Gentleman of Fortune

Now that that is.... settled.... I can't think of any period depictions of Careening off hand. Does anyone else know of any? I am assuming that everything has to be taken off of the ship to turn it on its side. So...... We need lots of junk, and instead of putting the junk back on board, can we just sell it to the locals and black marketeers? What kinds of props are we expecting? Who can bring what and what has already been settled? Maybe start an new thread, as this one is 16 pages long How about The Mercury 1720 Careening Camp PIP 2007 GoF

Ok.... I'll do what others seem to be reluctant to do.... Its MERCURY damn it! No voting.... lets just move on. (I am agreeing with Callenish and Hurricane here) We can navel gaze and come up with other names and on an on.... But Mercury is a great name so let us begin talking about all the other things that are going to be necessary to pulling off a great event next year. GoF

Some help is on the way... via your paypal link. The Folks at gentlemenoffortune.com send your their prayers and best wishes! Greg aka GoF

Is that right? I thought MTT (Marching through time) was Maryland and MTA (Military through the Ages) was in Williamsburg.... Got me confused now, i'll have to go check... Greg

I can see that Black John is looking at this thread at the same time I am, and he will probably beat me to the post, but anyway..... If you live in the DelMarVa area, or even close to it, there are a couple of good, no, great pirate groups in your area. Are you affiliated with any of them yet? I am sure that the Pirate Brethren will have some folks at MTT, and another group to consider would be the Archangel's crew. I can tell by your posts, questions and comments, that you would probably do well with either. Greg

Good explanation.... you forgot to add "it looks cool". Greg

Here is a picture of my last dog... His name was Stout Heart. If you are not familiar with the breed, he was a English Mastiff Stout Heart was a big boy as well... He weighed about 250lbs when fully grown (he was 100lbs at 6 months) and was 32" at the shoulder. This put the bottom of his chin on the top of any dinning room table or kitchen counter. They are big.... but kind of stupid. Although very gentle and "sensitive" to emotions. When we lived in the UK, we used to "show" mastiffs, and Stout Heart never placed lower than 3rd. He ate a bloody great deal, and his poops were ginormous. They say people resemble their dogs..... nahhhhhhh! Greg aka GoF

Dude... You probably saved yourself $400-$700 by making that yourself. Very nice. Can we see more pictures please? Pretty please... with sugar? Greg

Awww.... Captain Midnight! Just when I am ready to pull back a bit, you come up with this Gem! It adds a new dimension when the "hobby" starts paying for itself! Greg

I posted a lengthy missive a while back about this topic... and I am too lazy to search for it. Basically, you need to decide what you want to do with your pirate impression. There are several lines of thinking about this, and I will try to cover the bases as best I can, but I am sure that others will chime in. Once you boil all the water off, there are three categories of “pirate” groups. You need to think about yourself, your personality, and where you think you would align the best. 1st type Festival Pirate The festival pirate groups are interested in the spirit of piracy. No emphasis is put on historical accuracy. These groups are most interested in just having fun, in a pirate way. This doesn’t mean that there is no one in these groups that are authentic, its just that authenticity is not stressed and is left up to the individual. Authentic members tend to leave these groups after a while as, someone who puts 100s of hours researching their kits and is intersected in historical piracy, will tend to want to gravitate toward others with the same philosophy. Also, members of “authentic” groups that realize they do not have as much time or the resources to keep up with their fellow history buffs, tend to gravitate toward the festival pirates where a broader interpretation of “pirate” give them room to relax. 2nd Historical Pirates These are the folks that look at their impression in a historical context. This group covers a lot more ground that you may think as it includes those folks that know all about historical piracy and are as close to emulating it as anyone in the hobby, as well as those folks that are new, their kits aren’t the best but they are striving for historical accuracy (and everything in between those two). Its often said that Authenticity cost more, and while it can be true, at the same time most accurate clothing can be made by yourself, saving lots of money and building self esteem at the same time. Also, its always more expensive to buy fantasy pirate stuff first, and then later buying authentic stuff on top. Now is a good time to be involved as the vendor community is finally waking up to the historical pirate movement and they are starting to make/sell things appropriate for the 1680-1730 time frame. 3rd Entertainers The third group are what I refer to as the “entertainer” group. Another broad category, but generally can be categorized as those groups that, in conjunction with event coordinators, provide a service to the “public” by entertaining them with song, show, or as “atmosphere”. For some of these groups, historical accuracy is not as important as being easily recognized as a pirate (which usually means a Hollywood interpretation). Since their mortgage can be dependent on their next gig, looking like Jack Sparrow may be more important than having the right shoe buckles for pre-1700. I would like to note that all three categories can work together to make quality events. Whereas I feel I fit most comfortably in the 2nd group, I hate entertaining the public, so I am glad that group exists to fill that need. Lastly, my bias is for group 2, because I feel a historical pirate can fit into either of the other groups successfully; whereas, that does not work in reverse. There are movements afoot (and several have already happened) where the entire event is set up as a historical event, so it really helps to be “authentic”. My take would be that 80% of the groups out there are Fest Pirates, 15% are entertainers, and Historical Pirates make up about 5%. So, decide where you might best fit in and re-ask the question ie “Do you know if there are any entertainer type groups in my area?” and we may have some ideas. Greg aka GoF

Agghhh.... I know that this is probably not the best place for this post. But I wanted to ask my historical brethren and seemed as good as any. I feel I have been burning out lately. Not that I am tiring of the topic. I just need to take a sabbatical or something. I know Black John knows what I am talking about.... Maybe its my "virtual" nature as a pirate. Stranded in the middle of Germany with practically no events to go to... and trying to be a father and husband all at the same time..... Sheeeeshhh... GoF

Captain Midnight. Well done sir. What is the blade made from? Greg aka GoF

Here is some info on Jamaican sloops that should be a must read for anyone interested in such things... http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/et...4072005-181850/ I vote for single masted. greg

Antelope Greg

Antelope GoF

Actually, I meant, "Which version of Barrett's Privateers you like the best". Greg

I LIKE IT! Perhaps THE BEST mariner song written in the modern age Listen Here http://www.livetourartists.com/irish-desce...-privateers.mp3 but the best version is by Stan Rogers himself.... google and buy it. I vote for Antelope! Greg aka GoF ***EDIT*** I am liking it more and more.... How about making "the Captain" Elcid Barret, a fictional person who is always "somewhere else". So when someone asks who or where the captain is you can say, "Captain Elcid Barret is in town trading for some supplies..." I am chuckling now just thinking about it... If you have not heard the song, go to your favorite MP3 download site and look for Barett's Privateers by Stan Rogers (though there are lots of versions available) Kind of curious which one Hurricane likes the best... GoF

I am aware of that... I just think Gettysburg screams Civil War, while Williamsburg "screams" both Colonial and Early American History. While I agree that the event will most likely be in a place where its most beneficial to the event "hosters", ultimately it does them no good to put it in a location that saves them money but costs them patrons. I am not saying that G'burg will do that, but I think that the effort to make it a "multiperiod" event will be stymied in Gettysburg. My hearts telling me if its a re-enactor event in G'Burg, most folks are going to automatically assume that its a Civil War event. Maybe thats a good thing as there are probably more civil war re-enactors than anything else and you are sure to get a good crowd of them, but in that case, just call it a civil war market and be done with it. Personally, I think Baltimore would be the best choice. The Intn'l airport itself is a strong draw. Though G'burg has an airport and Williamsburg has 1 within 25 minutes and 2 more within 45 minutes, but they are more regional than International. Its hard to say though.... I guess there are as many people who will say, "I have always wanted to go to XXXXXXX, so now is a good time to go." Filling in the blank for G or W'burg. Looking at our Frapper map, G'Burg would be very convenient for a lot of folks.... http://www.frappr.com/pyracypub My experience has taught me though, that it is very difficult to get those that live North of the VA MD border down south for anything.... even if W'burg is only about a 3 hour drive from DC. Since I won't be making it.... I guess I should just keep my opinions to myself though.... Greg

Go ahead! If you haven't signed on to the map, mark your spot! http://www.frappr.com/pyracypub GoF

Depends... But here is a picture, and a link to "the Village Hatshop" who has put most of the book THE MODE IN HATS AND HEADDRESS By R. Turner Wilcox online. Here is a sample of the 17th Century Gentleman's styles of wigs and hats. And here is the link to the whole shebang. Don't forget to check out both 17th and 18th century sections! The Mode in Hats and Headdress Greg aka GoF

Beaten up? thats harsh... I guess you did it again! Despite whatever differences we may have from time to time, I gotta call em like I see em' If anyone else has a link to a site where you can buy welsh red cotton (wool), Grey Kersey (Twill, napped wool) or Ticking/Ticken (twill, tight weave linen) that you can order, today, with a credit card/paypal, I will gladly join the amen chorus and sing their praises too. I just hope she doesn't run out before I can order! Greg

Ay Caramba! If England is/was at war with Spain so much during the period, I would find it odd to name an english ship, even a pirate ship, a Spanish name. I don't think that there were any Spanish names on the LOoooonG list posted above. GoF

ummmm.... ok.... Back to our regularly scheduled programming Me (in purple) at Opsail 2000 with members of the Pirate Brethren (and a free lance T. Apple Greg

Shrunk Grey Kersey Welsh Red Cotton Linen Ticking just to name a few. Greg

I say first to post a reply gets dibs and a gentlemen's agreement that others won't bid. Go for it! Greg