TheBlackFox

I'll have m'wife with me and on Saturday, Louie (From Pirate Master) and his wife Linda will be our guests. I'll be in the shire alone on Sunday. . . so watch yer cider money 'cause I'll be after it, mates!

Heck, I'm still waiting for my SUMMER issue to arrive

It's those snails working at the Post Office, mate. . . but have no fear.

We're in the editing stages of the magazine and the last bit of advertising is coming in. . . of course we can always fit more if need be. This will be our THIRD Autumn issue, huzzzahh to all of ye for helping keep this rag afloat!

What's in the Autumn issue?

5 hot PYRATES (not wenches) of the quarter (as promised, lovely ladies)

The Curse of Yellowbeard

Long Island Pirate Festival

Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend @ Rock Hall, MD

Maureen O'Hara - Pyrate Queen of the Screen

Northern California Pyrate Festival

Sir Francis Drake - Privateer to the Queen

And MUCH more . . . including the inside speculation on POTC:4

subscribe or advertise, mates: www.pyratesway.com

Know ye mates, that The Pyrates Way is having a wee bit of a Band Contest.

Come up with either a new song (or parody an old song) and make it all about The Pyrates Way . . . we might just add it to our new give-away CD, sent to our subscribers at Xmas time!

No you don't have to be professionals. . .but only the best will make it to the CD. The authors and the band keep all the rights except for ours to publish it not-for-profit. Bands making it onto the tracks of the CD will get free advertising space in The Pyrates Way, as well as their information included in the CD's packaging.

We've already heard from 4 different groups who be workin' steady in their art. . . . . Deadline is Oct. 31!

Publisher@pyratesway.com

Our first "color" TV was this piece of clear film that was blue for the top third (sky), pink in the middle (faces) and green for the bottom (grass). Dad got us a color TV the day prior to Batman's premiere.

I remember the guy with the cart of local vegetables and was the knife sharpener screaming as he walked it up the streets of the neighborhood. Sometimes he had blue crabs (DC suburbs).

A rotary phone in our house and a crank phone in my grandparents' up in Jersey. (early 60s even!)

lastly. . . the dog chewing the hands and feet of every G.I. Joe. . . . it did mark the first time I put a pirate hook on an action figure. . . a bit of foreshadowing m'thinks.

Cyn and I traveled out to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire and ran across "Magic" Miller who hand-makes boots out of his Texas lair. For just a bit over $300 I picked up some deer-skin pirate boots that may be the most comfortable boot I've ever worn. They are incredible.

Buying from Magic isn't just a purchase, it's an adventure. He spent the better part of a half hour showing us the ins and outs of good bootmaking (while flirting with Cyn). It was a great experience and I can't tell you enough how fine the workmanship is on the boots and how great they look and feel.

www.regalboots.com

We LOVE our clipclocks and will probably buy some for each of our styled-garb!

Ye be send'n them all t' ME?!!?

What on earth for? I do naught have everyone's address t' forward them out!!! How come ye can naught just send one to each person yerself??

so you're NOT the distributor?

oooops.

There's a two page photospread about the exhibit in the summer Pyrates Way

'tis a great book with very much documented research behind it. I'm reading it for the second time and spent an hour or two with the author down in Hampton at The Blackbeard Festival. He's a great guy and easy to talk to. . . if you get the chance to see him at a booksigning. . .take it!

Summer Pyrates Way is in the mail to YOU!

We had a ball and did some good business.

The dingy race was fun as hell. . .some VERY creative folks out there. The Beach Bash was standing-room only, to the point that I gave up any chance of getting photos of it. . . it was bikini city. . .fun to see but not a lot of pyracy on the beach (although with the hot sun, I can't blame 'em).

Saturday night was the Buccaneer's Bash at The Waterman's and it looked like half the town showed up and half of them were in some sort of pyrate costume. A couple of bands played, there were costume contests, and much rum-drinking. Our old friends from Pirates Choice Rum showed up and handed out free samples. There was much me drinking.

Sunday was a bit more subdued with some ominous clouds coming in about noonish, so we packed it in early and enjoyed everything happening in town which we'd not gotten to see yet. Downtown there were pirate booths selling garb and a pirate encampment on one side of the street and more of a flea market event on the other side. . . place was teaming with folks.

For a first year event, I thought it was done up pretty well and the scenery was great. You'll see it all in the autumn Pyrates Way!

We have an article about Science Fiction Pyrates in our summer issue. . .on sale TODAY!

You mean that show CBS cancelled without even concluding it because the ratings sucked?

I believe it was the first reality show ever to have that dubious honor... :)

-- Hurricane

Actually they concluded the series.

They just did it on the web.

uh. . . because the ratings sucked.

Louie from Pirate Master the TV series: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/pirate_master

Louie and his drop-dead gorgeous wife Linda will be with m'wife and I at the Rock Hall Pirate and Wench event this weekend in Maryland.

Come see us!

http://www.markck.com/images/Piracy/Author...l%20History.htm

(Even if you do read that, I'd get a copy of the book and read it for myself if I were you. There's nothing like direct experience. I'm sure your local library can procure it for you.)

Well spoke and very interesting. . . THANX!

by Capt. Charles Johnson

hmmmm. . . . I don't put a lot of stock in his writings. There's so much incorrect in that book that a lot of piratical historians think that the writer might have been a pen name of DeFoe. . . . the information presented, especially about Bart Roberts and Blackbeard are very much in question. If you pick up the book "The Last Days of Blackbeard The Pirate" by Kevin Duffus, he's found a LOT of historical discrepancies with the accounts of "Capt. Johnson."

There's another recent pirate book that calls Johnson's statements into question, but I can't put my finger on the book as of yet (I'm reading 3 a month now).

The Summer issue is rapping up it's visit to the printer and should be in the mail dead on the 31st as planned (whew).

Subscribers to get this issue closed a month ago, but it's already available on back order if you want to get a head of the game. We have to close subscriptions when the issue goes to press because of the lag time in getting all the mailing addresses set up. (Talk about the boring part of the job)

Anyway. . . in the Summer Issue you'll see:

• 100 photos from PyrateCon 2008 - including a shot of thousands of pirates marching up Bourbon Street!

• Highlights from the Pirates Ball at the Blackbeard Festival in Hampton, VA

• A feature about Captain Blood (and not just Erol Flynn)

• A photo feature of the Whydah exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philly

• 4 Page catalog from Dress Like A Pirate

• Pirate Weekend at VARF (Revisited)

• Pirates of Science Fiction!

• One-on-One with Louie Frase from Pirate Master

• Treasure! article

• A visit to the Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Orlando, FL

• We take a look at Jolly Roger Caribbean Rum

And of course 5 hot wenches (no longer image-enhanced models. . .but REAL wenches), jokes, cartoons, crossword, Re-enactor's Corner, and lots more.

TONS of stuff in this, our 8th issue!

There's a full-page written review of it in the Winter 07/08 issue of The Pyrates Way. It's an amazing book that I've read twice now.

Faire Magazine. . .written for YOU

On Renaissance Festival . com, there's been some flack going around that Renaissance Magazine isn't what it used to be. . . . especially when one out of every six issues is designated for weddings.

So I got that itchy artsy/publishing feeling again. Then a few R/F folks pushed me. Then a few more, who enjoy what I've done in the pirate community with <a href="http://www.pyratesway.com>The Pyrates Way magazine</a> and would enjoy a similar magazine for "Rennies."

Hmmmmmmmmm I wondered if a full color magazine with amazing features about different faires including prices, types of food and drink, and detailed info on where to stay in the area, what to expect, etc. . . be a good idea? What if it included a part just for serious reenactors. . . and a vendor's area. . .and a garb-making area. . . and a feature on some interesting faire artists that you might not know about? If it all came in a nice package every quarter for less than $6 an issue. . .would you people be interested?

So now there's a choice for your magazine dollar. You can chose a black-and-white magazine produced on conventional paper and includes a lot of articles which boost their advertisers but leave readers wanting more faire-oriented material (which was the magazine's original promise). . . or would you rather have a thick magazine of grand photography that brings far-away festivals into your home to share with kin and counsel?

Personally, I think there's room for both. This idea might piss off both my CPA and my wife, who counts on me to at least bring <i>something</i> home in funds for this idea. . . . but 'tis true. I'll subscribe to both magazines, so I can get all the information. That's the truth of it. . . I can provide a lot in our magazine and they can provide other material.

So here's the deal. . . check us out at: <a href="http://www.fairemagazine.com">Faire Magazine</a> and see if you like the idea. It's a magazine about Renaissance Faires. . .not just the Renaissance. It's a way to give those involved in Renaissance Festivals, whether owner, entertainer, actor, vendor, playtron or paytron. . . a voice. Our goal is to share these festivals and faires with those who might never (*insert cost of gas here) get the chance to visit.

Subscribers are important but Advertisers pay the bills. If you have a business that's been less-than-profitable this season due to the down-attendance/gas/travel costs. . then this is a way to reach those that would love to see what you have to offer.

C'mon and join us. . . it's all about faire . . . so it's all about us.

(xposted everywhere)

Louie Frase invited me downstate Delaware to join him, his drop-dead-gorgeous wife Linda, Louie's hot sister and beautiful niece at the Seaford Festival on the Nanticoke River. . . . it was a bit tame (as compared to Pyrate festivals like PyrateCon) but we managed to have a good time.

Louie and I got some radio airtime for The Pyrates Way magazine and Louie went out of his way to promote the magazine by giving out all the business cards that I had on me. . .he totally rocks and loves our pyrate brethren.

We're gonna' do some fishing in the next few weeks as I feel the Chesapeake Bay calling me again. . . oh. . .and the beer. . .why fish without beer?

This pyrate hobby of ours has brought some incredible friendships.

I hopes we still see yer smilin' visage once in a while here on the East coast, mate.

But all in all, one must make hay, before the deep water runs still, or some such saying. They are somewhat good problems to have, in general.

Aye mate. . .'tis true enough.

. . I think the other bands shall have a run for their money in trying their hand at writing a Pyrates Way song. The song ye have been working on is a true gem!

Can't wait to hear the finished product!

With the new Faire Magazine (http://www.fairemagazine.com) taking off faster and with more steam behind it that we had at the beginning of The Pyrates Way, I'm afraid that I'll be forced to put more of my efforts into the new magazine sooner than expected.

This means I've had to cut back on several of the pyrate faires/festivals that we planned on visiting during the third quarter of the year. Several big ideas for next year have been put on hold and the biggest personal upset is that I've resigned from the board of directors of PyrateCon2009.

The Pyrates Way will still support PyrateCon in any way possible, but I just can't devote the amount of time required and it wouldn't be fair to those who cherish the event so much, if I couldn't put in 100%. Another concern was in the economy of the U.S. . . . if gas prices continue to rise, the attendance at the 'con will fall and those that do attend, won't have the leftover $$ to spend nor will they be able to fly their booty back home due to the extra baggage costs on every airline.

On the Upside, as announced in the Summer Issue of The Pyrates Way, (on press now), The Pyrates Way song contest has begun. Pyrate bands must come up with either a new piece of music (preferred) or a take on a popular song that includes the words "The Pyrates Way" somewhere inside of the lyrics. These songs must be professionally recorded and the mp3 file sent to us by October 31, 2008. The winning songs will be included in the Winter Pyrates Way as the subscriber booty (free in every subscriber's issue).

Another announcement that we're excited about is that the booty in every Pyrates Way issue to come will include two Pyrate Trading Cards! We're creating eight different cards for each issue, so there's no telling which cards you'll get! (64 in all by the time we're done). There will only be 1,000 of each card produced.

So as in life. . .we have our ups and downs! Keep your powder dry, says I!

Music. . .like wenches. . .always get more beautiful the more rum ye drink, mates.

I'm just sayin' is all.

I saw them at one of the pre-pyratecon parties in LA and they rocked. . .they continued to rock in New Orleans first in Pirates Alley on Thursday night, then at their concerts both on Friday and Saturday nights.

As I told them in person, their energy doesn't reflect in their CDs. . .but they are incredible in person. I have all their music and truthfully. . .to me. . . it's not near what they do on stage.

IMHO