TalesOfTheSevenSeas

Gads, I wish I could. Just can't leave my students very long or they start dropping out of our program and if my enrollment and income drop... the school will shut my department down. I've managed to do the impossible with it so far and don't dare take too many days off. *wrings hands in frustration* I'm working on sending Saber on his own though.... keep yer fingers crossed!!

*weeping pathetically* *swearing with rampant vulgarity* If it were not for the fact that I'm already abandoning my class full of beginning students for 4 days I would be there!!! But I have sent out a notice to everyone on my pirate email list that you are looking for pirates and will connect any responses to you straight away Cap'n!!

The fog machines are cheap to buy- about $30 for the machine on ebay (more than I paid for the whole boat/trailer! *snicker*) and about $12 for a bottle of fog fluid. The Pirates of Emerson run one off a generator in the back of their hearse, but I'm wondering if we could use a cigarette lighter adapter and an extension cord set up maybe? But that's further down the road. I just got off the phone with the seller and we will pick up the boat and trailer on Sept 13th. It was given as a donation for resell, has all the DMV paper work and to the best of the seller's knowledge the trailer is in sound working condition. I just took a look at the photo and since we'll be towing the boat on the trailer in the parades, it doesn't look I could do a live figurehead (although that would be way cool!) because of the position of the winch on the trailer. (see below) I think we're going to have to position the figurehead very low on the bow to clear the trailer bar and have the bowsprit above that...

Yeah, just looks, as they won't let us fire into the crowds, darn it!! I think the most we could do in a parade would be to make it smoke- that would be great if you and Raul could come up with something!! Thanks for all this help and enthusiasm for the project!!

On the latex figurehead- If that would that be done by protecting the original figurehead with Saran wrap or similar thin plastic and painting over it with liquid latex- would it work to use the resulting latex as a mold and make a resin figurehead copy?

Oooooo yeah!!! I like both those ideas of the swivel and the latex copy of the figurehead... wonder if a latex copy of a cannon would be do-able also?!! Bob came up with a great idea on the sails- I had been thinking of going with canvas tarps, but the problem is that they would block the view looking from the front as the pirate ship approaches in a parade. His great idea is to get red bedsheets and shread them... just have tattered red sails hanging from the spars, "Black Pearl style!!" this will eliminate wind resistance, allow a clear view of the pirates on deck and give us a good, rogue pirate look. Ah, me little land shark will be a fine site sailin' down the city streets when we are through with her beauty treatment!!! :)

If ye' didn't know already Cap'n, Saber n' me'self will be happy t' sign yer articles if arrrrrrrrr names aren't already there!

Bess, I saw a figurehead on Ebay the other day made of resin that would be great, but it was a male pirate and it was a bit pricey. I like the traditional female figureheads. But I agree, a figurehead is a must.... and when I find one or figure out how to jerry rig something to look like a figurehead, I'll name it Iron Bess since it was your idea! I am planning to have it done for our December 7th event, the San Jose Holiday Parade.... that reminds me, I'd better let 'em know we've got a float now!!! Royaliste lad... I shoulda know'd ye would be fixin' t' blow holes in me pathetic wee li'l land shark before I get her already poor n' battered li'l self home!! Sheesh... on the way up the hill, Bob was tryin' t convince me to keep the trailer, haul it to your place then tug it out beyond the Gate and let you pirates have a field day sinkin' her!! Men!! Always wantin' t' play with their cannons!!!!! But I like the other ideas! And picture this... once the cosmetics have been applied, imagine the 7C's pirates being floated down the parade route waving their cutlasses at the innocent bystanders, with the sound track from POTC blaring from the speakers... a fog machine wafting white mist over her bow! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just plundered what is to become our parade float on Ebay for a whopping $27.51 for the hull you see below and the trailer! You'll have to use your imagination here quite a bit, but picture this humble little wreck below painted black with red trim, and the guild name on the back, painters canvas sails on a PVC mast, remove the winshield, strip the inside down, add a poop deck with a railing to the back.... It's gonna be quite a project to convert it, but it should be fun. If anyone has any suggestions I could use lots of ideas and advice!!

*rolls big blue Valley Girl google eyes* Like gaaaaaawd Iron Bess, *blonde hair toss* just gag me with a plank! *chews gum loudly* And Royaliste you are like soooooooooooo last week to be laughing at me, I mean, like, *jaw-drop / eye roll expression* you're the guy who wants me to start, like this ALL-WENCH pirate group to like party on your ship all day called TAILS of the seven seas... I mean that is just like, so- *hand flip / jaw drop*

Aye Rosalinda! Men look right fine when they be bent in labor a-scrubbin' me linoleum or washing me windows or doin' me laundry, or... (better hush before Saber keelhauls me, eh?!!) OK Royaliste... we all be a waitin' fer yer "mile high club" tales with bated breath!!

Daydreamed of another lusty lad who I think would make an excellent pirate- how about Stuart Townsend, who played Lestat in Queen of the Damned? A lucious rogue of a bad boy!!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Speaking of anniversarys... Tales of the Seven Seas will be celebrating it's first anniversary at the Ojai Pirate Faire. It was there last year that I looked over to my loyal pirate gal Sasha and said.. "Ya know... we ought to start our own pirate guild since there aren't any in northern CA!!" PRP and NQG were both instrumental in helping us get started- first by the literature on the NQG website about starting your own guild and secondly by being listed on the crews to sign on with page, through which we had several pirates join up with us. I was also helped tremendously by a lady from the Guild of St. Gregory, a 20 year+ old organization. She served as my mentor by email and gave me a great deal of encouragement. *raising me tankard* So would like to propose a toast to the senior guilds- A hearty thanks to ye' for being supportive of the new pirates on the island- been a helluva first year and lookin' forward to many more!! HUZZAH!!!!!!!! *glug - glug- glug - sssssslurrrrrrrrrrp!!!!*

Survivor Pirate version? *adopts piratical Valley Girl voice* "...Yeah and Mitch, he like, totally shivers me timbers, but like I told him that I couldn't walk the plank with him cuz he's like reeeeeally got cutlass envy, ya know? So I say like....'YUh!' and he's like 'Uh-uh!' and I'm just like 'YUh!' "

Ah me dearies.... therein lies a quandry, what is in fact and what is fantasy? Check out some of the works written by Dr. David Cordingly (Under the Black Flag and other titles). According to an article that came out in a magazine for young adults about a year ago (struggling to recall the name of the magazine and will post it if I can remember) Cordingly specifically addressed the issue of weather the Captain Hook look was historically accurate and stated that in fact, pirates often wore that look to emulate wealthy merchants when they went ashore. There is also historic documentation describing what Bartholomew Roberts wore when he went into his last battle- a crimson waistcoat, a huge diamond cross, a large read plume in his hat etc. So you see... Some level of Captain Hook costuming really IS in fact historically accurate. That is one of the frustrations of choosing to go with the elaborate "pirate while ashore" costuming- everyone thinks it's fiction because it is so gaudy. *leaps up on to a hogshead o' rum and hollers loudly* So pirates wear yer damask waistcoat with pride! Put plumes in yer hat!! Get those killer pirate boots on Ebay! Pull on yer velvet frock coat and parade yerself like the piratical plunderin' peacock that ye' are!!! Turn loose yer inner pirate on the world!!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! (all of the above is intended with good will and sprinkled with twisted humor!!)

Red and black like this perhaps? See below... Mine was made by Becky Cristler. She does beautiful, high-quality work and the bodice/dress with a chemise is only $75. She's done quite a few dresses for wenches who pirate with us and every one of them has loved the results. I send everyone who asks about wench wear to her. She is great to work with! Every dress is custom tailored to the wenches measurements. They are very flattering and you can choose to reveal as much or as little above your bodice as you wish to. You can email Becky at sunset_red7@yahoo.com Here are a few more of Becky's dresses. You get to select the colors and fabrics and we have them all have a unique style- Here is the same dress as above, but with a white chemise: Here is another in green: And another in purple:

The flintlock holsters just arrived- They look very good, nice and sturdy. It also looks like a lot of the flintlock will still show, which is a nice plus.

And here is Darkmalkins...

You saw his arm... Here is Royaliste's back!

Sounds like a great night o' piracy!!

That's exactly what we got, the Minnetonka Moccassin.

Got mine on Ebay.... I just saw one on there today that sound's like Bess's

I'm posting these two photos of the Irving Johnson on behalf of Royaliste. They were taken from the deck of The Royaliste and he commented "They are all friends of the Royaliste. Timber and rigging courtesy 'Allen C. Rawl'."

Replying to Captain William.. I'm new to blackpowder, so I am only doing it with experienced supervision, so at the moment, I'm firing when aboard the Royaliste. But we have a range near work that Saber and I have been discussing going to- it would be fun to try the flintlocks with a projectile to find out how bad a shot I really am! We live in a rural mountain area outside of city limits in unincorporated county. We checked with the local police and we are allowed to fire them where we live. Sooner or later we'll do that and introduce our neighbors to the sweet song o' piracy! KA-BOOM!!!

Darkmalkin, I didn't know that stuff was still around! I read also that they scented it with various oils to make it more pleasant- what "flavor" did you try? Redhand, I associated it with gentry as well, which is why I got to wondering if it was a snooty thing (pun intended) or if pirates were into it. Another question, I'm guessing that although it wasn't as potent as cocaine, the niccotine was absorbed in the same manner- I wonder if it was more addictive than smoking and when/why it fell out of popularity when smoking didn't?