hurricane

In a strange twist it looks like we're trading Red Jessi and Diosa for the Nina and Pinta that weekend while they're at the Santa Maria. Do two two caravels beat one in this game? :) Anyone in the area should swing by while they're visiting in port. Worth the trip to St. Augustine. ST. AUGUSTINE , Fla. (April 22) -- Replicas of Columbus' famous Nina and Pinta will sail into St. Augustine, the nation's first port, on Tuesday, May 5. Beginning Wednesday, May 6th, until their departure on May 18th, the two ships will be open to the public from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily at the St. Augustine City Marina. The Nina was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. Archaeology magazine called it "the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built." The craftsmanship and the details in the rigging make it a truly fascinating visit back to the Age of Discovery. The Nina was used in the production of the film "1492," starring Gerard Depardieu and directed by Ridley Scott.

Animal is already listed with The Pyrates of the Coast. Not sure he needs to be listed twice. He may be my Master at Arms but I don't want him to get a big head. :) Hurrciane

Hey there! You guys do deserve your props. We just drop in an enjoy everything you guys do 11 months out of the year to make this thing happen. Anyone who has put on events knows how much work they are - there is so many things that have to happen behind the scenes that no one knows about. It's your group's efforts that have taken the Fort Fest to the next level and you and your crewe deserve your rightful props for that. -- Hurricane

Well, that's totally incorrect, Patrick. Before moving to the fort (if you recall, it was on the beach the first year) all aspects of the fort festival were at the Seaport. There were encampments, vendors, entertainment - everything you see at the fort now. The Tryal was at the old City Hall. The cultural and maritime history events were spread about, including evenings at Mel Fisher, the art gallery. etc. They are all aspects of PiP. When the encampment and vendors were moved to the fort five years ago, the origins of the Fort Fest were formed. Then two years ago, the Bone Island Buccaneers took over the Fort Fest and started taking it to the level it is now. And have done wonders. The Fort Fest is still considered part of PiP. But PiP goes on for 10 whole days and includes things people at the fort never see, such as guest authors, a pub stroll, sailings, receptions, balls and such, the Buxom Wench contest, etc. There's a whole lot more going on the days leading up to the fort festival than you guys ever see, and the Fort Fest is the culmination, the crescendo if you will of the entire 10 day event. -- Hurricane

Congrats on getting the trademark for Bone Island Buccaneers. Always an educational process when dealing with that paperwork and the federal process for that. Didn't even know there was a Gazette the first time around. -- Hurricane

Wow, Captain, that is on helluva tale. And a scary one at that. Glad you are on the mend and that they finally figured out what was wrong. Danged doctors... might as well bring in a witch doctor instead sometimes. Take care - naps are good! -- Hurricane

Diosa and I sponsor it, so we're there for the duration. Plus we're staying Monday this year so Michelle can sing with a big band at Norma's 90th. She's one of the guest performers, along with the Ink Spots. We may never get home... :) -- Hurricane

Hey, I'll be there too - what a strange co-inkidink. It's going to be a goody, that's for sure. -- Hurricane

I think you're misunderstanding what I said. Like the term "aspirin" Pirates in Paradise is a trade name. As such, it needs to be noted as such, otherwise it becomes generic like aspirin and the owner loses ownership because it is considered a name in the public domain. The same happened to xerox as a term for photocopying. It's not a big deal, it was simply noted for legal purposes to keep it from becoming lost to the public domain. And since I work in the profession and have dealt with this issue all my life, I simply pointed it out. I have to do the same with all the clients I work with so it was something I didn't even think about when I posted it here. I do it all over the net for everyone I work for to protect their creative assets... just habit. Julie knows nothing about this post and I'm sure she doesn't care - as Cascabel said, they are separate yet symbiotic events that leverage off one another. One wouldn't be the same without the other. I simply didn't want the concept of PiP to become diluted as it becomes increasingly indefensible to keep the trade name and brand from becoming another "aspirin" from a legal standpoint. Sorry for any ruffled feathers. No harm was intended. -- Hurricane

Just a note for technical purposes... The Bone Islands are in charge of what is known as the Fort Zachary Taylor Pirate Fest, not PiP. Pirates in Paradise exists outside of the fort festival and the name is owned by Julie McEnroe of The Event Network. The Fort Zachary Taylor Pirate Fest is part of PiP, but is not PiP. PiP is the larger celebration that includes the arts, cultureal and historical activities and social events around town. -- Hurricane

The Pyrates of the Coast are out as well. The crewe really wanted to fight the Spanish again at Drakes Raid in St. Augustine. So we must acquiesce to their request. Have fun all! Perhaps next year. -- Hurricane

We get ours here (thanks Cascabel) http://www.mainepowderhouse.com/catalog.php 10 pounds is their minimum. -- Hurricane

As Willie heard over the weekend, our crewe will be there in force. Well, at least half a dozen or so of us, perhaps more. -- Hurricane

I am holding my breath and can't attend. What's up with all this? -- Hurricane

It went off the air because no one was watching it - the ratings sucked. The premiere episode pulled only a 2.3/8 rating in the all important 18 to 49 demographic. Total viewership was only 7 million. It was moved to Tuesday in hopes of pulling it out of the dumper and there, the ratings dropped to a just 1.6/5 rating with only 4.6 million viewers. That was the death knell. Only pirates and pirate fans seemed to be watching the show, which couldn't capitalize on the success of Survivor. Compare that with the "Baseball" documentary on PBS (yes, public television) that pulled in 43 million viewers, the 1994 Olympics with 204 million viewers or the final episode of MASH with 125 million viewers. I find it funny that the magazine is just now running a series on a show that was cancelled two years ago. Seems like there's other things that would be more interesting to the pirate community than a show no one watched or cared about. -- Hurricane

Anyone who wants to keep track of airfare should try kayak.com - I just checked and the airfare from Chicago to Key West (just an example) is $360 right now. That's into Key West. Amazing! It also compares all the airfare sites at once and has a handy calendar that shows you the lowest airfare at any particular time. Right now the airfare above holds steady for the rest of the year, so it's a good deal that doesn't appear to get better. For comparative purposes I was using Dec. 1 through Dec. 8. -- Hurricane

I am down 9 since the beginning of the year, 19 since Jan. 2008 - that's with the cake in the house. -- Hurricane

Hey there! First, what Mission said. Second, if you need any assistance, our crewe is in Florida and the wenches are always more than happy to point others in the right direction. You can visit us as http://www.piratesofthecoast.com -- on the crewe page are some email contacts. -- Hurricane

Great story. I darn near chocked on me coffee. Flying in costume always works wonders. First, you become a conversation piece for those who are enduring another drab day of checking for 3 oz. of liquid. Second, they naturally assume that anyone dressed so outlandishly isn't going to be a damned terrorist since we're trying to draw attention to ourselves. I do the same thing when they ask what is in my ultra cheap cardboard with 10 pounds of duct tape on it. "Guns and swords." It's not a locked box. It's a shipping box for a guitar. I thoughtfully include a roll of duct tape inside so if the inspectors want to have a look see, I've included supplies to them to seal it back up. It has inspection stickers all over it from 10 or so trips out of country by now. -- Hurricane

I was just thinking of shoving my doglock down my pants and telling TSA that I mistook my Viagra for Valium. At my age, I might get away with it -- I know they'd be loathe to frisk it. :) -- Hurricane

My little bunny tail is now tucked between my legs. I know -- a great visual isn't it. Bring on the absinthe and green rabbits, uhh, faeries. -- Hurricane

That is absolutely awesome and a real inspiration to us all. And thanks for showing us where the safe is -- will save us a bit o' time. :) -- Hurricane

Like Michael, I play both sides. Whenever I can, I distinguish between the two for the public. I think Patrick got into the problem that when he did exact buccaneer, no one understood what he was doing, so it was an uphill battle to educate. So I just use the opportunity when someone calls me a pirate when I'm buccaneering to lightly take umbrage and draw the distinction politely that calling me a pirate is heresy and that it will be the king's militia down upon me. -- Hurricane

I definitely put the buccaneers in a different category. Their origins were as landsmen, not seafarers. For the most part, they fought one foe, the Spanish, and (at least from a Morgan-era buccaneer perspective) were loyal to king and country, no matter how dubious their commissions may have been. Morgan was definitely no sailor -- he lost three flagships under his command. But as a soldier, he was unparalleled. I don't think of pirates as land strategists, but seafarers, hence, I would agree more with Foxe's analysis on that basis alone. But that's from my own ethnocentrism, since I don't jibe well when pirates get credit for what the buccaneers did. :) -- Hurricane

Yeah, we ship everything ahead of time whenever possible. Much less worry on the day of travel and everything's just waiting on the other end. We're even barging stuff over to the Bahamas for an event there so we don't have to hassle with anything - and they don't really care about all that weapons nonsense, since we work for the government when we're there. Still easier to ship it. -- Hurricane