hurricane

Yes, you can. You just need to find a local who will take you out in his boat. There's a guy on the waterfront down at the end (near the old hospital). His name is Powder. He'll take you out where you want, wait for you while he enjoys a nice toke and then bring you back. He was one of the honest ones there, some others want you to give them money in advance to "fix their boat." Don't fall for it. Just ask for Powder. Everyone knows where he is. There's a dive shop in town, though I've never seen it open. So you want to bring your own snorkel, mask and fins. None of it is closed off, per se. Though it's best to be with a local since they don't draw any attention. A couple white folks with a boat might get you a visit from the Coast Guard. -- Hurricane

Outside of Fort Charles and the Old Gaol, there's little left to see in Port Royal, unless you know what you're looking at. They've been adding interpretive signs to the area, but they span a much larger period of time than the buccaneer area or GAoP. That said, if you do do your homework and lay over period maps with current ones, you can still get an idea of the layout of the town, at least the one third of it that's left. Port Royal is just a sleepy little fishing town of locals now and they don't often get tourists. And they kind of like it that way. There's no store to speak of, four restaurants, and homes that were all built much later than the period everyone's interested in. I should say that one of the reasons it isn't promoted so much is the fact that four thousand people died there in the space of a week, half of them in the few minutes that the three earthquakes shook there. There is a certain reverence to the fact and they don't teach the children there anything about the quake, since it is predicted to eventually happen again. There's also no information in the library there. We did an extensive pirate tour of the island five years ago, visiting Morgan's viewpoint on his estate, visiting the national archives in Spanish Town, seeing Gallow's Point and Rackam's Cay and having an underwater archeology presentation by the National Heritage Trust. Very fun. I have a slide show I did at PyrateCon once of the history, archeology, etc. Lots of photos of the artifacts there related to the destruction of Port Royal, along with architecture before the quake and narrative of what life was like there. -- Hurricane

Yes, he will be a lowly spectator this year, or perhaps, if someone is smart, they can hire him out as a coach. With his retirement, the field is wide open this year. He's set the bar pretty high, but Klaus was pretty good last year too. You just never know what the 6th Annual Championships will hold. -- Hurricane

We are also fortunate to have so much free time on our hands to pursue things like re-enactment, rather than working ourselves to death just to survive in centuries past. We can thank all our advances in technology, farming, medicine, etc. for this hobby of ours, as we have something few generations before us had -- a lot of free time. -- Hurricane

I agree. I write for a living, haven't worked in a real office for 17 years and live in a fantasy world both at work and play. So I hardly know what reality is these days. -- Hurricane

Nope (well, maybe) just a guy with a sense of humour and a realistic idea of what I do. My regular pirating trousers are made from hemp canvas, which I went to great lengths to source, with an identical weave to (OOP) 18thC sail cloth. They are cut in the same manner as period breeches, but longer (which, in the absence of any extant trousers from the period seems most logical). They are stitched with waxed hemp sail thread, with the regulation number of stitches per inch for Royal Navy topsails (figuring that would be the size of stich used by a sailor used to sewing such canvas). I wore them at work, so they are spattered with Stockholm tar, in the correct places for someone who's been working on a wooden sailing vessel. They look correct, they feel correct, they even smell correct. In fact, I would be comfortable challenging anyone to come up with a more authentic piece of reenactment clothing. BUT, ultimately, at the weekend I dress up like a pirate - how seriously can I really take myself? Exactly! And we are all in the same boat, Foxe. -- Hurricane

LMAO!!!!! Ask and you shall receive. I think it'll be a big hit, Foxe. Now all we need to do is argue about the period instruments needed to record it. Then it's off to Total Request Live on the LHC (Living History Channel). -- Hurricane

C'mon Hurricane, let's have an argument, it'll be just like the old days Ah, don't tempt me... perhaps we need to talk about bucket boots here and really get it rolling. Or how about eye patches, peglegs and parrots (sounds like a good title for a song.) :) -- Hurricane

As an artist, I paint with oils. I've never yet had an artist come up to me and tell me I should paint with acrylics instead or watercolors are the bomb. Nor has anyone corrected my brushstroke, saying this is the way Da Vinci did it. Some artists like to paint like the masters did, right down to replicating the pigments they used. Others take a larger approach or a more modern one. And yet, the public sees it all as art. It is their own interpretations and tastes that dictate what they like and don't like, what they believe to be true and what they don't. And perhaps they see something they didn't know anything about, and do research on their own to learn more about a particular work, or style. So, what's the real difference here? Hawkyns likes to go it alone and be submerge himself in the period, others like to teach, others like to create an overall interest in piracy and capture people's imagination so perhaps they learn more, or more important, want more pirate festivals because they really enjoyed the antics of the goofy Jack Sparrow guy. It's all good. It's all art and as artists, we have and always will have our own interpretations of it. -- Hurricane

I would love to see your group in action. I have often had to explain to the public that pirates didn't fence like in the movies. It was a fight for survival and a cutlass was a hacking weapon. Add in biting, kicking, punching and anything else required. There were no noble rules of combat in a fight to the death. And the quicker you could dispatch someone, the better for you. -- Hurricane

Everyone looked great and you all did us proud! Good show! -- Hurricane

Wow, now there's a change. For once I'm the one who stayed on topic and didn't stir the pot. :) -- Hurricane

There are events out there that are of that caliber. Certainly, the Alafia Rendezvous stands out. Real shooting competitions, everyone lives onsite for the entire week, come rain, shine, freeze or rain, and there seems to be great authenticity, even in the evening. They even has school during the week. There are pirates there - it's anything pre 1840. http://www.floridafrontiersmen.org/Alafia.html If you haven't been I highly recommend it by the way. -- Hurricane

I will unselfishly take the fake whores on behalf of all the menfolk here. I know it's a sacrifice. I have the same problem about fake battles. They look fake. The swordplay isn't spontaneous, it's choreographed. Frankly, I've seen better swordplay in Errol Flynn movies. The same problem with gunfire. The guns are aimed at impossibly high angles for safety reasons to be even believable. It reminds me of playing war as a kid where my brother said bang and I refused to fall down because he missed me. No matter what everyone here says, living history and re-enactment events have their limitations and can't be authentic by their very nature. It's hard to get into the moment when a jet flies overhead every 10 minutes on the way to the airport. Or at PiP where our cars are all parked within constant view of the encampment. For true living history or re-enactment, Hawkyns would be right - away from the public and living the period. We did that three years ago at PiP in the fort - all the talk was about period politics, religion, world events. And frankly, it was pretty exhausting. My hat's off to those who can do it that well. -- Hurricane

I think few of us would argue that Hawkyns, Bo and a few others here do something rare. They live off the land for real. By necessity they get into the mindset of the individual who has to actually shoot and skin dinner, who has to improvise on the fly and who has shut him or herself off entirely from the modern world to experience a life from the past. They understand the life of these folks that goes way beyond the limited reference materials. Most of us here don't have the ability to do it and it's truly remarkable. As for living history... to be truly authentic, wouldn't you need to be aboard a ship? Pirates (as opposed to buccaneers) didn't appear to love being on land - when a ship was careened, they were virtually defenseless. And I certainly doubt they brought tents along on the ship. Frankly, some of the encampments I've seen would look just as good with Civil War musters in them instead of pirates. A lot of what we claim to be accurate is made necessary by being stuck on land. Hence, the elaborate camps vs. Patrick Hand's piece of canvas supported by branches. And it's truly hard to escape into the period when a 200 foot yacht passes by the ship you're standing on (this happened with the Bounty here). I guess I really don't see the difference between re-enactment and living history, as they are both presented with serious constraints in today's world. If anything, living history would seem to be the recreation of a specific event (like the Battle of Gettysburg) while re-enactment is creating a scenario that mirrors historical times but doesn't act out a specific event in history. Finally (on the soapbox for a moment), a lot of "living history" and "re-enactments" are a mishmash of history. Buccaneers, not GAoP pirates did land campaigns, marched as a singular force, attacked soldiers and burned towns. They were not sailors, but soldiers in background, so they preferred the land over the water. Hence, their encampments make far more sense than those representing GAoP. And yes, I'm overgeneralizing here, so please don't pull up examples to show there was this one rare instance on XXXX date. Even the most hardcore re-enactor at an event can run to the store to get more bacon or to the hospital if they slice themselves wide open. Hawkyns here is referring to an entirely different level, where a cold night, properly unprepared for, can kill you if you 1) didn't bring the right clothes, or 2) find shelter. And you can bleed to death with a serious wound. As a disclaimer, I've tried the living history thing. I liked it but it wasn't me. I'm an entertainer - I can't escape that. But I highly respect those who pursue it. But no matter how well it is done, it must live within the constraints of the modern world. You just can't take a dump in the woods when you need to go, you can't fire live rounds, you can't kill a passing squirrel, you can't wold a prisoner, you can't have your way with a passing wench, you can't have a slave fetch you some more firewood, and in some cities you can't even wear your weapons. Your car is always in a parking lot not far away and your real job awaits your return on Monday. -- Hurricane

Looks like I never have to put Baltimore on my list of places to go. Far friendlier waters south of there, I'm afraid as far as being pirates. -- Hurricane

Thanks for the link. A few items I want to snatch up. -- Hurricane

A pirate without a weapon. Now there's authenticity! :) Hurricane

Pyrates of the Coast - On the Beach Red Handed Jill (Crew Rep) Bootleg Youngblood Animal (he's mislisted on the current docket) Drop Dead Blue Eyed Scotty (aka Great Scott) Sully Pyrates of the Coast - Not on the Beach Hurricane (Captain) Cyren Sloe Gin Double Trouble

I'm not sure there's overnight camping there. It's government land. I think you need to touch based with Mike and Kathy. They're running the show. The boats over are privately owned little things. They're not part of the museum or island operation. -- Hurricane

I will be there along with Cyren and Powderkeg Paul, the guy that builds all the wonderful cannon and swords here in Vero Beach. We're shanghaiing him. -- Hurricane

First, I do love the name of this event, given its history. Be that as it may, I see they're hitting the high seas in 2011. Looks like its international waters for piracy on the high seas next year. 12 miles out, who knows what will happen! -- Hurricane

Having found Samuel's broadsheets from the 1600 to 1700 period, I can see why these ditties are no longer popular. I must've looked through a hundred or so now. http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ -- Hurricane

Wow, here's a slap to a U.S. territory. Talk about acting like a pirate: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/03/08/2010-03-08_parade_gives_rum_heaveyohoho.html Puerto Rican Day Parade giving boot to Captain Morgan Rum BY Jane H. Furse DAILY NEWS WRITER Originally Published:Monday, March 8th 2010, 1:21 AM Updated: Monday, March 8th 2010, 11:16 AM Hey, Captain: Take a hike! The National Puerto Rican Day Parade is giving the boot to Captain Morgan Rum over its decision to move production from Puerto Rico to St. Croix. After 30 years as a corporate sponsor, Captain Morgan and its parent company, Diageo, "are no longer welcome," parade Chairwoman Madelyn Lugo announced Sunday. "This parade is about pride and respect, and Captain Morgan has shown us neither," Lugo said. Johnny Walker and Jose Cuervo, the London-based company's other brands, also can take a hike, Lugo said. The U.S. Virgin Islands lured Captain Morgan to St. Croix by promising to split the $150 million in federal excise tax rebates it expects to receive yearly on sales in the United States. With unemployment at 16% and one in three people living below the poverty line, Puerto Rico stands to lose 3,000 jobs and the $150 million in annual tax rebates, said Javier Vazquez-Morales of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. Tax rebates generated $470 million for Puerto Rico last year. The move by the Virgin Islands also could spark a booze battle that could "lead to economic chaos and, perhaps, to the end of the program," Vazquez-Morales said. The decision by parade officials will put "serious pressure" on New York's congressional delegation to support proposed legislation to regulate how the tax revenues are distributed, said Rafael Fantauzzi of the the National Puerto Rican Coalition. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/03/08/2010-03-08_parade_gives_rum_heaveyohoho.html#ixzz0hhbTQfNN No more Morgan's for me. -- Hurricane

Yes, I think 2010 will be even better than anyone dreamed. If it is even possible to improve on 2009, this will be the year! -- Hurricane