historyfanatic

Good event! I didn't take any pictures, except for some structural frame components that caught my interest, but would probably bore everyone else... All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I can't wait to do it again! However, Mickey shouldn't be allowed to plan meals anymore... I've never seen so much fruit! We sure weren't going to get scurvy!!

Registration is filling up fast and the deadline is June 1st. If you want to attend this event, you need to send your registration in asap! If you are not registered, you may not camp or participate in any of the battles. Please got to www.piratesofpaynetown.org to register.

Hello all! The winning Pirates of Paynetown bumper stickers have arrived!! Here are the final versions. These are exactly what you will receive. Size is 2 and 1/2 inches by 9 and 1/4 inches. They are printed on 5-year outdoor vinyl and are easily removable. Remember, the slogans are fun for any pirate anywhere, so even if you aren't local to the event, you can still support it by proudly displaying these fun pirate bumper stickers! Stickers are $3 each plus $1 for shipping and handling for any quantity of stickers. TO PURCHASE: Please send a check or money order for $3 per sticker, plus $1 for shipping made out to the SKURVY DOG CLAN and mail it to: Pirates of Paynetown P.O. Box 658 Charlestown, IN 47111 PLEASE remember to include your name, address, and the quantity and type of sticker you want. I'm sorry, but we can't accept PayPal at this time. Thanks for understanding.

I have had rum evaporate through a cork before... Keep that in mind!

Huzzah! I'm glad that there's at least one other crazy parent out there like me! Everyone told us that we shouldn't take our baby out of the house for 2 months and not to have him around large crowds. He was born 12 days before Christmas... Needless to say, we still took him to my wife's family gathering (She has 90 first cousins...) and we've taken him a number of places including several living history trade fairs over the last 3 months and he's perfectly healthy. You've gotta let them build their immune system! Breastfeeding helps immensely as well. That gives him his mother's immunity.

We have recently added a young'un to our list of "things not to forget" when packing for camp... He was born in December of '09, but he's already got 3 (soon to be 4) indoor trade fairs and a day trip to an outdoor event under his belt. His first camping event will be the first weekend of May. As someone who does 35+ events a year, I've gotten to know a lot of the other vendors children pretty well. It seems that if they grow up around it, then one, they respect other reenactors and mind their manners, and two, they have a lot of folks that won't think twice about bringing them to their parents or simply handling the problem themselves if they get out of line. There's an unwritten, but generally observed "code" at most reenactment events. Everyone is family and we all watch out for each other, so if someone's kid is hurt, you take care of them. If someone's kid is gonna get hurt, you stop them. If someone's kid is out of line, you verbally correct them, or make them sit in a chair until their parents find them, or frogmarch them to their own camp in extreme cases. Reenacment events are generally very kid-friendly. As far as pirate festivals and Ren faires go though, I can't attest as I'm not very familiar with them. Living history events though are all very much alike. As far as historically presenting pirates, well... My theory is that pirates are essentially sailors first and foremost. Furthermore, if sailors are on land, (aka, not on a ship at sea) then there WILL be women in the near vicinity. If there are women and sailors within a limited space for more than a few hours, then the chances that there will be children as a result are very likely. Also, if sailors are able to get ashore in a particular location where women are known to inhabit, then it is reasonable to assume that other sailors have been in that location before. This accounts for varying ages of respective "results". Now, historically speaking, we know that there are such issues every time sailors go ashore. (See ANY period description of Spithead, Plymouth(England), Liverpool, London OR read accounts of the voyages of Cook and/or Bligh.) Therefore I feel this explanation is acceptable. Presumably some of these men were actually honorable and we know that a few did marry. Documentation here may be limited not because it didn't happen, but rather that it was undocumented, aka never written down/unimportant to contemporaries. Don't rule out the value of a good powder monkey or cabin boy either. Remember that the British Navy took boys on at 7 years old for such duties. More priviledged younkers were bought commissions as midshipmen as well around that age. Well, sorry, I didn't mean to write a book... Just seems like an interesting topic. I think we can always use more snotties around camp. It's fun to watch them grow. (BTW, "snotty" is a term for a young midshipman and though derived from "snot-nosed" it can sometimes be a term of endearment historically speaking.) I'll leave you with this excerpt from a period sea song... "If it's a girl, bounce her upon your knee. If it's a boy, send the b*****d to sea!"

Sorry about that. I didn't realize that the forum was locked to non-members... Just me being lazy... Ok, I've made up for it though by posting a seperate poll here for Pub members. Again, my apologies... Though I will reiterate what QMJames said about FrontierFolk... There's a lot of good information there... Some people get their feathers ruffled easy, but there's still a lot of valuable resources.

Hello! We are trying to come up with bumper stickers for Pirates of Paynetown advertising and fundraising. I thought I'd give folks on here the option of voting for their favorite bumper sticker out of the ideas presented here. I can't guarantee that the number one voted sticker will be the one we have made, but it's very likely... 1) Sailors are Knotty 3"x3" 2) Prepare to be Boarded 3"x3" 3) Smugglers Local 319 3"x3" 4) Royal Navy/Pirate Hunter 3"x3" 5) Anne Bonney, Eat Your Heart Out 3"x3" 6) "Heart" of Oak 2"x6" 7) River Pirate 2"x6" 8 ) Sailors are Knotty 2"x6" 9) Boarders Away! 2"x6"

Hello all! We are going to make a few pirate-related bumper stickers to help raise funds for Pirates of Paynetown 2010! We can only afford to print one or two designs, so I've put it to a vote! I've got nine REALLY great designs. Check them out HERE and place your vote! The winning sticker(s) will be available for purchase by April. I'll let you know when they are ready. In the meantime, tell me which ones you like the best! Nathan

Ahoy! Here are some fine brass spyglasses done up with knotwork and finished with kiln-burnt pine tar! Line used was linen. The large spyglass has a turk's head in cotton around the middle. Both are sealed with kiln-burnt pine tar. (They smell LOVELY!) The first is a medium-sized one that measures about 15" extended. It has a "french twist" around the outer chamber and has a turk's head knot at the transition to each chamber. 12x power. $75 Shipped The second is a very large glass that features an extendable sun shade and measures 36 inches overall when fully extended. It has a turk's head knot at each chamber, plus French spiral hitching on the outer chamber and spiraled underhand pointing around the shade. Shade features two turk's heads, one in linen and one in larger cotton. All knotwork is covered in kiln-burnt pine tar. 15x power. $150 shipped.

Silly Canadian... If we were gonna send you tar and feathers, we'd do it in person!! More amusing that way... No, actually I've been working on some knotwork on various things... Gonna send a handful of stuff to you guys.

Mickey, I'll be sending some good stuff your way very shortly. I'm waiting for my Stockholm tar to come in first...

Hello folks, I have, for your consideration, three new 7" clay pipes that have been covered with knotwork in linen twine by yours truly. My work may not be as experienced as Otters, but it certainly serves (pun intended) the purpose. It's amazing how much more of a beating these pipes will take when they've been covered. The top one and the bottom one in the picture feature a "French Twist" and the middle one has a "Running Cockscomb". All three have a "Turk's Head" around the bowl which helps keep you from burning your fingers. They are NOT covered in pine tar for obvious reasons... These are available for $25 each with shipping included anywhere in the U.S. PLEASE e-mail me at nlogsdon (at) att (dot) com to purchase. All popular forms of payment accepted.

Here's the website for the company I was talking about: Heart Felt Creations

In response to several questions regarding the size of these market wallets, I took one and measured it. They all vary slightly, but they're roughly the same dimensions. The one I measured, picked at random, measures 14 inches wide by 54 inches long. Variations on either measurement may be up to 1 inch.

Lol!! Ok, sometimes things sound better in me head than on paper...

If you want the RIGHT stuff, which is hand-felted flat felt, (it's not cheap but soooo worth it!) Heart Felt Creations makes the best felt. I'll try to find their recent contact info for you. Also, for affordable hat "blocks", try these: Hatshapers I haven't tried using these forms with the handmade felt, but with capelines, it's awesome!!! Just soak the hat in hot water, shape it around the mold by working and stretching the capeline, then finish with a hot iron. Let dry and then coat with a thin mixture of real shellac mixed with denatured alcohol. This site has some good stuff too: All Fiber Arts

Hello fellow mariners! If you're in the market for some top-quality gear, I've got it... As always, I can accept any major credit card, PayPal, or a personal check or U.S. Postal Service money order. TO PURCHASE: Please e-mail me at nlogsdon(at)att.net and tell the what you want and how you want to pay for it. First up, I have a number of QUALITY hardwood belaying pins for sale. These are all made out of woods such as oak, hickory, maple, and walnut. You will receive an assortment based on what I have on hand. All are top-quality with a light lindseed oil finish and are suitable for actual sailing vessels, yet priced cheap enough to be props. For the reasonable price of $75, you will recieve six (6) hardwood belaying pins WITH Priority mail shipping anywhere in the USA. I also have a couple of nice, hand-finished sailor's jackets. These are all made to the finest standards with NO visible machine-stitching anywhere. Buttonholes are all handstitched. Some have cloth-covered buttons, however, the British one has brass fouled-anchor buttons. They all have working pockets. First: Size 40 blue WOOL British Navy short jacket. $150 with shipping included. Second: Size 42 grey HEMP sailor's jacket. $150 with shipping included. Third: Size 46 madder red WOOL sailor's jacket. $150 with shipping included.

Hello folks! I have a handful of heavy-duty hemp market wallets for sale. They are made out of 15.5 oz hemp canvas and are double-stitched for seam integrity. The mouth of the wallet is stitched by hand using linen thread. They are of a proper, large size for use when traveling, hunting, or carrying goods to trade. These market wallets are strong and will probably be around after I am not... (And I'm only 26!) They are for sale for the low price of $40 each with shipping included! I do have several of these available! More accurate than a ditty bag for early (17th century) pirates. I can accept payment via any major credit card, PayPal, personal check, or U.S. Postal Service money order. TO PURCHASE: Please e-mail me at nlogsdon(at)att.net and let me know which item you want and how you'd like to pay. Thanks!

Absolutely beautiful work!!! Very nice!! Sorry to hear about the gown... I've banned our cats from the sewing room for that reason. Besides, they think wool stacks make a nice bed, but you can't get the fur out once it felts into the wool!

I have experience with the Brig Lady Washington and the schooner Bill of Rights. Also, designed, helped build, and frequently take command of this lovely vessel:

Kate, We plan on doing something... I'll let you know when we have it set in stone. Lady Barbossa, Didn't you actually register last year? I remember I kept looking for you, but I can't remember if you ever appeared or not... Nathan

www.piratesofpaynetown.org Ahoy Friends! It's that time again!! Time to get registered for the 2010 Pirates of Paynetown weekend on Lake Monroe near Bloomington, Indiana. If you've been here before, then you know what fun this event is! If you've never attended, then you don't know what you're missing!! This is the best historical event of it's kind in the Midwest! Come experience a colonial-era North American "seaport" complete with a beach, cannon battery, shaded camping areas, a 10,000 acre lake, plus great reenactor amenities including flushing restrooms (with running water), showers, free ice, free firewood, and friendly staff. It's the most fun you'll ever have in period clothing! Here's the catch though... Space is EXTREMELY limited!! We strongly encourage you to share camps/tents as much as possible and REGISTER EARLY. The deadline for pre-registration is June 1st. You MUST be pre-registered to attend. Walk-ons the weekend of the event will we turned away. Furthermore, the event always fills up long before the deadline is reached. As usual, registration fees are $5 per individual over the age of 16. We are looking for more British regulars this year!! Please tell all your Redcoated friends! If we can achieve a realistic number of Redcoats this year (approximately 20-30) to defend the town, then the British will prevail on Sunday's battle. If not, then the pirates will take the town again! For those of you with cannons: Bear in mind that unless your cannon is mounted on a boat, you will be defending the town. (In other words, you are not pirates if you have a garrison piece...) Be sure to cantact Nathan regarding cannon powder allotments. NEW THIS YEAR: We will be officially opening up the grove at the end of the peninsula for "solitary" types to camp. In most Midwestern living history events, this would be known as a "longhunter camp". We'll call it a "Smuggler's Hideout"! This is a densely shared area with lots of good places to throw down a bedroll or sling a hammock. We also intend to have a floating dock to allow more space for small period boats. Also, DNR will be providing us with some additional overflow space across the road for a few more camps. Vendors, demonstrators and military will have first-dibs on the town area. Pirate camps will be first-come, first-served and when the town is full, late-comers will be camped across the road. (Don't worry it's not far away.) Lastly, as the event has grown we have seen a need to encourage historical authenticity. This is a fun event and certainly the Indiana locale is not very authentic to high-seas piracy, however, we still wish to keep an aura of history around the event. For this reason we have decided to provide a list of guidelines of what is expected historically-speaking. This is outlined on the website under a button labeled "FOR PARTICIPANTS". Please read it and police your camp accordingly. We will be looking forward to seeing you at this year's Pirates of Paynetown! Please remember to tell your non-reenactor friends and family about this event! DNR would like to see more visitors coming through the gate this year!! Your Most Humble Servants, Nathanael Logsdon and Jennifer Wright Event Coordinators - Pirates of Paynetown www.piratesofpaynetown.org

Andrea... (mom's name) You know? Sea chanteys make good lullabies... :)

Hold yer horsies there James!! I'm not gonna leave the Pub out!!! :)