hurricane

Ah, that's easy. I picked up a piece of clay pipe that was lying near Fort Charles in Port Royal. Just sitting there after 330 years. I like to think that some buccaneer was smoking it at the time of the great earthquake. -- Hurricane

How cool is that? Thankfully, Bald Head Island is a long drive from Orlando, so we opted to stay overnight in Charleston. One of our crewe mates, Master Studley, showed us the way while playing tour guide. -- Hurricane

The food may have not been authentic but it was fabulous. I had the pecan crusted grouper on a bed of spinach that was to die for. Every dish we had (10 of us ate there) was superb. I would expect it from a restaurant of this caliber to serve fine food, but it was many, many notches above the ordinary fare you'd find at a Bennigans, TGIF or Olive Garden. I would make the six hour drive to eat there again, as would all of my crewe. --

Yes, it was fun going on account with you and your lass sir. We'll be seeing you again in the near future, I presume? Loved Bald Head Island and the islander's hospitality... -- Hurricane

Our crewe just returned from a trek to North Carolina for a pirate festival. On the way back, we stopped over at the Queen Anne's Revenge restaurant in Charleston. If you're traveling anywhere in the area - don't miss this place. There are plenty of artifacts to see, including an impressive scale model of the ship itself. The weapons on display were impressive, as were the loaned works of Pyle dotting the walls and the bar. Plus, the food was outstanding. We could have stayed there all day if the schedule had allowed. Link to their website. http://www.qarevenge.com/ Check the tour link out. It's pretty good. We have some photos of our visit too. Go past the ones of Bald Head Island and you'll see some closeups, including ones of a frock coat with bullet holes that's in the restaurant. Pretty cool! http://web.mac.com/robbzerr/iWeb/Site/Last%20Roll.html -- Hurricane

Cascabel and Studley are dead on, I'm afraid. I've worked on organizing this festival for three years and there are some sad facts: 1) The fort has no historical tie in to piracy. It is too far away from where everyone is. You have to walk through a residential area to get there and then find your way past the empty and trashy dockyard. Then you have to walk to the fort once you pay at the gate. Few tourists will do this. 2) The tram companies have absolutely no interest in running people out to the festival or the fort. Been there, tried that. The Conch train refuses to be a sponsor. Why? Because the money is in the tour. That's what they do and that's what they put their resources towards. The wouldn't even rent a tram and driver to the festival when there was money. 3) Sponsors will always be a problem as they always have? Why? Pirate Soul won't sponsor an event that draws people away from their museum and restaurant. Same with Mel Fisher's. Same with just about every other tourist oriented place in town. The festival at the fort draws tourists away from Duval. Simple fact. When it was at the Seaport, the reverse was true. But the Seaport doesn't want the festival either, that's why it was moved to the beach at the fort two years ago. 4) The tourism promotion folks care about two events this year. The End of Hurricane Party and the Walk the Plank Championships. Both are being held at the Pier House, away from the festival. These will get the TV and media coverage. The festival at the fort won't. It's not very interesting from a media standpoint and it doesn't promote tourism. 5) Advertising. There's a wish. When Julie ran the festival alone, she spent $10,000 of her own money on marketing. That included fliers, the programs and signage on Duval. $10,000 doesn't make a dent. And again, Key West doesn't care. They care about Fantasy Fest because it draws $$$$ to town and tens of thousands of visitors. PiP never will. 6) Cruise Ships. Two years ago we stationed our own crewe at the cruise ships to invite folks over to the festival. We stayed until an entire 5,000 passenger cruise ship was emptied. Five people showed up at the festival. That was it. Why? They have 8 hours or less to see Key West. That means Duval St., a trip on the conch train and maybe a sail on a tall ship. Sorry to be a wet blanket. But I've worked on the festival for three years and it didn't go anywhere. And I don't see the fort being able to do anything but create a small event that draws a large number of re-enactors and a small number of the public. I will be there with my crewe for our swan song. Too many other festivals to go to that are going in the other direction... ya'll should have been at Bald Head Island last weekend. -- Hurricane

For anyone within driving distance to Bald Head Island, NC (about three hours north of Charleston), the island is hosting its first annual Pirate Event. Cascabel and Izzy, The Pyrates of the Coast and Captain Sinbad and the Devil Men of Cape Fear are the entertinment. The event begins with a gala auction on Friday night (Aug. 4) and wraps up on Saturday with performances, historical presentations, a thieve's market, and a showing of a pirate movie on the lighthouse. The cost is just the ferry ride over to the island. All proceeds benefit the upkeep of the historic lighthouse on the island. -- Hurricane

Diosa and I met at Pirates in Paradise as friends. Never thought it would go farther than that. I moved 3,000 miles to be with her. Now I've been in Florida for two years now and we just got married six times in a weekend - five at Disney World for the cameras at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride opening and for real at the Pirates Adventure Dinner Theatre... Pirate and wench, happy ever after in the sunny part of the world. Photos below: Bribing the dad Aboard Ship with the Parson Almost married The Best Man (center) with the cabin boys With our photographers, Sabre and Ax Pirate Cake -- Hurricane

Well said, well said! I think that about sums it up here. And who would want it any other way? -- Hurricane

Isn't this what it's all about? Doing what makes you happy no matter what form it takes? I couldn't agree more. -- Hurricane

I think it's been around three or four times now. Egad! It's a case of online Alzeimer's... -- Hurricane

Lady Seahawke and Harbormaster just demonstrated the difference between playing pirate and being a pirate. As I said, it is a mindset that one can have about life. It's how one approaches the riches life offers and whether you seize the opportunities. It's about going on the road less traveled. It's taking bold risks. Some know what I mean (Harbormaster), others never will. You don't have to be arrested to have been a pirate. Henry Morgan never paid the price for his deeds. He was good at what he did. Even when he was sent back to England it wasn't in chains. When he got there he was courted by the elite and came back a knight. Only the poor pirates and stupid ones got caught and hung. Many, many more when out on account and retired as average citizens. And whoa, they still thought like pirates, even though they weren't raping and pillaging. I'm not here to try to explain it - as I said, you either are or you aren't. Even in a modern world there are people who think and act like pirates. Steve Jobs. Pirate. Bill Gates. Pirate. Think a bit and you can see those people out there who are still living a pirate's lifestyle even when we're not actually pirates. And yes, Monterey Jack. Bikers are the heirs of piracy today. I have had the pleasure of hanging with some of the roughest of them in my youth and they are a lot of fun to party with! Go for it Harbormaster. -- Hurricane

Different strokes for different folks. -- Hurricane

I have some fun new shirts up for sale with the Black Spot. Take a look at: http://www.cafepress.com/thepyrates -- Hurricane

Because we could. :) Why did pirates do anything when pillaging a town? Besides, I said we emptied rooms, not destroyed them. Please don't put words in my mouth. We simply dismantled them, took everything the pirate had plus his bed, linens, lightbulbs and, well, door. They all went back in fine order afterwards. It was simple fraternal hazing... boys will be boys. -- Hurricane

I was thinking Rock band until I read "we blasted off cannon, flintlocks and other weapons on city streets and did pretty much anything we wanted to, including halting traffic at will, chasing children with sharp swords and kidnapping politicians and celebrities, sometimes not giving them back for a week or longer. We burned ships in the harbor, broke up bars with our swords" I do not know of any place where this would be aceptable in the free world so please do tell me, where? Seattle was the place. The Seattle Seafair Pirates, specifically in the early 1980s and before that. They have had to calm down now, but still get to fire off a sawed off shotgun and cannon during parades. At the time I was in the group (1982-1990) we were fortunate enough to have several Seattle police officers as members, including several precinct Captains, and our honorees included local politicians, businessmen and other folks. The antics of the Seafair Pirates were legendary at the time. We cold drink heavily in public, run parades drunk, throw women over our shoulders and throw them onto our parade vehicle (a WWII DUKW landing craft), and so much more. It would be hard pressed to compress 50 years of mayhem into the pages here. Suffice it to say it was a wild fraternity of men playing pirate with most of the perks of being a pirate. See them at http://www.seafairpirates.com - my brother is still a member of them, even though I mutinied in 1990. -- Hurricane

I believe that is true for some, but I think my own crewe mates would disagree with that observation. As for my own beginnings I came from a culture that was as close to being a pirate as known. We drank our measly black guts out, ignored the vast majority of laws, kissed any women we pleased, blasted off cannon, flintlocks and other weapons on city streets and did pretty much anything we wanted to, including halting traffic at will, chasing children with sharp swords and kidnapping politicians and celebrities, sometimes not giving them back for a week or longer. We burned ships in the harbor, broke up bars with our swords, pops kid's balloons without apology and emptied hotel rooms, right down to the light bulbs. So I have had a taste of the good life, at least as far as allowed by laws in modern times. True, I never killed anyone. But we did get away with murder. So I do approach things from a slightly different direction. I don't judge people by the number of stitches in their clothing but by the makeup of their character. In that sense, at least in our environs, you either are or you are not a pirate, as we see them. Those who are know those that are not. Clothing, weapons, persona, historical accuracy means nothing in making this assessment. This is not to insult anyone else who approaches things differently. Please understand that. I have met many fine people who are great re-enactors, performers, entertainers and good people in general. Some of them are still great friends and I hold each of them - stitch counters or fantasy folk - in the highest regard. But are they all pirates in my experience and judgement? No. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences. That's what makes the world go round. -- Hurricane

I stand by my statement. I offer it without apologies here. And for clarification - "drek" was used to refer to content posted here. That is an opinion. "Anal" as used in the aforementioned post is used to describe individuals. That would be an insult. -- Hurricane

I must disagree. First, I used to be one of those who poked fun of those who tried to explain things from a historical perspective. It is the role of historians and researchers to separate fact from fiction. To demean them as being anal is just wrong and very short sighted. If one has a love of history and understands its influence on modern times, then it is vitally important to seek the truth whenever possible. There are those who will argue until they are red in the face that pirates wore this or that, that they had short or long hair, had tricorns or wool caps, or tattoos or not... the problem is that Hollywood and fiction has created "facts" when in fact, it's fiction. But it's been told for so long folks new to piracy thing they are being hard nosed, rather than protecting and sharing the chain of evidence that leads us to further understanding about the world's third oldest profession. That is simply folly. Equally folly are those who are interpretors of piracy who hide behind flawed interpretations while trying to be pirates. That is not to say you can't be a pirate and still place loose with the facts. Just be aware that your apparel and such is not historically correct. Don't add to the confusion. I play both sides. I am deeply into the history of the buccaneers and pirates in Jamaica. I represent Captain Morgan on occasion and try to do it correctly. To that end, I have a doglock instead of a flintlock. It's the little things that can create a more historical representation and it doesn't cost that much. If you're going to do buccaneers and can afford a gun, get a doglock rather than trying to pass a Queen Anne off as correct. That's all the historians are telling us. I think it's a thankless job myself. We all carry the same disdain for history that we did in high school. As for fantasy piracy, more power to you! I dabble in this myself and enjoy it. But I have educated myself to know the difference and I make it clear when dealing with the public what the differences are. There is certainly room for both, but as one who used to draw the historical folks into the protracted discussions about "could this have been possible", I have learned that solid evidence weighs far more than "I saw this in Pirates of the Caribbean." Finally, at least for me, piracy isn't a role, it's a lifestyle. It's a way of thinking about people, events, the way I interact with life in general. It doesn't matter whether I've hijacked a boat or not. You either are a pirate or you're not in mindset. And those who are can instantly tell others who are and those who never will be. The best kit in the world can't hide a civilian who's trying to play pirate. -- Hurricane

I think you're forgetting that the festival extends far beyond the fort. That is just one aspect. There is a cultural and arts component, events in town, the end of Hurricane party which is a Tourism supported event, our National Walk the Plank Championships and other things that aren't of interest to the hard core campers at the fort. So there is always a vast mixture, from entirely play pirates to the period types. As one of the event's organizers, I can assure you that at least the off fort events are for anyone and everyone wanting to explore the pirate within them. I think the fort additions are great, but they are just one part of the whole event there. Check out the schedule of events and you may be surprised what else is happening during the festival. -- Hurricane

Vendors: Anyone wishing to be a vendor at the festival should also contact Harry Smid at the Fort for information. You should be warned that Harry wants this even to be more historical and he will not be allowing any "Fairy Stuff" as he puts it. There is a form at http://piratesinparadise.com/vendors/form.html for vendors to fill out and send to Harry. As for the answer to Blackjohn, there is no requirements for costumes during the festival itself, which takes place at the fort and in town. The camp folks I would imagine will want some standards for their area. But the actual festival is open to all - it is a public event after all. -- Hurricane

Too funny!!!!!

If they only had $100 more we could have supplied them with much better treasure for their chest - what pirate would be thrilled with Mardi Gras beads... -- Hurricane

MouseSurplus is auctioning off some of the props that were surplused during the refurb of the Magic Kingdom ride. A nice chance to own a piece of the original (at least the original Florida one) ride. Here's a chest and jewels: http://cgi.ebay.com/Disney-Actual-Pirates-...0QQcmdZViewItem Click on the Store link on the right to see the other pieces... -- Hurricane

Egad! I get all excited until I see it's in Chicago in the dead of winter. Too cold for a guy in the Tropics. Brrrrr. Great looking event though! Looks like a blast. -- Hurricane