the Royaliste

It has always seemed to me that a bit of historical or romance reading about strange coasts adds much to the enjoyment of a cruise.

-Carl D. Lane

"Aye, Raven!!!...And Right ye be, surely!!!...Stop on by the 'Tiburon Cafe', where we've rafted the 'PERDITION' up, 'tis a fine way to end a day at sea, or a mornin' after a bit 'o wenchin', Mate!"...

Looks up the portside...."Man, talk about too much freeboard!!!....I guess I'll stick to fast and sleek!!!"...

:) Thankin' ye, Raven!! Yep, that number eight's quite a shot!...More gunpowder, eh?...(goes back to loadin' charges)...

Aye!,, ye might check the 'Land Shark' progress in the thread regarding her progress in 'Plunder'..

Aye! Smooth Sailin', Maytee...Call if'n ye need a hand....

....The Captain looks up from loading powder charges, and replies.."Avast ye!!..Thr'll be no eatin' of any 'o the crew aboard me Ship, incudin' 'Jonesy'....Ye'd best be a' settlin' for sompin'else to put down that gullet!'....

:) Aye!...Ye sure will, Sugar!!!!....(Looks at miniature hourglass meticulously bound to wrist with marlinspike seamanship, tapping foot.....Hmm, ye're still at work??).....Returns to storin' powder charges for the next 'encounter'....

Marlinspikes have many functions; a fid is a tapered pin for just the purpose of holding the lay of the rope or cable open for the next tuck....or, in more modern yacht braids, to open the core.....

After several hundred years of raiding the Manila galleons, I would hazard a guess that the Spaniards never had much of a view, exceptin' down the barrel of a musket or cannon..

Ye RRR absolutely right 'bout the humor, and, since it was such a 'blast', we'll start now makin' plans for the spring!!!!....(Begins ordering a large mountain 'o black powder,'cannon grade', surely!).......Sends carrier pidgeon aloft towards the 'Lady'.......

"Hmmm, If'n this won't give ye a 'lastin' fix, " http://www.masterandcommanderthefarsideoft....com/intro.html " then it be time for therapy!!..Aye!"

"Hmmm, (looks at paint scheme),....If'n it ain't broke, don' fix it, eh wot??"....Grins, and goes back to rain duty.....

"Hmm, I'm dyin' to see 'em, if'n ye donna get it accomplished, email 'em!!!..RRR

Toledo did major contracts for many countries, also Portugal, Italy, etc...'Tis listed out there, somewhere..I'll be able to I.D. it better once I've seen it....As we speak, one of my U.S.N. models is moving up on the E-bay choppin' block...

Low browser power kept me from answering him last nite...Spanish made, at the time of the Mexican Civil war, although it probably only saw duty in Europe......Me p.s. Mark Cloke runs an excellent Sword forum called 'Old Swords', and with enough navigating the site, you'll find it there...Gary

You may delay, but time will not.

-Benjamin Franklin

:) ..."Aye there 'Quill!..Number eight is fantastic!! Well done, Jack, me bucko!!!...Keep up the great work, sailors!!....Hmm, I'm gonna lookie that 'n again!" .."Hellava fire from 'Hellava's breech!'

:) "My thanks, Coastie, I appreciate it more than you know..It's these things that make the sometimes monumental task of taking on a square-rigged Tallship seem worth the efforts...I've thanked the 'Lady' personally since you pointed this out, and they are fairly thrilled over the results from Saturday's battle!".....Again, Many Thanks, Gary

"Hmmm",....(hears the sound 'o a good floggin', and hasta see where it's comin' from)....."Demmit!...Musta missed it!"....Back to business...........

As I drift in my boat on the harbor, in the calm of the summer night,

The moon in the arms of the crescent floods all with its misty light.

The water reflects the moonbeams in a wavy, twisted band,

Like a mirror of polished metal from some distant Eastern land.

No sound but the click of the rowlock, and the measured dip of an oar,

And the lisping plash of the ripples, as they break on the western shore.

-Dexter Carlton Washburn

'Scratches 'ead, ...."HMMMM...Methinks that'd be more to the tune 'o 'Davey Jones Litter Locker, eh???"....

YRRRRaaargh

:) Purty Spiffy, methinks!!

A capital ship for an ocean trip was the Walloping Window-blind-

No gale that blew dismayed her crew or troubled the captain's mind.

The man at the wheel was taught to feel contempt for the wildest blow,

And it often appeared as the weather had cleared, that he'd been in his bunk below.

The boatswain's mate was very sedate, yet fond of amusement too;

And he played hops-scotch with the starboard watch, while the captain tickled the crew.

And the gunner we had was apparently mad, for he sat on the after-rail,

And fired salutes with the captain's boots,in the teeth of the booming gale.

The captain sat in a commodore's hat and dined in a royal way,

But the cook was Dutch, and behaved as such; for the food he gave the crew

Was a number of tons of hot-crossed buns, chopped up with sugar and glue.

And we all felt ill as mariners will, on a diet that's cheap and rude;

And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook in a tub of his gluesome food.

The nautical pride we laid aside, and we cast the vessel ashore on the Gulliby Isles, where the Poohpooh smiles, and the Anagazanders roar.

Composed of sand was that favored land, and trimmed with cinnamon straws;

And pink and blue was the pleasing hue of the Tickletoeteasers claws.

And we sat on the edge of a sandy ledge,and shot at the whistling bee;

And the Binnacle-bats wore water-proof hats as they danced in the sounding sea.

On a rubagub bark, from dawn to dark, we fed till we all had grown

Uncommonly shrunk-when a Chinese junk came by from the torriby zone.

She was stubby and square, but we didn't much care, and we cheerily put to sea;

And we left the crew of the junk to chew on the bark of the rubagub tree.

-'A Nautical Ballad', by Charles Edward Carryl

Misplaced earlier, moved by request