the Royaliste

Aye, we're basically done making preparations to sail. The crew are all stowing their gear, and we'll be sailing at dawn, on a low tide. After sounding our wayout of Gallant's channel, it'll be a hard push to the Pungo River for the first night...Hampton here we come!!

Gentle??? BATH??..Buggar, mate, 'bout the only bath along the way'd be a 'draggin' 'em thru' the Alligator River!!

Alright me Bucko's..all gaskets are off, nuthin' harbor furled, and there be a favorable wind, so..less than sixty hours until we set sail for the upper East Coast and Great Lakes....Summer 2008, here we come!...Aye!

O.K there, 'e scurvey scallawags!!.....60 hours until we cast off the docklines and head upstream for the summer of 2008....HAMPTON BOUND!

Buggar!..There be more 'n a few scholars wot believe Teach was a Carolina native, hence the affinity for screwin' with Charleston, and his ease with the sounds and waterways of the low country....We'll be escortin' RR version of his 'ead off'n our bowspreet to Hampton this week..

Well, I generally don't have the speed or bandwidth, but 'e be a lucky man......

Avast, maytees!!..We have a limited number of miniature Naval mortars available on this summer's voyaging,so..Starting at the Hampton Blackbeard Pirate Festival, and continuing until we can't keep supplied due to sailing restrictions, one hundred and fifty Yankee Frogskins will get you a fine, wine cork firing, beautiful bronze Naval mortar that can double as a paperweight, or whatever suits (or shoots) your fancy..See Marty, our Bos'n... ROYALISTE Makin' Headway, aand Lookin' for Targets......

Avast, maytees!!..We have a limited number of miniature Naval mortars available on this summer's voyaging,so..Starting at the Hampton Blackbeard Pirate Festival, and continuing until we can't keep supplied due to sailing restrictions, one hundred and fifty Yankee Frogskins will get you a fine, wine cork firing, beautiful bronze Naval mortar that can double as a paperweight, or whatever suits (or shoots) your fancy..See Marty, or Bos'n... ROYALISTE Makin' Headway, aand Lookin' for Targets......

....BUGGAR!....(looks up) Them be some really big letters,eh?,,,,,, ARE YE READY, MATEY'S? We've got a few more things to tighten up, even with this gale a'blowin', and then some provisioning to do, and then, it'l be 'Sail Ho!

To directly address your question, you can beat the book 'Shanties from the Seven Seas' by Stan Hugill...We used to sing a half a dozen regularly when we carried trainees..I've basically ceased to do that, and my regular crew would rather listen to the Allman Brothers between ports!..So way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe....

Well matey, many things fall into an 'itinerary'..distance, speed, time,and weather. On top of that you factor in festival requirements, obstacles, and a little leeway. Present example; Hampton Roads for the Festival...We'll take the ICW, which isn't basically navigable at night for sailing vessels. So, distance=200+ miles. Speed=average 4-5 knots, whether under sail or motorsailing, or motoring. Average daytime travel=50-70 miles..3-4 days so far. Now, add bridge openings and closings, and it takes up the fourth day...After that, well off to sea, where regardless of everything but gales, we make 120 miles or so a day, round the clock....If natural forces don't interfere to the negative...same three or four days to NYC and the Hudson. Then it becomes a matter of running with tides, as the tide runs all the way to Albany, 144 miles north. So, even four months out, I give a tentative date, withing a few day window, to the crane guy in Albany to know when we'll be there to unstep the rig, and head into the canal system to reach Lake Erie....

Aye, mate. I didn't see whatever the program was, but Royaliste has done features for both the US and Canadian History Channels. She's attacked Ontario in many places, and landed the governor in Ottawa. We were asked to do a film on the Battle of the Plains of Abraham this year, but they never responded once we fired them a price..Go figure. everyone wants us to sail forever, and show up for free. Yeah, right.......Pirate!....This could be the last year she's seen by the general public, as I'm considering coming out of retirement to erect the new San Francisco/ Oakland Bay Bridge at the request of my Ironworkers local. I love my retirement, but the economy is getting scary..

Dutch...Aye, mate..'Tis all good with me..Dock, deck, wot e're works,eh? Plenty 'o propage aboard makes for good photo's......

Sounds like a hoot,but..Cap'n Kat 'n meself will prolly have to skip it..She'll be ridin' herd on the three year old powder monkey, and I'll be doing anchor watch, as always....

Aye, Blackjohn, 'tis a hard feeling to abandon, altho' your coast is tough, as you can see Atlantic City from space!....Perhaps we'll hafta be sendin' out the pressgang for 'e soon......

I've discovered that even tho' I've a zillion photos in costume, none are posted anywhere. The few times I've went to Photobucket, there's been spyware tryin' to attach itself, so..the only one I have, and it's just a hot day on the seaway..... ROYALISTE Shipshape; Armed and Dangerous.....

.......Ducks under mainbrace, skinny's past mizzen forstay, tucks around tops'l brace, an' leaps down main companionway......" Great god's 'o Neptune, she's a blowin' out thar!".....Flippin' Bloody Bloomin' damned wind's got us pinned to the wharf preety dangled -good, methinks!....Well, maytees, this 'ere blow's hinderin' RR foreward progress aboard ship, wot with the gale 'n all, so..nuttin' busticated, just a stay or two loose, an' a lotta paint not gettin' spread on the hull for the trip north, much less the topmast riggin' we ain't finished yet,but....fear not, the wind'll subside enough for the jacks to make 'er ready for the sail upstream to Hampton Roads thereabouts..We'll get 'er all sanded, painted, and oiled up with boatsauce enough to put to sea..Anything we miss, we'll make up under sail as we head north....Still figurin' on makin' headway aroun d the 26th, with a few 'o Blackbeards Crew comin' along for the adventure on the way up..(and this 'ere skinny water on the ICW be a challengin' enough adventure even for today's pirates)..If'n things go well, we'll be in port by Thursday, otherwise, we'll hope for Friday, eh?...be a keepin' a weather eye out toward's Norfolk, there'll be plenty 'o pirates in them waters soon!..... ROYALISTE Pullin' on Her Springlines.....

Ahoy, mate..we meet again on yet another forum!..Then there's my side of the event fees..even if it's an event where our not for profit doesn't receive a stipend, since my 'booth' can do some damage, the insurance premiums are usually for one million in coverage, with two events wanting 5 mil this year. The cost of the riders are between 500-1500 dollars..really rediculous!..

....Avast, mates..I'll be puttin' this 'ere line on a pin and belayin' it for a spell, as several scallaywags from Blackbeard's Crew arte sailin' with the regular's upstream to Hampton Roads..I'll fly it again once we're headin' to sea, and the Hudson River....be keepin' a weather eye on the horizon...

Ah, me favorite woman with an edge!...Hey Sweetie, it's been a while..too long,eh?....Yep, 'e be spot on, there be plenty 'o things to do when it comes right down to the nitty gritty...Hope all's well with 'e and the pup!.....

Aye,mates..I've two kids and grandkids I 'm responsible for,but....anyway, the Hampton voyage is 200 miles up the ICW, thru rivers, creeks, large sounds, and manmade cuts...usually a four day trip for us; it depends heavily on docking in fast currents, and a few locations where we drop the hook ( we carry a few 100 lb. anchors). The req's are basically what was listed; fit enough to jump to docks, throw lines, belay the lines around piles to stop the ship, and basic seamanship otherwise...I am running short for a lot of the summer, so someone interested could, in theory, do the entire season's voyage, but that isn't expected..Other than that, show up at the wharf in Beaufort, and I cover room and board. Personal trinkets, non basic snack items,etc. are on the sailors themselves.....MacNamara; feel free to email me or call. The info is in various parts of the 'Privateer!' website...(I have a horrid internet connection at present, so I avoid pm's

Aye!..We're making ready for this year's sailing season, and once again I'm hunting one or two able bodied seamen for the 200+ mile trip to Hampton....then who knows? Physically fit, some sea legs, a bit of sailing experience, relatively clean, no vegetarians,little baggage, able to get along with non internet crew, converse intelligently to the public, not thin-skinned....step on up, mates, chances like this are few and far between....

Buggar!....(wipes gunpowder from face, blood from arm)...We just wrapped up the ship's first event of the season,and..all carronades are workin', the small arms are firin', and we're damned ready for Hampton Roads..just a waitin' game now, me bucko's...hide the rum, women, and small children..or not!

If multiple layers of canvas are your usual fare, then you may want to just jump in and buy a Sailrite machine. I have a Pfaff and an older Elnita (an Elna copy) what really seems to matter where we play is whether the drive gears are all steel or not....several layers of canvas will make enough drag to make nylon or faced gearteeth 'skip', throwing things slightly out of time. Sailrite makes both straight and zig zag machines. Zig zagging is important if you ever do any sailwork, as it spreads the loads without cutting the stitchline...That said, I don't have one, but wish I did...

Hmm, if'n that be the case, then we'll be skippin' this event, and sailing directly for the Hudson.It doesn't pay enough for any headaches. Actual ship's crew are on duty from May thru October, with very little room for frivilous conduct outside their realm..you may find them with humour, but generally the deck crew take voyaging rather seriously. Plan on docking the Archangel instead,eh?