Ransom

Nah, I'd try to get it to you by early July, first or second week. Course, that depends on when I get it.

I really would like comments and or questions on the diary. Can't believe you talkative pyrates got nothing to say!

Dread pyrates...LOL Yours truly and Bilge Munkey having a nice confab. He was commenting on how he felt so under-dressed compared to some of the amazing garb we'd seen. I thought he looked pretty spiffy. That's all for now. I'm still uploading pictures to Photobucket. Next to come, the Saturday afternoon battle sail.

The really kewl thing about Nor Cal is that you see the whole spectrum of pyracy — from PC pyrates to out-and-out fantasy, and everything in between. Yeah, some of the stuff you see can be pretty cheesy, especially stuff worn by the muggles, but most of it, even if it isn't your particular style, shows a lot of work and detail. The British. I tired to get a picture of the inside of their tent, which was really well done, but it was too dark within for my camera to pick up. Py-rat Chain Shot...the pyrate of my heart.

Saturday, June 20. First day of the event. After a great continental breakfast at the hotel (The Best Western in Benicia), and a stop at a convenience store for ice and milk, to be delivered to the Aldebaran, Chain Shot and I got registered and received our wrist bands, which would allow us into the grounds before and after hours. The event itself is free to the public. We went directly to the Tales of the Seven Seas camp, and reunited with friends we only get to see once or twice a year. Also, Oderless Eye brought a few members of the Stranglehold with him this year, so it was fun to meet new folks. First on the agenda at 10:00 am was an hour of meet and greet at the entrance, handing out programs and raffle tickets. Then Chain Shot and I did a quick stroll among the booths, before heading back to Aldebaran at noon for the cannon crew run through, and to get the ship ready for the battle sail. Here are a few shots taken around grounds, to give you an idea of the diversity of garb you see at this HUGE event. Saturday the organizers estimated the crowd to be around 15K (going by the number of programs we handed out). I know on Sunday the crowd was slightly bigger, so I'm guessing that overall, for the two days there were around 30k. It's a really big event. Main entrance. Looking down one of the lanes between the merchant booths. This was taken from the Tales encampment. Next door to us was a group teaching kids how to use swords — they dressed them in fencing safety equipment first, of course. Here's one of the many games available to kids...of all ages.

Hmmm, I've never tried it with iced tea. I use Vernors Old Fashioned Ginger Ale, and a slice of lime. Yum!

The symbolic mooning of the British as we made our last pass on Saturday. We thought it only fair, as they were pelting us with hard tac. We have a little surprise planned for them next year.

Those are great! I really like the woodburning art. Great job and very inspirational for the rest of us. Oh, and how kewl, someone else who likes Pimms! LOL

Okay, Pyrateleather, you can send me Sophia's book. And Patrick, just a reminder that you may get it a little late from me.

Yeah, I was a very giddy pyrate, and Pirate Charles were really nice to this over-age groupie! LOL Oderless Eye, dancing to the song Scallywag, as provided by Bilge Munkey and his "mission control" box full of music, which he provided before Pirate Charles took the stage. This was at the cantina after hours party. Light on yer feet, ye are, Eyes! Bilge Munkey the morning after the cantina party, strolling among the merchant booths.

This is a companion thread to Ransom's Nor Cal Diary. If you'd like to post comments about my diary thread, please, feel free to make them here. I will be adding pictures and journal entries to the Diary thread over the next couple of days. It was one of the best times I have ever had at an event, and my first experience at learning to sail.

Myself, just after getting the bottom of my pants drenched by a wave that came over the bow, and Iron Jack. Myself and Red-Handed Jill enjoying a great sail, while letting the bottoms of our pants dry out. We arrived at Vallejo Marina at around 6:30, got the ship secured, then enjoyed a great "help yourself" dinner of potato salad, coleslaw, pulled pork, nan bread, chips, and pumpkin bread. Fern (Captain's wife) also plied us the whole way with Pringles (?) potato chips, just so we could keep up our strength. Most of the crew slept on board, but Chain Shot and I drove back to our motel room, looking forward to the next two days of pyrate fun!

There are many islands in San Francisco Bay, including the prison island of Alcatraz and the pretty much abandoned, but huge naval facility, on Mare Island, which is just across the channel from Vallejo. Here is a picture of one of two small islands called The Brothers. One is uninhabited, and one has this light house. Then the wind really picked up and things got, well.....exciting! BTW, there are no pictures of us actually working the ship, since we were WAY too busy to take pictures. However, Chain Shot managed to get this one, taken from the stern. Then we all got busy taking in the mains'l. Notice Captain Hayden bracing with his foot to keep his balance while at the wheel! The rest of us were on the port side rail, hanging on. Iron Jack, Red-Handed Jill (climbing up from below where she had put on her new shirt she made, as it was getting a bit cold), and Captain Hayden.

My Nor Cal experience was just so full and exciting that a few posted pictures wouldn't be enough to describe it. So, with a nod to Mission and his PIP journals, I decided to post my much shorter version of a diary, with pictures. It may take me a few days to get it all posted, but here goes... Friday June 19, 2009 Richmond to Vallejo on board the Aldebaran. Chain Shot and I were given the privilege of being part of the crewe which would sail the 72' schooner Aldebaran from Richmond to Vallejo, where she would take part in the two afternoon gun battles with the shore battery and the British. We would also be part of the gun crewes for those battles. Red-Handed Jill picked up Chain Shot and me at the Marina in Vallejo, where we left my truck, and where the Aldebaran would be moored during the event, and drove us to Richmond, where Captain Hayden, his wife, Fern, and Iron Jack were in the process of getting the schooner ready for our sail. The captain and Fern live in a lovely town house in a complex in Point Richmond, which includes a private dock. After loading the cannons, rail guns, and supplies, we spent about an hour in Captains Hayden's shop making powder rounds and quills for the guns while waiting for one more crewe member to arrive. I must add that Captain Hayden personally built the Aldebaran over a period of 30 years, and the care, love, and extraordinary workmanship that went into her creation are amazing. At around 3:30 in the afternoon, and all crewe members present and accounted for, we slowly pulled away from the dock. Heading into San Francisco Bay. Myself and Red-Handed Jill toward the bow, admiring the view.

I'm back now, so hope mine are coming as well.

Finally home after a long drive, but WOW was Nor Cal a blast! Best time ever! Too tired to post much tonight, but more tomorrow and lots of pictures. Quick highlights... Friday...Sailing from Richmond to Vallejo on the Aldebaran as part of the crew, and learning the ropes was the ultimate thrill. With the wind gusting, the ship heeled over, and the scuppers under water....that's sailing! Saturday and Sunday's battle sails were a blast, literally. And yes, trying to fire guns one minute, and trim sails to tack the next, keeps a pyrate on her toes...all done while holding a slow match. (Okay, not really at the same time, but close! LOL) Oh, and having the jib sheet flip my sunglasses off and almost send them overboard...which is tricky, as they are clip-ons. Well, at least it wasn't my glasses! (And yes, we did do the symbolic mooning of the British...I have pictures...LOL) A million thanks to Captain Hayden, his wife Fern, and Iron Jack and Red-Handed Jill for the invitation to sail, and be part of the cannon crew again this year. And an honor to be asked back next year for more fun. Quick thanks also to Tales of the Seven Seas, Oderless Eye, Bilge Munkey, and this pyrate groupies fantasy come true...a picture op with Pirate Charles! Ransom is one very happy, and very tired pyrate!

Well, I hope between now and Saturday you change your mind. It's a shame that you would let one guy ruin the fun for a whole group of people who were looking forward to playing. I'm still taking our airship pyrate stuff, so if you do change your mind, we'll be ready. It really is a shame, and I can understand why you're angry. But...if you must shoot him, do it with your new ray gun!

Calm down, Patt. Don't let one guy, who may or may not be the reason for the issue you're upset about, spoil the event for everyone. It's going to be fun, and I really hope you change your mind and come, as you had planned. You'll be missed if you stay home.

Come on Patt. No one knows why the event changed their minds, but even if it was Ace, why let him win? Don't let one guy spoil our fun. You have all the other steamers still planning on showing up Sunday to hang out with us. We can wear our airship stuff and still have fun, if we're smart about it. Besides, I've been looking forward to that kilt tilting. How am I gonna do that if you don't show up?

If the role-playing story has Airship Pyrates, which it probably will, then, yeah. Pyrates are pyrates. (Well, unless your Somalian pyrates. But I don't think anyone is going to be doing Somalian role-playing any time soon.)

A few of us airship pyrates had discussed starting a fictional story based around Patrick Hand's Columbia's Revenge airship (on which many of us crewe). He kinda wanted to wait and see how the whole airship thing went over on the Pub, and also, he was working on an alternate history for the Republic of California, in which the story would take place. You can see the start of that discussion under the Columbia's Revenge thread. It might be more in keeping with what's already been kinda discussed if the story was kept in the US during 1800's, rather than England, but that's something the players joining in could decide. If it all comes together, I'll certainly hop in and give it a go! And please, do join in on PR. The more the merrier.

I like licorice, so for me it was Good & Plenty, and licorice whips (not the whimpy red ones, but the tough black ones.) For the movies, I used to love to get a big box of MilkDuds, since I like the caramel/chocolate combo. And, my Grandfather always brought us kids bags of Kraft Caramels, which were soo good. Another chocolate/caramel combo I like, is See's dark chocolate molasses chips. Yum!

So, Bilgemunkey, how do we find you? Or, do you find us? The Tales camp will be in the same place as we were last year. Oh, and I promise not to interrupt your interviews this year! LOL (Holds crossed fingers behind my back) See you there, D-Man!

Having been there once, and having heard about the two events since then, I would suspect the biggest problem facing the Pt. Washington festival is the weather. Two years in a row it had tornados that basically killed the event as everyone took shelter. This year I read that the weather was marginally better, but still rainy. If management is not the issue, the weather is. Could this venue be moved to, say, the fall, when the weather is less chaotic?

You're driving down the freeway. Flashing lights and a sign that says "Right Lane Close One Mile Ahead." Everyone starts to slowly merge into the left lane... Except there is always at least one, if not several, %$^#@ idiots who speed up, zoom past everyone, then cut right in front of you at the last possible moment, or just start merging into the side of your car, forcing you to stop and let them in. That's the time I wish I was driving something out of Mad Max, so I could batter them into the guard rails.