Coastie04

Additionally, there was one typo in my first post. The schooner was built in 1913, not 1903. She's still an old, beautiful and working ship. Arrrgh!

Unfortunately, I couldn't really describe the wheel in too much detail, as it's been rebuilt since I was sailing on her. From other descriptions, I've heard that it was a 3' diameter wheel with smaller diameter spokes than usual to fit a kid's hands better. I think the part that will distinguish it a bit is the brass hub itself.Many that I have seen are just a flat hub, whereas this one has some ridges leading up to the bolt in the center. And lastly, an image of the wheel when the boat was new in 1913 (the wood has been redone since then)

The nature of wartime construction on ships is not necessarily a thing of the past. How many liberty ships went down during WWII due to poor and/or hasty construction? Add in to the fact that they just didn't have the same knowledge base for shipbuilding that we do today. Ironically, I was just quoting a book earlier today on the pub and ran across a couple quotes that are perfect for this discussion as well, regarding the first Pride of Baltimore. She was an extremely accurate reproduction of a baltimore clipper, but not necessarily a good seagoing vessel. From "Tall Ships Down" by Daniel S. Parrott: Additionally, the author describes baltimore clipper designs in general: I realize that these boats are way OOP, but I believe that these passages do explain some of the problems that just came with the territory back then. Baltimore clippers were built essentially as wartime boats for smuggling small cargo loads in to blockaded ports. Not all boats were built well, not all were maintained well. Furthermore, sometimes people just complain about their particular boat's deficiencies more than the next person. Just go to any sailboat forum and look for the discussion (they all have them) about monohulls vs. catamarans. Then dig a little (not much digging is usually necessary) and you will find that some boats are just designed better and/or built with better quality materials. You tend to hear a lot of griping and warnings about the poorly built boats. One last bit to add about one of the original examples in particular... The USCGC Eagle bent one of her main yards in 2001, due to hauling on one brace while not easing the other. This was a steel yard. It would not be completely inconceivable to me that there was a bad order given, or miscommunication that could lead to the breaking of a wooden yard. Afterwards, a little cover up could be concocted for the benefit of all onboard in the eyes of their superiors/investors saying that it was rotten and therefore not their fault. Arrrgh!

There was a paragraph specifically about this in the book "Tall Ships Down" by Daniel S. Parrott, a captain of the Pride of Baltimore II. It is in regard to the sinking of the first Pride of Baltimore in 1986. Personally, I've sailed boats with both tillers (Lady Washington and more modern sailboats up to 35 feet) and wheel (Adventuress, USCGC Eagle, various modern sailboats including my Fortune 30 cutter, Sanctioned Mistress). The Lady Washington's tiller was never a problem for me (high school and college at the time), and they always had a relieving tackle rigged on it. Occasionally a second helmsman was assigned when rapid helm commands were expected, but that was rare. The only time I found that I consistently used the relieving tackle was when under engine power. The turbulence on the tiller from the prop would wear my arms out after a while if I didn't 'lock' the tiller in position from time to time. For the wheels, it was usually easier, but took longer to go from hard over one way to hard over the other way. In the smaller boats I've sailed, I find a tiller much easier for close quarters maneuvering for just that reason. Going slower requires more rudder than when cruising at faster speeds, especially combined with the close quarters situations experienced when docking. So, in my opinion, it's a tossup for most vessels in the size range of the Golden Hinde, Lady Washington and Adventuress.​ Of course, I have not steered a vessel at sea with a whip-staff, so it might be quite a bit different. I have messed around with some at the dock on a couple of reproductions, and (at least docked without pressure on the helm) they seem relatively easy to use. It probably just comes down to preference of the captain, Coast Guard regulations, and how authentic the builders/owners want to be. Arrrgh!

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, so I figured that I'd let everyone here know. The historic schooner Adventuress (1903) had her wheel stolen while she was in port in Olympia, WA on October 7th. She was able to borrow and retrofit a new wheel to continue on her educational sailing schedule. Obviously, for historical reasons, she wants her wheel back and Sound Experience, the non profit organization that runs her, is offering a $100 reward and the promise of no criminal charges filed. This theft hits home a bit for me, as Adventuress was the first boat I ever sailed WAY back in middle school, which led me to volunteering on board her and other tall ships and eventually my whole career choice. Her program is wonderful for kids in Washington. So, if any of you pirates in that area hear of anything, please contact your local authorities. Thank you! Arrrgh!

Well, I'd agree that it's hard not to have a good time with Merrydeath, but yes...people do move on. However, every once in a while, we do tend to have a hankering to reconnect with the good past times and reminisce, which is one of the reasons I'm back on the pub (maybe helping to get the thread back on topic?). I still love the nautical history side of things, though I never got my garb quite up to specs (it's about 50/50 historical and...something else-I'll call it pseudo historical, as I've never really gone for the fantasy, but don't try to pass it off as truly historical). Most likely I'll never get the garb up to specs now, since there's really no need to. I usually wear it for Halloween and maybe one or two other times per year. However, if a pirate event was ever organized in southeast Alaska, I'd probably invest more time and money toward the authenticity for which I have tried. In the meantime, I'll continue drinking my award winning homebrew, sailing my boat older style but modern boat, and singing sea shanties as lullabies to my son. And, of course, not having to think about my Halloween costume each year. Arrrgh!

I have to admit that I'm a little jealous of Alex. There are lots of pirate onesies out there and with family and friends buying almost every one they can find, he gets to wear pirate themed clothing much more than I do! Arrrgh!

Hello, my name is Coastie, and I'm a pyrate. Of course, anyone who's been here for a few years knows that already, but I've been on shore leave for quite a while, so I figured that I should re-introduce myself and give some updates. I'm no longer part of the King's Revenue Service, but instead have landed in Alaska and have settled down...sort of. I now work for a sort of modern version of the EAC, called AMHS. It's by either these boats or Alaska Airlines that you make it in or out of southeast or southwest Alaska. I married my wench (the same one that many of you in the greater CT area might remember), and just a couple months ago she gave birth to our first son, Alexander. Not many pirate events in the far north, but I have been cruising for prizes on my own 30' cutter, Sanctioned Mistress. I still love nautical history, though the focus has changed a little to the fur trade and Russia's exploration (everything is named Stellar ___ here!). Recently my wife and I toured the convict settlements down under and I coerced her to wandering the docksides in the the port towns we visited. I was lucky to see a good number of tall ships down that way, and with any technological luck, will post some of those photos in the coming weeks. I look forward to hearing from and/or about many of the good friends that I have missed in the last few years while real life was catching up to me. Arrrgh!

This is a very fitting topic, as I'm just signing on to the pub for the first time in a few years. I never really left piracy in my heart, but have definitely taken a hiatus in recent years. The primary reason is that there are no events (that I know of) near me in Alaska. I don't have the time or money to be flying around the country, as the wife and I (and now baby boy!) took up all our vacation time and money just seeing family. Then there's the other hobbies... homebrewing, gardening (mostly the wife, but I love the edible crops), and maintaining and sailing my own sailboat. There's only enough time and money for some of these, especially with the new aforementioned spawn (just 8 weeks old). If there were others around that did pirate events/get togethers/ shanty nights, then I would probably still have kept up with the hobby a bit more. However, the ease of access to other like minded individuals (except virtually) made me lapse on checking the pub or improving my kit. The weather up here doesn't help, either. However, my love of history and the sea have finally brought me back here. Arrrgh!

No facts to back up right now, but maybe look at where they'd be on an East India ship or a smaller naval vessel (even though I doubt the smaller ones would usually have a proper surgeon on board, they'd probably have some sort of sick bay for injured crew). Would something like that be in a captain's standing orders? If so, you might be able to find something in a Naval archive. Just my two bits. Arrrgh!

Lady Barbarossa: Since there are many stays connecting the two masts, when one comes down the other is usually pulled down as well. This happened also on the schooner Pride of Baltimore II when she was dismasted a few years ago. As far as dismasting, I was completely dismasted in a 35' sloop a number of years back while racing for the Coast Guard Academy. Definitely dangerous stuff, and quite scary. Of course, once the rig is secured (or in my case, cut away so that the end of the mast wouldn't act like a battering ram against the hull due to the wave action), then it's just an uncomfortable motorboat ride or tow in a very stiff boat. I think the axes were next to the rigging more in case something did happen to the masts, that they could be cut away, rather than cutting away the standing masts. That's what taking in/reefing sails is for. Worst case scenario, let fly the sheets, which will essentially neutralize the canvass and let the sail flog itself into pieces. You'd loose the sail, but the rigging would be intact, and new sails are a lot less expensive than a whole new rig. I could be wrong in this, but I've never heard a story of a clipper ship actually cutting away undamaged rigging in even the worst squalls. Coastie

A potential tragedy, for sure, but at least the boat was still afloat, and I didn't hear anything about taking on water. So, they would have been uncomfortable bobbing around with their newly made sea anchor, but they probably would have been OK until the tugs made it out there. The mainmast isn't in the water, so the foremast would have actually just swung the head around into the seas. Probably the best thing it could have done (besides not breaking, of course). Coastie

Just figured I'd post this, since I haven't seen anyone else. The Polish training ship Fryderyk Chopin was dismasted about 100 miles off the coast of Scilly. There were 47 crew, mostly teens aged 14-16, along with 14 professional crew. From what I've read, it doesn't look like there were any injuries and the boat was safely towed in to port by a fishing trawler. A video is on this bbc website that shows the damage quite well as the brig is towed in. Coastie04

Sanctioned: Formally approved and invested with legal authority... i.e. the wife approves! Coastie

Well, no mutinous deer on my maiden voyage (no hide nor hair of 'em). However, a bit of termination dust fell today, so I might head out the day after we host a homebrew meeting (i.e. party) and comb the beaches for more of those furry scoundrels. So far, the boat is everything I thought it would be. Sails great, and extremely stable and rugged. Coastie

"Yet" is the right word. I wouldn't be surprised if on her maiden voyage with me (besides sea trials) around Douglass Island a deer or two happen to find themselves onboard hanging from the stays'l haliard or under the main boom. Small arms be below, and hunting season is upon us! Coastie

I just purchased a Fortune 30 cutter here in Alaska (30' LOD, 33' 6" LOA, 10' 4" Beam, 4' Draft). She's a pretty little fiberglass cruising boat with a seperate aft cabin. I love the look of wood, but in this climate, it's a pain and very costly to maintain. So, I settled on a fiberglass hull with classic looking lines. To me, she looks a little like a coastal or fishing sloop from the early 1800s. But with the added safety of a 20hp inboard. Currently, her name is Pacific High 1, but I'm looking to change that to Sanctioned Mistress. Yes, I know it's supposedly bad luck to change a boat name, but Pacific High just doesn't suit me. I'm a good enough sailor to deal with some bad luck, and just superstitious enough that I'll probably perform a proper name changing ceremony and re-christen her...just in case! So, if anyone's going to be in the Juneau area in the next few years, let me know and we might be able to go out and do some whale watching, fishing, hunting, or glacier viewing (some activities seasonal, of course). Coastie

She's actually been for sale for some time now. I think it's been off and on for years. The majmor problem is upkeep. Wooden boats are expensive, and this one was built by Hollywood to make a movie nearly 50 years ago. She was originally supposed to be burned on a beach in the making of that movie, so they didn't exactly build her to last this long. Even back in the age of sail, with a well built boat, 50 years was old. Many would have just been abandoned, broken up for the iron and copper, or just plain lost at sea. Now, there's Coast Guard requirements that make it even more expensive. In order to keep an old vessel like that in sailing condition for that long, there's usually a major rebuild required. And it's not like you can just go down to the local hardware store and pick up wood for ships like these anymore. Many years ago, I remember the tall ship community was pretty much writing off that ship because there was so much work that needed to be done. Hopefully, she got the treatment and money she needed to do the repairs and refitting right. Although $3 million seems like a lot, remember that the USS Constitution is currently undergoing a $6 million restoration, and spent 3 years in dry-dock back in the early 1990s. And that boat doesn't sail, and has lots of Navy money thrown at it for operation costs and regular maintenance. In short, I would run away from this boat as fast as I can; unless I had a LOT of extra money and the ship held sentimental value for me. It would probably be cheaper to just build a new boat, but then some of the nostalgia would definitely be lost. Granted, given the money, I would be willing to put forth the effort on a boat that personally has sentimental value to me, such as the Lady Washington or Adventuress if they were ever in dire straits. Coastie

The Providence is built like that. Wood superstructure, with a reinforced fiberglass hull. To the untrained eye, she's indestinguishable from an all wood vessel. But if you look close at the hull... Coastie

Look at today's pirate boardings. They board MUCH larger ships from little, fast inflatable boats. I've heard many accounts of them using grapnels to get aboard (including one first hand tale). Plus, very few of the crews fight back. The standard proceedure today is to barricade the crew in a safe area and wait for help to arrive. Some ships will even weld the doors to the crew quarters shut from inside. Now, this was not necessarily an option back then, but remember that there is a very big difference between a merchant crew and a pirate or naval crew. The merchant crews are not generally paid to defend the ship, but just sail it. If they are out manned and out classed, then these untrained, civilian sailors would give up the ship and hope that the pirates are leniant. Blackbeard would often send captured crews back in a slow boat with only barely enough provisions to make it to shore instead of killing them. With the prospect of living to sail again, many merchant sailors would not think twice about the owners' cargo, since to them it was just another hold full of bags and barrels. Coastie

Foxe beat me to it, and has a more impressive list. Take his advice, for he's the expert over there. Coastie

The Golden Hinde is a nice little vessel, though I have only had the fortune of seeing her dockside, not onboard. I don't know if the Cutty Sark is open at all yet, but if there is any possibility of seeing the ship, I would recommend a trip to Greenwich (though she's 19th Century, she's a beautiful boat). If you get a chance to take a trip to Portsmouth, definitely spend a day at the museum and go onboard the HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, and take a look at the Mary Rose and accompanying museum. Those would be my recommendations, but I'd be happy to hear if others can recommend other ships for next time I'm out that way. Coastie

As a more modern note, port and starboard are begining to change yet again, and ironically are begining with helm commands. Many ships (including the U.S. Coast Guard) are using right and left for rudder commands instead of port and starboard. This is to avoid confusion (sounds familiar, doesn't it?) about what the officer of the watch actually wants. For a ship with a rudder, in order to turn to port, would have to push the rudder to starboard, thus turning the rudder to port. So, 'port your helm' would actually turn the rudder/boat to starboard. For a while, the terms 'starboard helm' and 'port rudder' meant the same thing: turn the rudder to port. As it has been mentioned, nautical terminology evolves slow (on a side note, my knowledge of traditional ship rigging once helped me pass a test on shipboard cranes). So, in the early 20th Century, there was a crossover period where confusion was caused depending on whether people learned to sail on ships with wheels or tillers. 'Hard-a-starboard' would mean two different things to different sailors. However, since some people still cling to the old ways, rudder commands are now often given in left/right instead of port/starboard, so that everyone knows it's a rudder command, not a helm/tiller command. Coastie

Another possible symbol is the Asklepios serpent/staff design. I'm not sure if it would ever have been worn as a badge, but the symbol was around back then (albiet a different one than today). Symbol of Modern Medicine From another site, I found this: SourceHope this helps. Coastie

Four is a small crew, and for a day sail or short coastal routes, I'd say it's big enough. Definitely big enough to take down sail in an emergency. Additionally, this is a school ship, so they may have had a larger crew that they got off the boat as soon as possible when trouble hit. Thus, the crew of four might just be a skeleton crew of the professional sailors that acted as watch captains for the trainees. Just a supposition of why the crew may have been so small. Of course, not being able to pay a larger crew is another distinct possibility.