hurricane

That's good enough - but I think Gettysburg is just too Civil War oriented for us pyrates (and I speak only of my crewe) to want to trek to. It's not high on our list of places to travel, whereas Williamsburg is. Higher costs are often offset by higher interest. Lower rates usually indicate it's not a popular place in the first place. For example, Orlando charges top dollar, Jacksonville doesn't - because nobody wants to go to Jacksonville. But that's just us. -- Hurricane

I would be hard pressed to find a reason to travel to something in Gettysburg (being a pirate re-enactor) but I could certainly convince crew members to attend one in Williamsburg, as there are other things to do there in addition to the convention. Plus, accommodations are inexpensive there, since it's touristy. -- Hurricane

James Burke is the show's host - a terrific series on how one thing in history begat another, and another. You can get it on amazon.com - just type in James Burke and it will pop up. -- Hurricane

Congrats! We'll be up at Bald Head Island in August for a pirate event there. Perhaps you can swing down - looks like it's about 50 or so miles by sea. I know, depends which way the wind is blowing for the "about". Would love to see you. I can put you into contact with the powers that be for it, especially since you're being adopted by NC. -- Captain

Only makes sense since Oregon doesn't have power yet. I did hear you're getting indoor plumbing though in the third quarter of 07. -- Hurricane "Ooo, that's low, that is. Next time one of those hurricans you be named after washes over Florida, I'll be sittin' high and dry, watchin a DVD on my HDTV, thinkin' of ya. NOT" 45 years in the Northwest allows me the good grace of being able to make fun of it. I was born and raised there. It's a nice place to be from... but I can't say I hate the 80 degree winter days, El Nino or not. -- Hurricane

Only makes sense since Oregon doesn't have power yet. I did hear you're getting indoor plumbing though in the third quarter of 07. -- Hurricane

Norrington of course. A great character in the second movie. -- Hurricane

The dates are specific: 1675-1725 (Kass, you're close:). There's no latitude as far as those who want to portray historical piracy in the confines of the fort. Those who want to dress up and pay to attend have no time period to adhere to, but all inside the fort, participating as edutainers, have those dates to adhere to. I think Harry was pretty clear on that aspect. And I think trying to expand on the idea is a "dead horse." -- Hurricane

Pirate Fair is in Clearwater in mid November. BARF is in February/March - Gasparilla is a great drunk fest but not something that would value a nice ship like the Royaliste. It's more the clown version of piracy. -- Hurricane

I know of no other festivals in Florida during that time - there's Clearwater, but that's in November. And there's nothing in December in the area. If there is one, please apprise us - don't want to miss any. :) -- Hurricane

Greetings! We don't have a roster as of yet. Because of the way our crewe operates, we don't really fill the manifest until we get closer to the event. It's more of a rewards system for those who do the most work in the year and who really want to get into the swing of what we'll be portraying down there. I don't want to create a false list, as some of our crewe is also here on pyracy and I don't want to commit them without having everything firm up on the "management" side of the group. As soon as we get a more firmed up list, we'll add it though. -- Hurricane

Ahoy! I and my crewe will be handling the buccaneer encampment, circa 1680, Port Royal, Jamaica. PM me for specs on what our crewe will be doing. We don't want to gum up either the 1720 careening gang's forum area with buccaneer planning. -- Hurricane

There is a hostel in Key West, otherwise several budget hotels. We've stayed at the Southermost in year's past - the older part of the hotel is $109 a night usually - very reasonable for where you are. It's at the far end of Duval and a great stagger home after doing The Crawl. -- Hurricane

That is terrific. This is just what my crew has been dying to see. I can hardly wait to see the one for guys. I'm particularly interest (obviously) to what male counterparts would be wearing circa 1680 or so. There's seems to be a lot on what a sailor has, but what about a landsmen, or more particularly, the different stations of men in a typical town of the time. -- Hurricane

A new favorite of meself - plotting to spring Mary Read at PiP... Hurricane

Just remember that the airlines don't offer the best fares until 60 or so days out. One of our own crewe just landed one of spiritair's specials from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale. Total cost (round trip) was $30.60. No, that's not a typo. When you sign up for their promotions, they send you some real goodies. From Orlando we could have flown to San Juan for 9¢ each way. Again, not a typo. With taxes it would have run us about $26. If you're near anywhere spiritair flies, sign up for their promotions. I know they fly out of Chicago and Detroit as well as San Francisco now. -- Hurricane

I'm already standing in line. The Pyrates of the Coast will be your best customers... Welcome aboard! -- Hurricane

The full PiP festival runs Thursday through Sunday the Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 are for the fort portion of the festival. Just a small correction. When I get around to it I'll update the festival site with the full dates. -- Hurricane

My misquote: It was GoF and this is was what he had said: I doubt that there are many, even among re-enactors themselves that would know the difference between late and early breeches, and Early Justaucorps from a late one etc etc. And certainly the public would be clueless.... My most humble apologies. -- Hurricane

Now that we've completed the what it will be (thanks Harry), our daunting task will be "how it will be." While it's important to look authentic, I think Foxe still had a point that the general public can't tell correct slops from incorrect ones. That's for us all to work on. But perhaps more important is what we will tell the audiences that gather. It'll be fun to see what everyone uncovers about the time periods, what people new back then in the ways of politics (who was on the throne, who was at war with whom, etc.), the understanding of medicine, the world in general as far as geography and such and the high tech of the time. Very exciting stuff. And I suppose that would vary greatly by one's station in life at the time. I know I look forward to the journey in the coming year and I think it will be fun to learn from others here. Perhaps we should set up separate threads in the PiP section covering the main periods we'll be delving into, so we can share our own knowledge with others, not only about the garb and kits, but about the state of mind of these folks. That part is perhaps even more educational than the kit and clothing. I'd hate to see us retreat to the Rennie thing of "what is that strange device you're holding in your hand" instead of being able to show of our own state-of-the-art tools common in life in our own periods. -- Hurricane

What I am concerend about, my hot buttons if you wish, are 1) no bucket top boots 2) no skull and bones everywhere 3) no fantasy weapons 4) no massive load of crap hanging from the belt 5) no horizontal striped socks 6) no skulls or skeletons around the camp 7) similar things that are obviously hollywood but 'generally accepted' among the pirate community. There would be nobody at the festival Hawkyns. The goal is to bring more people in, not kick people out. Key West is unlike any other place around--- it is by its nature a welcoming place and part of the beauty of this festival is that it welcomes pirates and wenches from all walks of life. I don't think Harry's intention is to ever become an exact reenactment event - if it was, it wouldn't be held in a Civil War era fort. A certain kind of person is drawn to this event - and they aren't all going to adopt these strict standards. Again, the goal here is to create a living interpretation as best as the volunteers who attend can - given the fact that they spend a lot of money to get to the place and on food and drink while they're there. This isn't some small town in the backwoods - it is tourist central with the associated high costs. I think it's asking a lot of the volunteers who make these encampments work and who do the dirty work of the festival to be that exact. I know my crewe would bale in a moment if this was the case. It just wouldn't be fun for us. And I think you'd see participation drop right down into the bilge at a moment when Harry's trying to build this thing up. Doesn't anybody listen to what Harry has been saying? It is, afterall on his watch. -- Hurricane

Good stuff as always, GoF. We have a really good Anne and Mary and I would love to see others do famous pirates of the age - one of our own crewe does Stede Bonnet. I think many of your insights are right on and your experience in these matters will help us all refine our collective vision. Here's a photo of Mary Read (my wife - she looks pretty pissed off). She ended up hurting the poor little boys assigned to corral her town - made one puke at the jail. -- Hurricane

I think it is difficult to get spot - you will scare away a lot of reenactors who are just starting out and want to learn and participate. The three year plan is a good idea. As for selling there Kass... you can make money. Most of our customers were the reenactors and we did fine. It was at least worth the trip. Patrick, I think Harry had the last word on period. I know some of those without a regular crewe there want to feel like you are a crewe, but others who have actual crewes want to do their own thing and their own period. So I think Harry had the Solomon solution - that you guys can pick 1720, the Watchdog can do 1704 and my crewe can do the Henry Morgan buccaneer period (Port Royal - not Tortuga) - everyone's happy and the public will not only learn about pirates and buccaneers, but about the differences in times and periods. As for the tents - I don't think it really matters as far as the public is concerned. To them a tent is a tent, whether it is sailcloth strung on poles, a lean to or a full tent. This is another slow lane process - some people have put a lot of money into their gear and more important, like it. Definitely no nylon modern tents at any time any where. As for us, we'll be pitched under a canvas I believe on the other side. And if it rains we'll run for shelter under the fort. I slept there last year and it's quite comfy. :) Finally, as for the sellers, I think they were just fine. Remember, a lot of these folks do an entire circuit in the south during the season and I'd hate to lose some of them as they had fine stuff - I certainly spent my share. So I don't think their spaces need work. I do however think they should be in period garb - or at least make an attempt. It adds to the air of the period.The "Bimbo Babes" were fun to look at but it cheapened the booths a bit. -- Hurricane

I doubt jurying would be appropriate this early on in designing the encampments. First, many people are just learning how to do things correctly and learning from those who are already farther along the path. Second, I think it would be follow to reject someone trying to make a good faith effort after they've spent all their money to fly and travel to Key West. There are no pleasant alternatives if one is not allowed to camp on site once they get there. And there are no sheltered areas away from the main camp area. That's really up to Harry, but I think his goal right now is to expand as much as possible and adjust as we go. -- Hurricane

Foxe is right. If you want to stay period most ships didn't have menacing names... Bonaventure, Thriver, Sea Horse, America, Griffon, Adventure Galley, James come to mind. I would think a smart pirate would want an ordinary name so as not to draw attention of the navy or other enemy. True, not as romantic. But more historically on target. -- Hurricane