Gentleman of Fortune

Lady B Yes, the NQG event page is the first place I checked (and the first link I sent our Italian friends). But, I wanted to hear from folks that have been to the particular events, not just read the promoters by-line so to speak. Thanks for all the suggestions though... I will keep you posted. GoF

I think that they are planning to come to the US FOR the event, and then probably travel a bit afterward. I had initially thought of suggesting PIP, but it may not give them enough time to get their act together... about a month. So something in the Spring might be better as air fair will be cheaper than the summer months. GoF

Greetings all... Got A question. I received an e-mail at my GoF site from some enthusiastic Italian Pirate re-enactors that are really interested in going to the US to participate at a Pirate event and are looking for a "recommended" event. So.... what should I recommend? Gasparilla? Pirates in Paradise? any suggestions? I would think that one of the larger events with lots going on would be the best.... probably not a small town, 12 pirates show up, kind of event. GoF PS I am sure they are all hunky Italian men... and will probably need some body to show them around....

Yes.. prices are steep. I can only "convince" the Warden its ok, as long as it doesn't take "new" money. That is, as long as I sell old kit to buy new kit, or find a way to generate money in the hobby, buy making/selling within the hobby.... Convoluted I know, but if the system works. Yes, i have to say its Pretty F-C. But, the reality is that its probably not that much cheaper than an original. Last year, at the Kassel Militaria Show, original period clamshells and Hangers ranged from about $800-$1600 depending on style and condition. The ODF sword does have a sweet scabbard though. I will take some pics when the dust settles around here. GoF

I had the chance to pick up one of Kyle Willard's of Old Dominon Forge's pieces a while back... (thats why I was scramblin' to sell hats, buckles, belaying pins', hemp rope, black bear skins... and the kitchen sink too!) Anyway, It came today, in time to be considered a birthday present... well, that is what I am tellin' the Warden (aka my wife). It came with a beautiful scabbard as well. I really dig the Dutch influence in the design, the 24" blade is VoC marked marked as well. Now I have to upgrade my carrying rig. GoF

This is an interesting Company that makes modern and replica historical axes. http://www.gransfors.com/htm_eng/index.html (click "products" on the left side) The link has a pdf booklet, that you can download a booklet about Northern European Axes... that has some "light" information But click around their site too, as its pretty cool. I met with them at a show in Germany Last year, and they were pretty nice folks. Good Luck, and keep us posted on your progress! GoF

Anyone from the Pub going this year? I hope to be there a couple of days. http://www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk/ GoF

I like it! Good work. I think you, Casket C, Morgan, and Mr Bagley are inspiring a lot of people!... GoF

Dude... you done good! Congrats! GoF

This has come up before... another board perhaps? anyway I read it a little differently. He didn't order 6 men to put on ordinary jackets, he order 6 men that were already dress as sailors, already in ordinary jackets to get into the boat. The only people actually quoted as changing into other clothes, or into a disguise are "he himself", the master, and the doctor. Interesting that their disguise is to "dress up" like gentlemen.... leading us to believe that even in these positions of authority, they were not already dressing like gentlemen. So another way to write it would be "we told six regular sailors in their ordinary sailors clothes to get into the boat, while we dressed up like gentlemen so we would appear to be more like a regular merchant ship and crew. Of course, that is just how I read it. GOF

I am still trudging through my site upgrade. Not through yet, but the bulk of it is up. http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/Jacket.htm GoF

Lady B I hope this doesn't open a can of worms or anything, but true to form, ya know I had to comment. First, the number of folks who are striving for European/Colonial Pirate look are by far in the smallest of minorities in the Pirating community. Cmon' you know its true. It doesn't take long to figure this out just by looking at pictures from events... Ojai, Gasperilla, Pirate Con, or "fill-in-the-blank" ren faire... I am betting there are more pirate belly dancers at these events than those portraying, colonial pirates. What skews their numbers though is that a lot of them post in Plunder or in Twill so it seems like they are overrepresented. But lets take a look at some of your questions/statements and look at them objectively. 1)Q: Did anyone's pirate persona sail around to different areas of the world? Or not? A: Sailors most certainly did travel far and wide. No question. We know that the Dutch and English (East India Companies) were trading around the world at this time so this is a no brainer. 2) Statement:Just never see a Pirate from Madagascar or Asia (Indian, Chinese, etc).. Reply: I think that is because most people portraying pirates are portraying the Golden Age of Piracy that took place in the Caribbean/Atlantic Seaboard. This kind of morphs from the French being the main piracy element in the bulk of the 17th century, to the English taking over in the GAoP. The French were predominantly preying on Spanish Treasure fleets, and the English on merchant shipping going to and from the colonies. Most of these English pirates were merchant navy or regular navy guys out of work due to the various peace treaties in effect between Spain -France -England (which seem to be on again off again affairs) but when a country is a peace, they constrict their military forces... including the Navy. So out of work sailors during this time in history generally equates to an increase in piracy. I am not sure when the Golden Age of Piracy in Asia is considered, but I have read no accounts as of yet, of any Asian pirates operating in the Caribbean during the 1680-1720 time frame. 3) Continued statement: "or a pirate in a kilt or a Russian pirate... or an Islander pirate (like Quyquag)... etc." Reply: My theory is that being a sailor is a job. That has specific duties and skills related to it. The sailor clothing of the time reflects this, which is why we see them depicted in this specific clothing over and over again. Short Jacket, Trousers and shoes. From the depictions at the end of the GAoP in Johnsons' work to the frontispiece and images in Exquemelin 1686 work, we see pirates and sailors wearing similar clothing. So, a kilt might not be the best item to wear for working a ship. The modern idea of what a kilt is, isn't really "invented" till the end of the GAoP, and I would imagine that it would not be the best item to wear while working with pitch and tar. And no sailor wants to gaze up aloft and see someones mainmast... ewwwww! The petticoat breeches though are similar in that they are a wide pleated skirt like affair, but again, they are coming out of fashion by the beginning of the GAoP. Russian Pirate? Funny you should mention that. Here is a picture of a Russian sailors outfit from right around 1700 (which places it smack dab in the GAoP) Hmmmm.... seem familiar? Why its a short jacket with breeches! Peter the Great of Russia Spent a lot of time in England and Holland studying their Navies, shipyard, and shipbuilding. When he gets back to Russia, guess what he does? He uses that as a blueprint for his own navy. I guess for me, the bottom line is figuring out why a sailor would adopt certain aspects of dress. I have not been all over the world, but I do live in Europe and have visited many of the countries here as well as some in the Americas. When I went to Mexico, I bought a Sombrero. I have suffered through hundreds of sunny 95+ degree days between the time I bought it and today. And you know how many times I have worn it in the last 12 years? Once, on Halloween. I live in Bavaria and "own" a set of Trachten... When I visit my folks in Virginia, do they catch me coming off the plane in that outfit? Hell no. And we live in an era where almost anything goes. I would imagine it was the same thing during the GAoP. Yes, you might have worked on a trade ship to India in 1711, but does that mean you go "native" and from that point on are up in the rigging with your robes and turban... in an English Port? While this is a little tongue and cheek, I am not trying to offend. For those who want to look like your average English sailor circa 1715, there are certain things that go with that look. Deviating from the look gets a little harder to explain. Especially given the body of evidence we have from the period (pictures, wills, probate sales, and recovered artifacts). GoF

I would like "in" GOF Germany Via an Army Post Office APO address (That means all mail to me goes through New York City, where the Military Picks it up and Flies it over to Europe) Have you posted the dimensions of the pages in the book... so we could start early? GoF

Last year's amount was $20. I will look through my stuff and see if I can find the rules we had for last year and will post them. But in a nut shell, for the uninitiated, here is how it worked. If you are in the Secret Santa group, send your Snail Mail address to Rumba (your screen and real names help) She distributes ONE name and address to everyone who wants to participate, so for example, GoF might get Pat Hand's address, and Pat Hand might get Rumba's Address. Let me stress here that there is a SECRET Part, you don't TELL anyone who you are getting the gift for, even the recipient. Thats why its called SECRET SANTA and not Blabber-Mouth Santa. And again, you only have to buy ONE gift for ONE pirate who is playing the game, you don't have to buy everyone a gift. The person who gets the gift then posts here at the pub and tries to guess who their Santa was. So, in the example above, Pat Hand might post a picture of a set of Silver Shoe buckles and say, "wow, look at these cool buckles I got... I bet Red Handed Jill was my secret Santa, because I was complaining to her that I didn't have a cool set of buckles...." At a pre determined date, we then reveal who our secret santa was. The reason we stress active members in good standing is that if ONE person screws up and doesn't send a gift, forgets, or is 3 weeks late, it sours the whole thing. Also, some members who are on the forum live overseas, and shipping can take a while so if you wait to send your package to Belgium on December 8th, that person on the receiving end isn't going to get it until after the New Year I really wish we had the thread to last year, it would explain a lot... anyone know what happened to them? GoF

Its also called a "Wall Gun" or "Rampart Gun" and placed in a yoke and mounted to defend fortified positions. On a ship though, any swivel mounted gun with a wooden shoulder stock is usually reffered to as an "espingole" (which include the blunderbuss types). If you want one, you can get a parts kit from "The Rifle Shoppe" http://www.therifleshoppe.com/complete_parts_sets.htm They also have a French Wall Gun (#717) for $1495 and a Dutch Wall Gun (#718) for $1495 too. These prices are for kit only... you still need to put it together. GoF

Mr S I think its the angle of the pic, and the hat. While the cocked hat certainly wasn't the only style of GAoP headgear, nothing says pirate like a cocked (tricorn) hat. If your cry for help is asking for suggestions, then I would 'cock it into a three cornered hat and lose the badge on front. Kind of hard to tell what it is, but I am guessing its a skull? Good things. 1) I like your shirt. The slops contracts say "checked' shirt" and most people interpret that as any kind of check will work. My research into it leads me to believe that GAoP (and probably much later) checked are the window pane type of check... not the Italian Restaurant style. This is the "bad" style of checks and here is what I believe to be a more GAoP style of windowpane check Which is more similar to yours. I can't see the cuffs of your shirt... and your jacket obscures the view of a lot of it... but that is the benefit of wearing a neckerchief and a coat... it hides a lot of sins! 2)Your neckerchief Its good to see you wearing one. I have posted before that its practically a must have as 99% of period pics of sailors show them wearing a neckerchief. Its hard to tell much about your sleeveless jacket from this photo. In my research, most short jackets had around 11 buttons or so that went from the throat, to about a little below the belly button, then the last 6-8 inches of jacket did not have any buttons. Also, the buttons are spaced about 1"-1.25 inches apart. The wider spaced buttons seem to be later... You are off to a good start, and Kudos for posting a picture of yourself. I wouldn't worry about the "miner" thing, as its probably more of the hat than anything else. Plus, you have to expunge the preconceived notions of Hollywood pirates to get a better idea of what period pirates really did look like. GoF

Thats funny! I was thinking the same thing! Count me in, of course. I haven't read over the last years thread in a while to see if there were any lessons learned/ways to make it better, but I think starting earlier would be a help. I was trying to find a link to Last years Secret Santa thread to reduce the amount of explaining on how it worked.... but they seemed to have vanished... Tried a pub search, but alas, nothing. What gives? GoF

You know, I think its only fair to give the pirate lass and the photographer there own little space on the pyracy pub. I kind of feel like we are talking about her behind her back... and I am sure it looks good from that angle too.... any way here goes The folks at the Pyracy Magazine wanted content... think we found their next cover model. (stuff like that makes me say, "Screw authenticity!") Here is a link to the photographer's site.... G Mortensen Jr well done man!

**snicker*** Ok MikeB... you got me! GoF

SPC I really enjoyed your photos, and posted some comments on them (just lighthearted stuff). You really captured the feeling of the event from a participants perspective, which was kind of cool for me since I am too far away (Germany) to attend. Everything from the convenience store pit stops to the late night around the fire really brought back memories. Thanks for posting. GoF

For you new folks, and old-posters alike, if you haven't already checked out the Piracy Pub map, please take the time to stop over and check it out. I get a lot of folks asking me if "there are any pirates in my area". Well, see for yourself and Mark Your Spot! http://www.frappr.com/pyracypub GOF

I found this on another board... sounds interesting! http://frontierfolk.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=12706 GoF

Good question From looking at period pictures, the buttons would either be 1)metal with shank 2)cloth buttons 3)thread buttons, like dorset buttons. 1)Metal When they talk about "white tinn" it usually means pewter. "Gold" buttons would probably mean brass. If "black buttons" were metal... maybe they were painted metal. I don't feel great about that, but its the only thing I can think of. I have a collection of original buttons (not necessarily naval), but from the GAoP era, and they are either pewter, brass, or bronze (and a very few are silver). By far, the majority that I have are pewter (white tinn). None of them show any evidence of ever being painted. 2) Cloth buttons They still used a lot of cloth buttons in the GAoP as evidenced by period pictures. These would probably be made the same way they were made in the 16th.17th century... here is an example http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_buttons.htm The gunnister man's clothing (Short Jacket, Justaucorps, and Shirt) all had cloth covered wood buttons. 3) Thread buttons. This is a specific style of button, so i think it would be noted as such in the ASC if that is what they meant... something like "15 black dorsett buttons..", but since we don't see that, I say its the least likely possibility. PS Yes, this is a great thread.... I very much enjoyed re-reading it and am glad to say most of the players are still here at the pub. GoF

Mike Bageley WOW! Man that looks great! One think that is hard to "capture" is the close fitting-ness of period clothes, especially Justaucorps. Short jackets seem to be a mix of close fitting and baggy. I really like the look you got with yours... I had trouble with the arms with mine (I used my own pattern), but I think that you got it spot on. Zeph Nash had a great idea of "converting" modern shoes to more of a latchet style as an interim until correct shoes could be bought and that might serve you in the short term as well. The last thing i'd say is find a neckerchief.... Well almost the last thing. Please get outside and take another picture. I'd love to use it on my website! GoF

Got another "mostly" done http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/basic_kit.htm GoF