t' spend yer Saturday, says I. Then ye just slips on back t' camp that evenin'. Handsomer than that ye couldn't hope t' find. Finally, on Wednesday September 19, we be hostin' yet another Talk Like a Pirate Day Pirate Party Sail aboard the Clipper City with special musical guest...none other than the bleedin' Pyrates Royale! (we're not worthy! we're not worthy!) We be mighty honored the Pyrates Royale have agreed t' perform fer us in the middle o' Maryland Renaissance Festival season. In addition to toastin' Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19 is the Wednesday before MDRF's Adventure (Pirate) Weekend. What better way t' start celebratin' early? Keep checkin' back at www.piratesforsail.com for updates 'n' ticket sales. And that's all I has to say. I'm bloody parched! Where be the bleedin' rum?