Jib

Perhaps Lady Vicki would like to start her own thread about ideas for PiP 2006 along with her e-mail?

Parrot_Feathers a heart felt "Sorry" for the Authenticity Police at the MRF. MN is a fantasy festival and not hard period event so whom ever did scold you was blemish! Much like High School cliques can and do appear. Let me say that who ever took it upon themself to be cruel to you is in the minority and does not speak for all of us. I welcome everyone no matter if they are clad in Old Navy or "Real Old Navy". Heck we even have giant bunnys and Storm Troopers show up. I have been a cast member for 3 years and a core member of The Pyrates of Portobello. If you come back look me up and I will show you a proper warm pirate welcome! That is true for any and all of you! Come and play in 2006.

This sounds very interesting. I hope it happens! Hurricane keep us posted on the development and as a side note, if you need any help just shoot me an e-mail.

I guess I was more worried about the look of the pummel. It has become a dull gray and I was worried that it would get worse with time. It seems at perfect level for me to rest my left wrist upon it and the sweat just seemed to be eatting it away. It also seems to bea handy location to grip the balde when moving quickly or through crowds. And I do apply a good amount of oil. I've used Hoppes Gun oil, Shang Wei oil, electrical motor oil, and now Ren Wax from Museum Replicas (which seems to be a good protector but has a dull cloudly look). I do agree with both Hawkyns and Deadeye that the wear and tear does create a history and makes an item more personal. I just wondered if I should attempt to seal it to prevent more damage. My cutlass cost me a good amount of treasure and I hope to have it for a long time. It's also a "Jib" trait at MRF that I carry this heavy bone breaking cutlass with a huge pummel.

Perhaps a little to early to be certain but I seem to notice a "Voodoo" theme in the stills and trailer of POTC 2. Anyone else have insights in this?

I noticed that where my wrist rests upon the pummel the sweat has tarnished the pummel. Ideas on how to bring back the luster or at least provide a little more protection?

If you like to harken back to the 70's and early 80's you may remember some of these excellent pirate action figures. Complete with weapons and cloth garb these guys are wonderful. you can even buy extra weapons if you like! Mine are currently planning on doing some plunder under the christmas tree. check out www.classictvtoys.com

What do you use to keep your bade from rustlng or tranishing? I have tried Ren Wax but it seems rather 'heavy'.

I must have been thinking about Oshkosh. I have seen tons of nautical themes but to really capture the feel in a pub would be an excellent time. I once enjoyed a drink in a pub at Convennington Garden (spelling) in London in a place that dated to the 1600's. Lots of nooks and alcoves but more modernized. Of course the UK has the lions share of period looking pubs.

any urls or pictures of these places? Speaking of Milwaukee Blige, I here that they have a pirate museum... Truth or Fiction?

where is Ybor City?

Anyone ever spent any time in a pirate themed bar? I don't mean a place called the Salty Dawg with a ships wheel behind the bar and fruity drink called "The Ship Wreck". I mean a place that looks period (or close to it).

William Red Wake how did you manage to take so many pictures that had a Golden Age Feel? You seem to be able to remove/ edit certain pieces of the modern and leave behind a wonderful image that seems to beackon back in time. Most often when I take a photo I get a dude with capenters crack wearing an "I'm with Stupid" T-shirt and a Chicago Bears hat bent over in the back ground. Wonderful

Maggie, That is ME with Sherry over my shoulder. Sorry for not introducing myself. I must admit I was a wee bit shy. Jib

Part the Third Now I’m guessing that some folk who read this post are thinking to themselves “That wasn’t my experience at Pirate in Paradise!” or maybe they think I’m being a little too flowery/ soft and fuzzy/ nice in my review. Honestly it’s my take on PiP and I’d like to hear yours. What did you like the most/ least? Did I have any complaints? Sure, nothing can be perfect. During my travels I saw plenty of ads for Fantasy Fest but almost nothing for PiP. I had hoped to meet Hurricane and his crew to get some pointers on running a pirate troupe to take home with me and apply with my own group. I wanted to see the Fight Circles since I do stage combat and they were just not happening except for a young fellow with a broadsword and shield (I think his name was “Whiplash”). I had hoped for even more pirates, I wanted to swim amid a sea of scalawags as if I was in Port Royal in 1666. I wanted to see and meet the “No Quarter Given” folks and perhaps scoop up a few back issues of their magazine. I wanted to experience street theater character interaction similar to a Ren Fest (oh, I know that can be dirty word “REN FEST”). I had hoped to fill my pantaloons with swag. None of this ruined my time or spoiled my experience. My wife and I had a great time! We like small venues, we like intimate friendly places, we liked PiP. I loved meeting Cascabel and having him show me his flint lock pistol and belt latch. Cascabel is a super nice guy and very helpful. I liked spending time with Patrick Hand and exploring his kit. I liked meeting Spike and seeing his take on the broadside action between the ships. The people at PiP made the festival for me! Too often you find cliques at these types of events that remind you of High School (Only the COOL Pirates hang out here!). Not at Pirates in Paradise! I could have indulged along with the crowd as deeply as I desired. I found more doors open than closed. I was entertained by Chris the Magician in the pub. I was treated with such kindness by Don Maitz and his wife Jenny Wurst that I still am in shock (and Yes, Don is the best pirate artist in the world!). In my experience people don’t come together like this often. My tricorn is off to the producers of the event, the city of Key West, but mostly to the cast, crew, and patrons of PiP!!! Things I noticed: The crowd was a mature one, both costumed patrons, crew, staff, and vendors. Many folks tended to be known only by “Pyrate” names. The events seemed to happen at a rather slow pace and sometimes not at all. The Festival has room to grow. Humor ruled the day. So you are considering giving PiP a try. Good for you! I’ll be back. Maybe even next year. There is a ton of things I need to do in and around Key West. I still want to sail on the Wolf, see the KW graveyard, and visit Hemmingway’s house. A special THANK YOU to Cascabel, Angela, Patrick Hand, Spike, Don Maitz, Jenny Wurts, and Hurricane (for the advice and suggestions). Stand deliver! What is your take on PiP 2005? How does it rate compared to the last 8 years?

Part the Second I remember fondly the first time I heard about the Pirates in Paradise Festival. I was looking about on the No Quarter Given site and saw the photos. Instantly I was hooked but with Key West so far away it was impossible to image attending. I sent the site to my wife and she became interested. Last year she ended up in Miami on business and drove to KW on a whim. Upon her return she said that we just had to do go. We budgeted and planned and made it happen. My first experience with the Fest was while we waited to watch the sun set over at Mallory Square. Suddenly off to the distance we heard the crack of a black powder fire arm. After a few moments the tall masted sailing ship “The Wolf” rolled into view. Now that was impressive! The gun play between this ship and two others was exciting to watch and did attract the attention of the many tourists on the shore. Of course many of the tourists proudly stated that what we were seeing was a ‘booze cruise’ with a pirate theme. Maybe. Later we decided to walk out to the site after arriving in Key West. We got a couple beverages at the Goombay street festival and took a walk out to the Fort. Now Key West doesn’t have the big bright lights of most cities so it gets dark, real dark. We found Fort Zachary Taylor with a few wandering pirates making merry amid the lantern light. Very scenic and intimate. We didn’t stay since we were in our street clothes and I was feeling a little shy. Just a quick peek and then back to the B&B to plan for the next day. We headed out to PiP on Saturday morning at about 10:00 AM. We went in pirate attire more closely resembling the Hollywood version than one out of history. Plenty of people greeted us with cries of “RRRRR!” as we strolled along. The walk took us about 30 minutes roughly to walk to the Fort. As I mentioned before KW is much more spread out than the photos have you believe. We paid $3.00 to entire the grounds and $8.00 to enter the Festival. The Festival takes place inside Fort Zachary Taylor. It fills about 2/3 of the space with tents and displays. The entire lay out is very nice and has a “Golden Age” period flavor. I have no idea what time period the Fort was built or used for (I’m guessing pre Civil War but not by much) but it is a cool site complete with a moat and some rocky coast line. During our exploration of the grounds we even discovered a skeletal pirate sculpture complete with a treasure chest. The Festival seemed to have about 300 – 350 attendees and staff. At least half were in pirate garb (and handful dressed as 1700’s era British Red Coats). I estimate the vendors between 16 and 20 in number and offering a wide array of items including pirate attire, jewelry, incense, crystal scrimshaw, pottery, art and few weapons. We bought some new garb for wonderful prices. There was a single a food vendor selling a healthy section of Greek styled foods. We split a chicken gyro along with beans and rice for under $10.00 and had a hard time finishing it due to the large portion. Upon entering we arrived just in time to see “The Trial of Anne Bonny and Mary Read”, which was preformed inside the Fort and for free. I was later informed that this is the first time that all the events are held in the Fort. I think this was a real plus. The drama was very well presented and Casabel stole the show in his role of Tisdal the Tavern owner/ drunk. At 2 PM we got to see the pirates storm the Fort and replace the Red Coats as the Wolf patrols the sea coast. The Union Jack was lowered the and Jolly Rodger was flown. This show was nicely done. The poor Red Coats are the butt of much humor but take it all in stride. The black powder play between the two forces is both interesting and slightly comical with patrons and cast yelling “You missed!” after each cannon volley. Later we spent some time inside the Tapped Keg pub enjoying wine, beer, and song. This was very atmospheric and very nice especially after the sun went down when it was illuminated with candles and lanterns. Highlights for me included donating blood next to Don Maitz in the blood mobile (Hey pirates are tough and don’t mind giving up the juice for those in need!), watching the sun set from the rocky shore, and speaking with all the fantastic vendors, patrons, cast, and playtrons who gave PiP it’s life. Honestly it is a small venue but this isn’t a bad thing. Honestly it made it more intimate. If you like big than you might be disappointed. But if you look about you do notice that at least half the attendees are in some sort of costume and that can make the setting. My wife commented constantly how nice the people are. You never had to look far if you needed help with someone to take your picture. I asked many people about their kit and weapons and was always treated with respect and enthusiasm. At about 5 – 5:30 Pm the whole PiP experience winds down as people get ready for the Holiday Parade. We stayed behind in the pub and relaxed leaving at just before 8 PM. Upon returning to our B&B we noticed that the Holiday Parade was to travel right past the Key Lime Inn so we settled down with a couple from Fort Meyers also in pirate garb. We had a great laugh watching the parade and received a special warm greeting from the PiP pirates who invited us to the join them in the parade (next time buckos!). Altogether it was a nice time. The perfect way to spend a day in Key West. More to follow…

This post is just a few ramblings of my experience at the 2005 Pirates in Paradise Festival. The reason why I’m doing this is to help folks who may be in the same situation I was before I attended PiP. Everyone has questions, has expectations, sees and hears different things and wants to get an idea of what goes on at PiP. Now granted; this was my FIRST year and I’m not part of the cast or crew. I have no inside or back stage influences or experiences. My wife and I were just a couple of tourists dressed up like pirates and ready for fun. If you have a strong opinion please sound off. If you consider going in 2006 read on. If you have been to the 2005 Pirates in Paradise Festival or earlier years please share your tales. I think it is best to do this post in 3 parts. First I’d like to talk about Key West and the Florida Keys in general followed by my review of the Festival itself and finishing with an over view of the experience as a whole. Part the First The Florida Keys are unlike any other place I have ever been. They are unique compared to the rest of Florida. A little more relaxed and perhaps a little more worn with age. My wife and I flew into Fort Meyers and drove down to the Keys. We stopped in the Everglades and made a general lazy dive to our first stop at Duck Key and Hawks Cay Resort. If you plan to drive in the Keys plan to take your time. The speed limit is lower (45-55) and there is a lot to see. The first thing that hit me in the Keys was how much damage the hurricanes did. We saw tons of appliances in ruins along US 1. Trees stripped bare of leaves. Mobile home parks that looked like a giant stomped on them. I was later told that I saw only a 10% of the wreckage and that steady repairs and remolding is constantly going on. I’ve been told that many repairs are conflicting with new construction and that both have storage of man power and materials. Despite this fact the people seemed happy and relaxed. They were positive about the future. Hawks Cay resort is something that would often be outside of our price range but my savvy wife found a good deal online and we booked two nights. The resort was charming. It had three restaurants, many heated pools (including one just for adults), a dolphin encounter center, a salt water pool, and tons of rooms, condos, time shares, rental properties, and private homes. Maybe a little to “tourist heavy” for many but we had a great time. The resort offers activities like deep sea fishing and sailing classes. My wife choose a sun set sailing cruise with champagne (her personal drink of choice) and it was a completely relaxing experience that I would do again. The staff was friendly and helpful and seemed to come from all corners of the globe. The food was excellent. Key West greeted us with a hustle and bustle that seem foreign to the rest of the Keys. The island seemed packed with brand new developments being constructed along hurricane damaged properties. We stayed at a B&B called “The Key Lime Inn” in a small bungalow. It was centrally located on Truman Street just 3 blocks north of Duval. We dropped off our things and headed down town straight away! Key West has a very HEAVY tourist feel. I worked on tour boats to put myself through college on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin so I found the multitude of tacky T-shirt shops, Shell Emporiums, and Boat Drink cafes rather comforting. We also heard people speaking French, Spanish, German, and several Eastern European tongues both as tourists and as residents. The pace in KW was at a much quicker tempo than what we had seen so far in the keys. In many ways Key West reminded me of New Orleans when I visited back in 97’. Now when we travel we do the things we like, be they “Tourist” or “Native”. I know some people hate to do the goofy tram cars or shop in the locations that cater to tourists. My wife and I just do what we want. We chose to see the Pirate Soul museum and Mel Fishers exhibit both of which I would highly recommend for pirates and history lovers. We ate at Cheese Burgers, Crabby Dicks, Margaritaville (wife is a HUGE Buffet fan), and Sloppy Joes. We had a drink at Captain Tony’s and saw the sun set at Mallory Square. One evening we enjoyed the Goombay festival which seemed to be a multi-ethnic celebration. We loved it all! Things to consider when spending time in KW are that it is a tourist town and if you don’t like that type of atmosphere then you might not enjoy your trip. Tourists can be rude; We picked out a nice spot to watch the sun set at Mallory Square only to have a older heavy set woman stand in front of us and take pictures with a deaf ear to our pleas to move. The streets can become clogged with people who don’t seem to know or care where they are or where they are going. The city is bigger than many people would think and you can end up walking a long distance to reach various venues (since I like to walk this was a bonus for me!). Of course you can rent small electric cars, mopeds, and scooters to help you get about the environs. Most of Key West is expensive so plan to drop a good amount of cash at most restaurants (But you will receive some excellent service- my wife requested sliced tomatoes with her hot dog at Margaritaville and the server made certain she received them!). Also note that chickens and cats run wild in KW. They enter stores and roam about outside restaurants. Traffic is rather slow moving so take your time. Key West also has a good share of pan handlers. Yes I looked at the book that said “Quit your job and move to Key West”; I didn’t buy it but the thought went through my head. Key West has tempted me. From the white sand beaches to the woman in thongs, from drinking cocktails on the street and listening to steel drums I felt the urge to dwell in the paradise of KW. Maybe someday. more to come

Jas. Townsend also sends out a FREE catalog. Well worth a look!

Bill, I'm on Duck Kay 12/01/05 Hope you made it at least as far as I have! So far I must admit that the Keys are WONDERFUL!

Pete, Way back when a company by the name of Mego used to make action figures and they had some cool pirates! Google Dr. Mego and give it a look see. I also seem to recall owning a Captain Hook and Captain Peg Leg figures with cutlass and knife throwing action. I think these were by Mattel...

I was reading about the live action trial of Mary Read and Anne Bonney and wondered if it was a good a show and worth the extra cash. For those of you who have seen it, is more of a comedy or a serious recreation?

While looking for a tasty pick me up I discovered a new energy beverage from the makers of Rockstar called "Von Dutch". It had all kinds of piratish art on the can. It was a fair drink IMHO, I prefer Monster, but if you are looking for a boost you might want to give it a try.

The strangest thing I have ever seen at a Ren Faire (Minnesota) was a dude dressed in a pink rabbit/ bunny costume. 6.5 feet tall, cartoon rabbit. Period or Not Period, all I could think of was "What the Hell?" Not that I mind, I found it funny. Just that it must have been hard to pee and very hot. The head was completely enclosed. Foxe's Irish mate has a great quote! Very true. But then again I've driven in the UK and when it takes 30 minutes to go 10 miles the distance factor can be understood. My pirate grab is a blend of 1500's to 1720's. I have had people stop me and question my garb and ask what a pyrate was doing in this time period. I answer "Looking for a drink Laddie, now point me to the pub!"

I believe Steinbeck wrote a novel about Henry Morgan. The Gold Cup? Anyone tried it out?

In your opinion, what is the finest pirate novel written? Ok, what are your faves (if you can't limit yourself)?