hurricane

It's on again at 11 p.m. EST tonight for anyone who missed it. -- Hurricane

Rum punch... from the bottle of course. -- Hurricane

I couldn't agree more... it's America and if they can make a buck off their connection with piratin' then go for it. If done well it will boost their celebrity and perhaps lead to other opportunities... Perhaps it's the same old double standard. OK for the guys to trade on their fame but not the women folk. -- Hurricane

So true. It took me an hour to resurrect one of our swords that was taken out on the WOLF. It was a rusty mess by the time it returned from a sailing plus all the humidity in KW. Plus, since weapons were everything to these individuals, they were always kept in top condition. Even with simple materials today, you can keep a sword looking as new as you can a pistol. My pistol and swords are both treated with equal care and cleaned regularly to keep them looking as new as possible... (save the ordinary aging that happens with regular use during a year or two or three). -- Hurricane

Take it out on a ship and let the salt water have at it - it will crap out on you in no time. Also, forgive me ignorance, but wouldn't a sailor or pirate in period have, at one time or another, a new sword from a swordsmith? -- Hurricane

An interesting idea, eh? http://thewenches.com/ -- Hurricane

Terrific stuff sir! I particularly enjoyed the sword information since it delineates what would be in each period so well. I was always torn of whether I should get a small sword instead of a cutlass for my Henry Morgan representation. Looks like I would be good to go with that. Thanks for all your research and hard work! A great resource. -- Hurricane

Wow! Nice work sir! I'll take two! :) -- Hurricane

Yeah, a scary thought - thank god we were doing Captain Morgan rum raids three times a week at the time and had more money than we knew what to do with - a good lawyer was a solid investment for pirates everywhere it seems. -- Hurricane

That's a weed isn't it? Bamboo. At least it is in our yard. Can't keep the stuff from breeding like cockroaches over here. Plant one stalk and hundred grow in no time. Good stuff it is. -- Hurricane

I was fortunate to be asked to join the Seattle Seafair Pirates while they could still drink heavily in public, scare the hell out of the kids and chase women. I was 24. Stayed with them (I'm in the midst of my memoirs on my piratical escapades with them - some pretty freaky stuff there). After 8 years I engineered a mutiny and took almost all the group's founders with me to form the Northwest Brethren of the Coast, which is still around today, 18 years later in Seattle. The funniest part of all that was the Seafair Pirates sued us for trademark infringement, claiming the only right to wear pirate costumes in the country (if they'd only known how many others are out there). Long story short, they sued us for infringing on their "trade dress", ran out of money and settled out of court. Not very piratey, is it? Suing in court. Things eventually got too political in the Brethren of the Coast after five years so I started the current crewe, The Pyrates of the Coast, which is now in Melbourne, Florida. Gets in yer blood, it does, says I. -- Hurricane

I have traditional folk selected along with specific groups such as Great Big Sea to create the mix I wanted... it took some tweaking until I got what I wanted. -- Hurricane

Very cool! Great photos of the crewe there! A real collector's keepsake if I do say! -- Hurricane

What be the name of the waterfront hotel there, sir? We be bringing a small contingent from the Floridas. -- Hurricane

Interesting. I just read in Benerson's new book about careening camps and how the crewe would erect a large tent to shelter the ship's stores while they were careened. The balance of the crewe then simply slept on the beach and/or hammocks, leaving their possessions under the large central tent. Forgive me if it's a little off - I'm doing this from memory. -- Hurricane

I think it was both - the stud on your chin and your way with women. Welcome Sully to a brave new world with our crewe! -- Hurricane

I think Diosa and I would be interested in heading over on the 26th. We wanted to go last year but the house buying thing derailed us. -- Hurricane

I've been using Pandora... http://www.pandora.com/ It lets you select genres of music that you can refine and add to... -- Hurricane

Yeah! We get the Animal in Port Royal. Captain's already cookin' up something diabolical for our Master at Arms... -- Hurricane

Very cool history lesson, Fayma! Thanks for clearing up the history... - Hurricane

I think you'll find that PiP is fast becoming the event to be at on the East Coast. The venue, virtually unlimited camping space, ability to use powder to one's heart's content and the fact that Key West itself is founded on piracy (after all, what were wreckers as well), is pretty hard to pass up. Compared to 2006, 2007 was 200% better and certainly 2008 promises to be as much a leap ahead in the event. From what I hear, camping on the beach alone is worth the journey. I know anyone in the Careening Camp will vouch for that. Talk about living the life of a pirate... the Mercury crewe deserves major kudos for their efforts and I know they're planning even more for their area. We too, have a few new tricks up our sleeves in good old Port Royal and the buccaneer world of women, gamblin' drinkin' and loose spendin' or coin for the aforementioned items. Heard tell a major ruckus will be brewing the the Catt & Fiddle next year. Bound to be a bit o' blood shed with the Animal in town. -- Hurricane

Just a note. If you're camping at the fort, there will be required pre-registration this year with a cut off date of Nov. 1. Harry doesn't want last minute campers as it creates problems in figuring out where everyone is to go. If you're planning to stay at a hotel, then it's just a show up kind of thing like Mission says. My money is on staying on the grounds because lots of the fun happens after hours and it's tough to know when to leave... you just know you're going to miss something, even into the wee hours of the night. -- Hurricane

Same here. They were the unfortunate side effects of youth. Now that I'm older, I can safely say I only have lust, and that's for my wife alone. Otherwise, been there, done that, except greed. Never cared much for material things. -- Hurricane

Yeah, we have six of those here to convert into grenadoes. Gonna redo the finish to it has an iron look to it. We're going to load one up with just a wee bit of powder to play with in the back yard too. Gots me a munitions expert who is on the crewe to help out. Woo hoo! Thanks Coke!!!! -- Hurricane

Cascabel would have the best take on the history of PiP. I've been working with the festival since 2002. The original festival was split between Marathon and Key West, the first weekend in Marathon, the second in KW. The early years in KW were over at the historic seaport and spread out around the island. I must say I miss the fun at places like Atlantic Shores and Banana Bay which had great parties and events to attend. That said, the fort location is becoming the "be all-do all" concept. If it weren't for the unwavering dedication of Julie McEnroe, Finbar and the WOLF, the festival would have crashed and burned some time ago. She spent literally thousands of dollars of her own money to make it work each year, though I'm not sure a lot of people even know about that. Plus the likes of Cascabel and other performers who just wouldn't give up on it. But I'll let Cascabel (The Reverend) shed light on all that. -- Hurricane