capnwilliam

Aye, Capt. Flint, the seas of e-mail lists do ebb and flow, but I can't see this one drying up! Capt. William

By sabre, Talasser, I'm referring to the sport fencing "weapon", which is very lightweight; too light to really adequately simulate REAL sabre fighting. But for me it's a good, opportune way to acquire the basics of cut-fighting. Capt. William

Aye, I'll check out the "Pirates and Privateers" book, thank ye for the tip! Capt. William

Authentic old pieces, were these cannon? Capt. William

Aye, Capt. Flint, nothing I could say could top that beautiful memory of yours. But my wife and I had fun just this past week, going out on a modern trimaran (that's a 3-hulled catamaran), and on a 70 foot schooner for an evening pirate cruise. Capt. William :)

And while we're on a War of 1812 note...does anyone on our list do an 1815-era impression? I'm trying to start one for a Baratarian and would appreciate any tips on garb, weapons, or personal equipment, or any recommended reading. Capt. William :)

Angus, you went to the Chalmette Battle site at the wrong time; hey, just about any time is the wrong time, EXCEPT for the weekend closest to January 8, which is when they re-enact the battle, and yes, there is a pirate group involved! One of them is on this list (Renato Beluche is his Baratarian persona). Renato can be reached at captain_cobbs@hotmail.com As to Jean Lafitte not being there in person...yes, I heard that before. The story is that he was heading another contingent of defenders stationed deeper down in bayou country, to guard against a British attack from that direction. It never materialized, but that's not a reason to slight Frere Lafitte. Now, whether Lafitte was actually a pirate or not depends largely on how you define the term. He was a self-admitted big-time smuggler, and he was a privateer, holding latters of marque from Cartagena to attack Spanish vessels, which he did. He always vehemently denied ever attacking any American vessels. In any case, he qualifies as a hero, in my book. Without the support of his cannoneers and, more importantly, the flints and gunpowder he provided, the battle would have been a British victory. Capt. William

Can anyone recommend places to go and hear live sea shanties? One such place is the tavern in the Colonial Spanish Village in St. Augustine. We were there last week, but we returned to New Orleans on Friday, so didn't get to hear the resident sea-shantyists (THE BILGE RATS) perform, as they do so only on Friday and Saturday evenings. We did hear one of the Rats (Jeff, who's also the blacksmith) singing solo on Thursday night, and it was great! I'm told there are also shanty-singings in the D.C. area; anyone ever attended? Capt. William

And speaking of cannon...we sure saw plenty in St, Augustine! Authentic pieces hundreds of years old, just all over the place, in parks and government buildings. (Didn't witness any cannon being fired, though)... Capt. William

Well, I've commenced my practice of cutlass fighting, in a round-about way...I had me fencing instructor give me my first lesson in sabre. Fun, but hard to get used to for someone who's background was in thrust-only epee, and SCA rapier. I calc'late I'll try to pick up the basics of cut fighting with the fencing sabre, and then move on to a more substantial weapon. Capt. William

We just got back from a short vacation in St. Augustine, FL. Mates, what a wonderful place it is! We live in New Orleans, and it reminded us of the French Quarter, without a modern city around it! There's the Fort; the Weapons Museum; ships of various types offering tours of various types, inclding a Pirates Cruise! There are several Haunted tours; the Spanish Village, where you can see living history interpreters doing leather work, blacksmithing, candlemaking, etc. We even saw manatees, and dolphins, come right in to port. On Fridays and Saturdays a group called the Bilge Rats sings sea shanteys at the Spanish Taverm. Unfortunately, we had to catch an earlier plane on Friday, but we did get to enjoy one of the Rats (Brad, who is also the blacksmith) singing solo on Thursday. Shipmates, I can't find enough good things to say about this place! It would take 3 weeks to see it all! We plan to go back again next year. Capt. William

Golden Shellback, please contact me at capnwilliam@pyracy.com Sorry for the delay in getting back with you; we were away from the 19th until late last night. Capt. William

As to what swords were period in the Golden Age, and using that term in its looser sense (1680 - 1730): this era was indeed one of the smallsword, not the rapier. However, a shorter-bladed hanger/cutlass would have the edge over both, in the close confines of a boarding action. BTW, rapiers have acquired an image as being very narrow bladed weapons, but such was not always the case. Many earlier rapiers had blades as broad as the medieval broadswords they replaced. First Mate Jan and I spent the past week in St. Augustine. Menendez' blade is on display at the fort, and this one (1500's)...well, I daresay few modern swordsman could wield it! As to the Boarders Away books: I have the first one about edged weapons, and it is great! I've not read the second one about firearms. Capt. William

Aye, Sykes has 'em! I counted 12 little holders: an Apostle, sure as Scripture! Capt. William

I wonder if there'd be any potential to have a National Pirate Day as such, rather than just a day for talking like a silly pirate? Capt. William

Well. Mad Dog, I subscribed to the swordforum; now I have ye to thank fer getting me hooked on yet another source to feed me e-mail addiction! Capt. William

You might want to check out some of the black powder lists, Capt. Capt. William

Aye, Coastie, yew've another year under yer belt! Congratulations, and may yer sails be filled, yer rum casks ne'er run dry, and fat plunder ships always pass yer bows! Capt. William

Some interestin' tales here, mates! Sorry I don't have any to contribute, but please keep them coming, if you do. Capt. William

Aye, Jamaica, I've exchanged e-messages with Mark, and we're going to meet for a grog, or a brace of them! Thank ye fer the info! Capt. William

Good sources, Sidewinder; I'll have to check them out! Capt. William

Aye, Sidewinder, 'tis flintlock ignition that interests me, not percussion. I was just trying to pin down the dates of the transition between the twain. For instance: Lafitte's era lasted into the 1820's; might percussion weapons have been drifting into use at that time? The responses I've gotten from the list seem to indicate NOT, and I'm inclined to agree. I like to avoid anachronisms if I can. OK, we all know that Blackbeard didn't carry a .36 Navy Colt, e.g.,; but it's the more subtle ones that can creep in; such as the Battle of New Orleans (1815) reenactor who was proudly showing off his collection of weapons of a type that might have been carried into that battle; including a Bowie knife. Problem is, James Black, Arkansas frontier blacksmith, didn't create the first Bowie knife until 1836! But, something like that is "close enough" that we might be deceived if we're not careful. Capt. William

Mad Dog, ye are indeed a treasure chest of information about swords and swordfighting! I will check that site out as soon as I batten down the hatches on this site. Capt. William :)

Speaking of shooting and non-shooting firearms; has anyone on the list ever had any bad experiences with the authorities while carrying, or transporting via airline, any black powder firearm, or for that matter edged weapon? Just curious.... Capt. William

Aye, shipmates, delighted to see that we have a real hot discussion goin' here! I think the bottom line we all must accept is that the only thing that is goin to simulate real-life swordfighting, is real-life swordfighting! And since few of us (I hope) are willing to go at it with sharpened steel blades, without armour, and using unchoreographed moves...we've hence got to accept whatever it is we do as not-quite-the-real-thing. The question then becomes, how much are we willing to sacrifice safety for authenticity. My experience has been limited to sport fencing with foil and epee, and to SCA rapier with schlager, and I agree; none of it remotely simulates cutlass fighting. I've never broken a blade on anyone. I have had a foil broken on me. I felt nothing, other than a solid hit. It was scary to contemplate afterwards; but, it didn't stop me from fencing! I'm kind of a middle-ground sort of person on risk, avoiding either extreme of fatalism, or paranoia: if I'm motivated to do something, I consider the risks involved, and then either decide it's not worth it, or decide to do it anyway, while taking reasonable precautions against the perceived attendant risks. At this point, lacking (although trying to organize) a group to practice simulated cutlass fighting, and still not sure what to use TO simulate it, I'm going to opt for some sport sabre instruction from my fencing instructor. Then I'll play it by ear as to whether I want to try some "more realistic" cut and thrust weaponry (such as singlestick). Capt. William