TalesOfTheSevenSeas

Another temporary option that can be fun is henna. The traditional henna can be very pale yellow or reddish brown. They now make a black that looks very much like real tattoos and will last about 1 to 3 weeks. Some people do have a bad reaction to the black henna, so if you have sensitive skin, you might want to try it on a very small area first. So find an artistic friend and have fun!!

Before our recent "graduation" to blackpowder flintlocks, we used lots of very nice reproduction flintlocks/ Some are very real looking. I keep them still, for our loaner gear. Most came from Ebay. Just run a search on flintlock and you'll have tons to choose from. My favorite is the triple barrel Lorezoni you see in the photo below. I did NOT like either of the other ivory handled repros I bought, either the double or single barrel models. Both looked very cheesy, but the triple is a very good-looking reproduction.

Yes, Batspell has been busy emailing me about costuming!! :-D

The method of firing that Royaliste is talking about is when the ships are perpendicular to eachother, in the shape of a "T" the ship positioned at the cross bar of the T has all the guns of one side of his ship pointed out the gunports on it's side, and aimed right at the most vulnerable part of the other ship.. straight down it's "backbone". The method was called "raking" or "raking fire". Here is a nice animation that illustrates it: When a ship gets hit lengthwise, the damage can be tremendous. Not only does it break the ships back and go ripping through the body of the ship, but the splinters of the heavy timbers are flying everywhere like shrapnel.

*chanting new mantra* First the powder, then the ball.... First the powder, then the ball.... Capt. Flint, Thanks for the confirmation on the holster. Gotta dye it black to adapt to my look, but other than that, I think it will do nicely. Royaliste, I am SO looking forward to sailing this weekend!!! It will be a much needed day of terrorizing the bay!!!!! Fair weather... good company... a crew full o' handsome lads, what more can a wench ask for eh? (Lord.. THAT was a loaded question!!!)

Royaliste, my Queen Anne just arrived! I'll be good to go for Saturday!!

This is the pistol holster offered by Dixie Gunworks. Is this the one that was mentioned earlier as being a little hard to draw from, but more or less without trouble otherwise?

Dorian, me dear, Ye be welcome t' send yer photo my way and I'll load it up on me website fer ye. Ye' gotta have it loaded on the web to show it here. talesofthesevenseas@hotmail.com

Just had a good laugh while playing the CD today... My husband and I were going through the drive through car wash, just as the washbuckling score came on that was played as Johnny Depp is up on the yardarm He's into the music, swayin' side to side... All around us the "waves" be crashin' over th' decks and onto the winshield!! ARRRRRRRRRR!! I look over give him a big pirate grin and shouts "Roll down the windows lad!!! Go for it!!!!"

I guess ye'll have to ask yer lad if he got a "wedgie" then?!!!

Had a talk with my Quartermaster (husband) this morning, and he about went through the roof o' the car...eh... I mean 'ship', when I suggested drilling a hole in his Harper's Ferry. I think we be a-goin' with leather loop holsters!

Here ye' go Mom!! I've got a streaming live cam for ye, right on that very beach!! Sign in and you can keep an eye on yer lad and he'll be none the wiser! We pirate moms have arrrrrrrr own brand o' piracy!!!! Wedge Cam

It's funny, since students and teachers at the college where I teach/manage, know I'm a pirate, they refer to POTC as "my movie!" I always have to laugh at that! Several of them came up and told me how much they loved Johnny Depp's performance and that he was "perfect" as Captain Jack Sparrow. I agree, t'was an artful performance. It be a fine think when ye can be handsome and filthy, the best pirate and the worst, foolish and clever as all hell.... all in the same movie!! Johnny me lad- I hereby offically nominate ye fer an academy award!!! Do I have any seconds?!!!!

Great! I'll take a look at the Dixie page and see what the scoop is! Thnaks!

Why thankee lass! I be right compleeeemented!! *makes a sweeping curtsy*

I finally got my CD. I got it by calling the record store that had them on order every day until they finally came in today. 20 copies were put on the rack today and by the time I got there I got the second to the last one!!! I'm betting that one is gone by now!! I would say just get it on-line. Here in the bay area, all the stores are sold out. I love the CD!! It reminds me very much of the Gladiator soundtrack. On the way home, my husband said he wanted to replace the car steering wheel with a ship's wheel... I told him that would be perfect for his Buick LeSabre!

Oh Legerdemain!!! That was just fabulous! It is the perfect example of why we all need to write down something about ourselves and our lives. It doesn't have to be an epic novel or even well written, but if it can survive and you've managed to instill a sense of history in your family, it will be treasured and provide a window into the past. Thanks so much for sharing. I hope you're passing out lots of copies to every branch of your family!!

Ye' be welcome Casabel!! I see what you mean about the second pin! It would be a drag to strip out a flintlock and I could see it happening easily.

Has anyone read the book "Ben Franklin's Privateers" ? It is an account of the two privateering vessels that Ben Franklin set into motion during the American Revolution. (what amazing things they leave out of the history books, eh?!!) I've been looking for a reasonably priced copy, but they seem to be pretty expensive. Is this book worth paying $25 or more for, or should I get it from the library?

Thanks for the info! I'm curious about the info on the first article also. What lends it some credibility in my book, is that it appears in Cindy Vallar's lair. She's a reasearch librarian, pirate historian and author of a couple of books. I took a class from her and have a great deal of respect for her research. I doubt she would have an article on her info site that was soaked in snake oil. I may have to drop her an email and ask her about that one!!

Here is another article, published in the London Daily Telegraph in 1995 saying that Blackbeard marooned a mutinous crew on Dead Man's Chest Island. There is also a 1997 article saying that "dead chest" is sailor's slang for a coffin. Click to see the brief article

This is going to open a VERY interesting can o' worms indeed!! I had recalled reading somewhere that Dead Man's Chest was written by Robt. Lewis Stevenson and that it was his creation for his novel, Treasure Island and that it had no basis in factual history. But I wanted to double check my facts before I spouted it off here. But check this out... Fern Canyon Press has a brief article stating the origin to be unknown, and that Stevenson is believed to have adapted it from an actual island called Dead Man's Chest as John mentioned above. And then I found this amazing little article in which a guy claims to have found an untouched and misfiled naval record from 1777 in which a seaman's ballad is entered into evidence and the name of the ballad is "Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest". John, is this the article you are looking for? Click here for the article Who else has some more info?!!! This is interestin' stuff mates!!

Just ordered my Queen Anne this morning. Casabel, is this the type of belt hook you are using? This one is available for $7.95 at Thunder Ridge Muzzleloading

OH GOD!!!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! *blood-curdling scream of terror*

Regarding Disney merchandise... I have no doubts that Michael Eisner and Co will be all over any merchandising opportunities. I have a feeling that they are doing a nice slow release so that people pay top dollar when things first come out. If they flood the market with POTC stuff and things are cheap and easy to get, no one is excited about them and paying big bucks. Right now... if you want POTC toys, you pretty much have to buy props and pay through the nose. A few soundtrack CD's are out there but, at least here in the SF Bay Area, they are hard to come by unless you buy on-line and they are selling out as soon as they hit the shelves. I am betting that the Johnny Depp pirate doll will come out juuuuuuuuuuuuuust in time for Christmas and he'll be on the wish-list of every pirate fan out there. I'm betting on shortages in the toystores and top dollar prices. Captain Jack Sparrow is a marketable commodity and I'm betting we'll exploit him to the hilt. Meet the next cabbage patch doll folks!!!