hurricane

I'm so sorry that you are under the weather, Captain. Get well, lest I fetch Mission to surgeon all over you. Perhaps a good bleeding is in order. Get well! -- Hurricane

Thanks Captain! Appreciate it - looking forward to taking down a few this year along with the fellow Brethren. I will make sure to stand next to Sgt. Johnson for he is a much better target than I, being of rank. Hahaha! -- Hurricane

I've never poured from a horn, even one with a measure. Even before the apostles, I poured into a measure and then into the gun. Basically, a single apostle strategy. I've seen the measured horns but never liked the thought that behind that measured amount, is a horn full of powder, with just a small valve between the two of them. I do agree with the apostles. I'd much rather have a large piece of maple protecting at least part of my hand than some newsprint or other material. -- Hurricane

We stayed at the Moon Palace -- an absolutely great experience. I highly recommend any of their properties. One of the great things about this particular one is that your wrist band allows you to get into and eat and drink at all their properties. So if you're in Cancun proper and get hungry, you can get a bite to eat and drinks at their resort there. They have something like 20 gourmet restaurants to eat at - inclusive. A shuttle runs you back and forth. They rent cars there, arrange tours -- everything. No tipping is allowed. The best part of an all-inclusive there, is that once you pony up them money, there are few additional costs. Unless you book a tour, rent a car or want to take one of their boats out, there's no additional fees. So the budgeting is a snap. Definitely plan a day at X-Caret - an amazing eco theme park. As for getting the most out of your adventure there. Don't be shy about trying things out - the resort I stayed at had all non-motorized watercraft included in the price, an initial scuba lesson, shows every night. It was like a cruise ship on land. The Moon Palace even had a pirate themed mini-golf course with a pirate ship theme. Oh, realize that the refrigerator is stocked with beer, water and soda and it's yours for the taking. The beer golf cart returns every day, so don't be shy if you want a beverage in your room. I would rebook in a second to go back. Check out all their resorts at http://www.palaceresorts.com -- Hurricane

So, Captain Spike, Understand the powder horn issue. But what if we use apostles instead of cartridges? I really don't like screwing with cartridges and always shoot the the apostles, sans powder horn if needed. It's really just a cartridge in a closed bottle. Suttler John made them... -- Hurricane

Appreciate the update, Captain Spike. Looks like the BiBs and everyone in KW and here have done a yeoman's job on this year's event. Can't wait!!! -- Hurricane

The final Pirates in Paradise schedule is available in a handy four-page version that just lists the events. Note: This is not the Fort Fest schedule - this one covers the events that happen outside of the fort itself. http://piratesinparadise.com/Festival2009-short.pdf -- Hurricane

You should Diosa's father wield a machete - he's from Belize - it's like an extra appendage to him. Can use it for everything and he's extremely adept at getting a lot of power out of it in terms of chopping and hacking. I would hate to have come upon him aboard ship with that thing in his hand. I do have to disagree about a cutlass being a finesse weapon. It was meant to chop and hack and create gaping wounds. It wasn't a sticker. It was a hacker aboard ship. And the buccaneers used the cutlass like a machete when in the jungles on campaign. It was a utilitarian piece that could chop vegetation and people. -- Hurricane

Don't feel bad, Rumba, the Wonder leaves our of Cape Canaveral, 30 minutes from here up the coast. And we haven't made it yet. And the last minute deals are killer too. -- Hurricane

I wish I had that expertise, but that's too techie for me. Can create the website and host it, but have no idea how to get a Web cam in there. It would be cool though, and perhaps incriminating. -- Hurricane

For those going to the Fort Fest, it's also time to remember that the Pirates in Paradise Festival along with the Pyrates of the Coast will be hosting the 5th Annual National Walk the Plank Championships. This year's event is over at the Historic Seaport again (where it was last year) aboard the Schooner WOLF. Here's the official info: Thursday, Dec. 3 3-4pm – 5th Annual National Walk the Plank Championships aboard the WOLF with the Pyrates of the Coast at Key West Historic Seaport, foot of William Street. Victims (uhh, contestants) vie for the honor and glory of becoming the 2009 Champion as they dive to their watery graves, pleading for their miserable lives and competing for valuable prizes. FREE Spectator viewing.. The public is invited to enter. Here's the official packet, including the judging criteria. Be sure you fill out the entry form and sign the liability waiver. Who's going to unseat D'ogge this year? He's a three-peater, as you all know. http://www.piratesofthecoast.com/walk-plank-entry.pdf -- Hurricane

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Hehe... The life of a professional writer - always editing and rewriting. Can't help myself. So I will just re-edit then with a -deleted- mark and leave it at that. No biggie. -- Hurricane

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To make the best use of the fire in our region of the camp, we're working with St. Johnson and son of the Searle's crewe to coordinate all the cooking equipment needed and other fire issues, such as fire extinguishers and such. Consider this fire handled! :) The Pyrates of the Coast will be using it for hot meals each night in concert with St. Johnson. Of course, others can use it too - we won't be using it during the daytime activities as we're too busy to do any cooking. So the fire is open then for all to use without any us being in the way. That said, our crewe won't be maintaining the fire when we're not using it. Just stoking it up for dinner-time. Hope this helps in the planning. -- Hurricane

To make the best use of the fire in our region of the camp, we're working with St. Johnson and son of the Searle's crewe to coordinate all the cooking equipment needed and other fire issues, such as fire extinguishers and such. Consider this fire handled! :) The Pyrates of the Coast will be using it for hot meals each night in concert with St. Johnson. Of course, others can use it too - we won't be using it during the daytime activities as we're too busy to do any cooking. So the fire is open then for all to use without any us being in the way. That said, our crewe won't be maintaining the fire when we're not using it. Just stoking it up for dinner-time. Hope this helps in the planning. I think everyone with a fire needs a fire extinguisher nearby... -- Hurricane

The tents are pretty locked into their positions this year already. Everyone will have an assigned space based on who they are signed on with and the respective "captain" of that section will be following maps of the tent layouts to ensure everyone gets a great space. So, I believe you'll have to make do with roaming between the two as the tents are already fixed into the site plan. -- Hurricane

You're right on on the weapons. Each man had his own weapon that he brought with him. So they would be all manner of types, just like people now prefer different types of rifles or hand guns. There was no standardization and it was just as likely that a soldier who had been on campaign would pick up a nice Spanish gun if he liked it better than his. Guess that never really changed. As soon as my brother hopped off the chopper in Vietnam he ditched his finicky M-16 and grabbed a dead soldier's AK-47 and used it for the rest of the time he was there. Some things never seem to change, eh? -- Hurricane

"I don't think that the British government was supplying small arms, just a warship that Morgan managed to blow up. Remember that he never had a warrant for invading cities. His papers were for raiding Spanish shipping and he exceeded his authority (which is why he was arrested and sent to England)." Since Morgan is my specialty, I couldn't let this one slide. Quoted from his Letters of Marque dated 20th of April 1669: "And also for preventing the intended Invasion against this place, you are hereby fully authorized and required, in the case that you and your Officers in your Judgement find it possible, or feasable to land and attain the Town of St. Jago de Cuba, or any other place belonging to the Enemies, where you shall be informed that Magazines and Stores for this War are laid up, or where any Rendevous for thir formes to Imbody, are appointed and there to use your best endeavours for the seizin gthe said Stores, and to take, kill and disperse the said forces." Morgan did have authority to attack towns. He ran into problems with Panama because a treaty had been signed between England and Spain. He was arrested, never imprisoned and was then knighted and returned to Jamaica as acting Governor. Hardly a punishment for a criminal. In fact, Morgan was "arrested" to appease the Spanish. As an interesting side note, Morgan is the first person to ever successfully sue for libel, against that wonderful sot, Exquemelin. Much of his musings on Panama were unsubstantiated, since it was doubtful he was ever at the front lines, being a surgeon and too highly prized in such a capacity to risk death or injury. Some contend he wrote the piece because he was angry and having to miss the action. Though modern history likes to rewrite his role, he was a patriot who protected Jamaica with all the will, resources and power he could muster and it was never successfully attacked by the Spanish, French, Dutch or anyone else because of his actions. -- Hurricane

"Second, I disagree with you about the appearance of the doglock, Hurricane. The English doglock of the mid century period had a side acting sear, not the rotating sear of the French lock. The lock plate was longer and thinner, looking far more like a matchlock lock plate, from which, indeed, some of them may have been converted. There is a definite visual difference." I of course agree with this Hawkyns. I was only referring to the production versions that are readily available. The two Loyalist weapons were virtually the same. I know that in the buccaneer works I've read the buccaneers didn't like the matchlocks because the burning/glowing match gave away their positions at night. The use of flints was a tactical advantage for them in battle as a result. -- Hurricane

You can also add in all the fun that our dates and theirs don't correspond anyway. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752 in the colonies, 10 days were summarily removed from the calendar in September. George Washington was born Feb. 11, 1731, not Feb. 22, 1731 as we all acknowledge it. Oh, and in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII removed another 10 days from the calendar. You went to bed Oct. 4, 1582 and it was Oct. 15 the next morning. It has nothing really to do with the Mayan calendar but it shows how our own calendar is filled with so many errors. Oh, by the way, since I only by a new calendar every year, does that mean that the world ends on Dec. 31 each year? Perhaps the Mayan calendar maker simply wanted to be able to sell a new calendar design eventually. - Hurricane

When I portray Morgan, I use a doglock. They were also found in the ruins of Port Royal, which sank in 1692. They are a good choice since they can go forward in period some, and really the only difference in the modern doglock and a flintlock is the extra safety (the dog). Otherwise, many of the models don't really look that different. I had a Loyalist doglock right next to their sea service flintlock and they look pretty much the same. Hope this helps.

If you want some real perspective, check this site out. Prognosticators have been predicting the world is going to end since the beginning of recorded time. This is a great chronology of it and very enlightening. http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm We aren't going anywhere fast, no matter what the Mayans and Sony Pictures try to convince us otherwise. -- Hurricane

I wish to correct a note here. I absolutely didn't mean to impune the Mercury crewe and my most sincere apologies if it came across that way. In my missive, I had mistakenly assumed that all freelancing pirates who were not in a formal crewe fell under their guise. I have been informed that that is not the case. My concern is only with the freelancers who are coming, those who may not even be on this pub. Like the drunken guy two years ago who lost a loaded powder flask on the grounds one night and the wench who pulled a real dagger and held it to the throat of a soldier as he lay on the ground, pinned by her. I know that everyone here loves this festival as much as I do and wants it to be a success. Sorry for the confusion. -- Hurricane

Don't get me wrong. We will have lots of fun there. But the difference is how we approach it. For example, my crewe (and some others here) are more formalized. If one of my crewe gets to drunk and starts peeing on the beach, I have the authority to slap them around verbally and even send them home. So our crewe knows the expectations, knows that I will be make them hold to their scheduling commitments and follow our own articles in the process. At the same time, I don't think it's going to be the world of free love we all used to have. Harry let us get away with a lot of things that basically violated state law -- I don't think that will be the case this year. So we won't have as much latitude as in years past, but we can still have fun within the confines of the new set of rules. Fayma has worked very hard to get this thing put together. Sponsors pony up a lot of money to make this all happen. Vendors pay a lot to travel here and sell. I just want to make sure we all are doing our part to make it a success so that the fort thinks we have value to them. If it sounds a bit party-pooperish, it's not. But there are always people who think they don't have to answer to the rules or be like everyone else. And that can ruin it for all us. -- Hurricane