the Royaliste

Easy, mate!...Couple 'o three feet 'o hardwood dowel, ten inches 'o hard copper wire; twist both ends till ya got three or four wraps, then wind the center on the dowel, slide your slow match (sash cord soaked WELL in gunpowder 'n water, then dried)..and, VOILA!....

Unfortunately those of us who don't have those 'extra' pay shows on cable such as HBO, Showtime, or Hallmark, won't get to see it. I understand it's suppose to show on the Hallmark station...which of course I don't get....

??CABLE???....'eck, we still be rabbit ears strung up a flag haylard.....jeesh!!!!..........

Royaliste and Lady Washington are in front of DelToritos, not too bad in harbor now; yesterday, the Lady tore loose from the dock, and we had a bit of damage to the bow....Best part was all of the producers wantin' to go outside, until we sailed 'em right up to the sea wall, and they saw firsthand the waves 13 feet higher than the wall!...the swells actually made it over and caused about a one foot swell throughout the harbor..We're shorthanded, the crew having to book it to all points for the holidays, so..Kathy and I are looking at a rough transit tomorrow...

Well, the water scenes be done, and good thing, too..The title is 'True Carribean Pirates'...Kinda cool, but they threw out the 'period historical accuracy', so..I'll be watchin' it with the volume off...Now we're stuck in Marina Del Rey till the heavy swell hazards are over (Christmas stuck in a strange hole).....I really got a charge out of the rubber weaponry!

yeeeee-Haawww!!!...Filming starts tomorrow, and we're stoked!..Interestingly, we are going to be both Blackbeards' ship and Maynards ship!..By the middle of the week, rumour has it my deck'll be runnin' with blood, and Blackbeard's head'll be a hangin' offa me bowspreet!.....

Several of my scabbards, from 1700's well into the 1850's are leather, no wood.But, that said, I've exceptions to that statement. But as a generalization, most 'leather' ones were liner-less. Brass was also popular for sea issue.

Aw Jeesh!!..Methinks it were 'cuz I had an armful 'o pirate skin art, and this 'ere dang good ship ta hoist an ensign from!

ROYALISTE Sailin' South, With a Few Targets in Mind....

Well, 'Tales' is probably your best bet, but without acting as a 'spokesperson', the thread you mentioned is empty, 'cuz we've no need to use it!..We have two active forums elsewhere; one on the www.PrivateerInc.org website, and one on the 'Tales' website. Poison Quill would luv to hear from you, just go to the website.CLICK HERE

Naw, just a brief note mentioning an incident, scuttlebutt around the harbor mentioned the dismasting. But that be a serious iron bridge, so???....I just hope all is well; we'll be filming on the 21st with her and I'll let you know firsthand, mate.

It was the t'gallants, not the topmasts, and everyone was fine

That's good to hear, mate. Hope the damage to the t'gallant masts isn't too bad....(had to have rattled sombody outta their rack! )

'Tis true, the same spot as the Californian clobbered a while back. I've fresh email (yeah, not period, but) from Gray's Harbor...May have been the Rio Vista Bridge, I didn't ask....

Vessel number four is onboard now, so it'll be four days shooting (at sea, that is) in two locations. A brutal overnight transit from Dana Point to Marina Del Rey, but wot the 'eck, eh?.......

A stab at the search engine 'ere should yield a ton of links, but for now I'll recommend Dixie Gun Works for average pistols, and Track of the Wolf if you are any type of gunsmith...

Here's the lastest dispatch we've 'pirated'....Looks like the brig Pilgrim will be able to be used for stage work (no sailing), but that's waay cool, as the 'ole brig needed some exposure!...Spirit of Dana Point will be sailing, Royaliste will be sailing, and the fourth vessel has remained 'elusive' due to scheduling and 'poor visibility'....more later, mates....

Well, blast it, I be one 'o them 'California Pirates', and....East Coasters, and Floridians, be warned!...A particular 'California 'Pirate Ship' be headed your way, and we'll most likely be a 'cruisin' during 'Pirates in Paradise'!......We'll be tryin' to spark up some events as we work RR way down the coast for the winter (after hurricane season ).....If there's a harbor in your neighborhood, start plannin' something 'piratical' now!!

ROYALISTE Spreadin' the Gospel 'o Jolly Roger....

Many times I've pondered raidin' the Disney cruise ship whilst at the Disney island for fun and profit whenever we're in that part of the Carribean

Jeesh!!..We're a bone-a-fide 501©3 non-profit,so..mebbee we should charge twice the price and let ya de-duck all of it instead of just a portion!...........

ROYALISTE Southern California '05, Great Lakes and Fla. '06, East Coast and Carribean '07

Aye, Coastie!..We don' fondle 'em much, but we do shove long rods in tight places and touch the other end with lit objects! Yup, not only will we be traversing the Great Lakes twice next year, then it's off thru Canada, with the next leg of the adventure doing the New York State Canal System for the Battle of Plattsburgh etc., then down the East Coast. ASTA's race series for 2007 is the East and Carribean, so..a lot of very historic, interesting seamiles ahead.......See ya somewhere, mate..

ROYALISTE Southern California '05, Great Lakes and Fla. '06, East Coast and Carribean '07

Aye!....Methinks we'll be attackin' the Spirit of Dana Point and possibly the brig Pilgrim in Dana Point, and raiding the Lady Washington in Marina Del Rey....I've ordered up two more carronades, so we've an obscene amount of cannon at this junction in RR sailin' careers..And, I'll leak this one early..there's a documentary being filmed next spring starring reenactors, not movie stars.....yup, the Royaliste will be cruisin' the waters there, too!.....

ROYALISTE Southern California '05, Great Lakes and Fla. '06, East Coast and Carribean '07

*****UPDATE*****

I've 'eard nary a whisper outta this, so...Our humble part in this endeavor will be filmed the third week of next month over 4 or 5 days in both Dana Point and Marina Del Rey......I'm runnin' bare bones as far as crew, but three or four 'o RR regulars'll be crewin'.....more news when I've got it...It's a swell time to be a salty old pirate, eh??

ROYALISTE Southern California '05, Great Lakes and Fla. '06, East Coast and Carribean '07

The directors of this New York event finally got back to me, and I've confirmed our appearance on Lake Champlain for the Battle of Plattsburgh reenactment, Sept 9 and 10, 2006.....'Bloody 'eck, I 'spose we'll hafta be the Bloody British and take a shellacking, but heck, nobody 'loses' as valiantly as us!!...This event is one of many we are lining out for next year, so let us know of any events in your area......

ROYALISTE Headin' East with the Spring Thaw......

'Ships and Seamen of the American Revolution',Jack Coggins, 1969, Chapter 8, Privateers, paragraph 6, I quote..."(Most historians and writers class privately owned vessels which operated against the enemy under government comission as "privateers". To be precise, a privateer was a vessel fitted out as a warship and primarily intended to cruise against enemy merchantmen. It was not uncommon, however, for a government commission to be issued to an armed cargo-carrier, in which case the vessel was known as a letter of marque. The distinction is a nice one, but one customarily made in contemporary accounts and which, if not understood, may cause confusion among modern readers.)

Puurrrrrfectly clear to me, eh?..This publication is a primary seller in every maritime museum in which I've participated. Said maritime museums restore, build, and promote Tallships , so...I figure their volumes are concise.

On a prior claim, without trying to step on anyone's local pride, altho' the Gaspee was taken in 1772 and burned, the revenue sloop Liberty was burned at Newport R.I. in 1769, and the British schooner St. John was fired upon by Rhode Islanders in 1764....

I generally 'skip' these discussions, but..ye blokes 'ave some 'o yer facts all screwed up.

1.Privateers were vessels specifically built and used to raid commerce. 'Letters of Marque' were merchant vessels outfitted to work as privateers.

2. The Continental Navy was small and fledgling, but some state Navies were huge, with two states having over 500 vessels apiece.

3.Non recoginition of American rights on the sea and the impressment of American seamen by England led to the War of 1812. (the war in which 'pirate' Jean LaFitte saved our bacon,even tho the 'war' was officially over).

For authentication, see 'Ships and Seamen of the American Revolution', by Jack Coggins, and Howard Chappelle's 'American Sailing Navy'.

Well, at the risk of being glib, I start with one of these:

Then I add foulies and a non-period flashlight to stay sane and keep alive. Then, especially if you are new or inexperienced, the rest of your gear will look and become quite appropriate in short order!!

ROYALISTE Spreading across the Oceans like the Plague...........