Harry

Well, well, just think, Harry will have to work for a change...

I'm sorry, I don't understand the meaning of that word...

Thank you all for the kind words! I do hope to make this year's Fort Taylor event--as a participant--not organizer.

It is with a sad and blackened heart that I must pass on to my extended pyrate family that I will no longer have any part in the organization of the 2009 Fort Taylor Pyrate Fest or any organizational part in future Pirates in Paradise events.

The mrs. and I are leaving Key West. My final day with the Florida Park Service will be June 30, 2009. The 16-year Florida "experiment" is over. This personna has expired... it's time to re-invent a new one elsewhere. We are relocating to Arizona where our biological family lives. There are a number of reasons--far toooo many to go into here--for us leaving. But the reasons that I will go into here are that the mrs. needs to be closer to her mom who is suffering from end stages of Alzheimer and we want to be closer to our kids and grandkids. As far as job prospects go, I have none. I will receive a small pittance from the state for my efforts here. My daughter and son-in-law own a service station that has been the victim of break-ins. So, I'm trying to convince her to let me do "pyrate security" for her. I've got cannon, you know! I follow the philosphy of the Big Lebowski... The Dude Abides. It will work out. And, if it doesn't, well, we'll try something else.

I have organized and helped organize a number of events and re-enactments over my professional career while in broadcasting and here with the park service. I can't recall an event that brought my so much joy to me as this one. Could be that it's the group of people participating in the event. All of you are top-notch and you know your characters and your timelines. And, you can follow the rules!! Well, most of you! I know, pyrate...

As far as the organization efforts of the Fort Taylor event, that will be handled by Captain Spike of the Bone Island Buccaneers and the Friends of Fort Taylor. I'm sure he and they will keep all posted on what will be forthcoming. From what I have observed, I believe that this year's show will be equal to or be better than last year.

I shall still visit here from time to time. I may even return to Key West from time to time. I do plan to travel to Blackbeard with the Bone Island Buccaneers and then St. John's Pass. And then... out west.

A giant thank you to each and everyone of you who has touched my life with yours!

It's 2009, $*@@!&&(#...

Happy New Year to all!!!

Yeah, y'all are correct. I muffed it on that one. Apologies please. It was a heat of the moment. I will make sure the correction is made.

Okay, the following is what I submitted to the newspaper as a response:

RE: Letter to the Editor of 12/23/08: Piracy should inspire more shame than pride

We have to wonder what prompted Mr. Taylor to come up with his letter of 12/23/08 to the editor about the historical re-enactment of the Golden Age of Pyracy. Yes, it was called the Golden Age of Pyracy—not by our group, but by historians and one of those noted historians was author Daniel DeFoe. You might have read some of his books, Mr. Taylor—Treasure Island was one of his more well-known tomes.

Did you even attend any of the events that were part of Pirates in Paradise, Mr. Taylor? If so, did you encounter some difficulties that prompted your letter? If you didn’t attend any of the events surrounding Pirates in Paradise, what knowledge do you have of what we offered our visitors?

This event, now in its ninth year, hosted more than 150 historical re-enactors or living historians from around the United States and England who portrayed every day sailors, English soldiers, Spanish Conquistadors, buccaneers and pirates. We re-enacted the historical trial of two female pirates, we re-enacted the capture of pirates by English soldiers, we showed those who attended the event the art of navigation, we provided our visitors the opportunity to learn about the weaponry that was used during that time, we showed how sailors cooked and lived when they were shipwrecked, we demonstrated medical care of the period, and we demonstrated the basics of seamanship of the era.

Further, the re-enactors/living historians conducted a silent auction to raise money for charity. More than $800 was raised to assist with the rehabilitation of Fort Taylor, where many of the events were held. Another re-enactor group raised money to help fight cancer. We were also proud to host a young man sponsored by the South Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation. He and his family traveled from the state of New York to Key West. His wish was to experience a piratical re-enactment. Area businesses and vendors who came to our event donated clothing and supplies to this young man to make his wish come true. Many of our piratical re-enactors/living historians also contributed items to give to this young man. We challenge you to tell him he should be ashamed to have accepted these gifts from “pirates.”

By the way, Mr. Taylor, none of us who portray characters from the Age of Buccaneers or the Golden Age of Pyracy or English soldiers or Spanish Conquistadors are ashamed of whom we portray. Many of us are professionals who hold jobs working for the federal government, the state, the police department, the department store, computer manufacturers, tradesmen and tradeswomen, school teachers and the list goes on and on. You may consider us children and think we’re not grown up. We think the question here is why would we want to grow up?

We are proud to portray history because when history is forgotten, it’s destined to be repeated.

The Bone Island Buccaneers

Key West

Just polished the snotties' shoes and cleaned out Cheeky's clothes hamper... I think we took home ALL the sand in Key West, sorry for not leaving you any....

First Robbie, now the sand. I don't know how much more of this I can handle!!!

Dutch, please keep the coral. The Australian pine are able to procreate fine without it, thank you.

Every now and then you can find them on eBay. A good, inexpensive one is a Hohner. There's also a web site and forum devoted to the instruments, concertina.com, I believe is the link. There are downloadable docs for music and such. I've also purchased a beginner's music book which has a lot of instruction as well.

The instrument is fun to play! The one that Nell passed on to me had a reed issue and since then another reed has bit the dust. According to the research I've done, it's suggested NOT to take it apart unless one knows what one is doing. The instrument I got from Nell was a basic 10-key in the key of D and C. The more popular one appears to be the 20-key. Also, check YouTube for instructional videos.

That would explain the unidentified boat that came up on the beach a few days ago...

**whispering in Harry's ear** Did ye toss 'im back in the drink?

Aye, but later that same evening I did see a figure darting about and couldn't quite catch up to 'em.

I also have the raw pics and can assist those who might be lookin' fer a specific photo or two or three...

That would explain the unidentified boat that came up on the beach a few days ago...

The letter below appeared in today's edition (12/23/08) of the Key West Citizen. While it's not exactly clear that the letter writer is talking about our just-concluded event, one can make the logical conclusion that he, in fact, is "dissing" us and our event.

I have drafted a response, but want to gain approval from my captain before I send it off to the newspaper. Once I gain that approval, I will post my response. Among the items I talk about in my response is the fact that monies were raised for charity and the fact that we hosted a young man through the South Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation. I also talked about our living history components of the event.

Anyway, here's the letter to the editor:

Letter to the Editor

Key West Citizen

12/23/08

Piracy should inspire more shame than pride

Pirate reenactments, what a marvelous idea for making money. Now that we have determined Key West will do anything, no matter how inappropriate, for a buck, I have a few more good ideas.

How about mock Ku Klux Klan rallies? You know, we could rent the participants sheets and hoods, burn some crosses, and hang a few people in effigy. When I read the totally offensive posts online concerning the racial origins of our new president, I know we would get a much bigger turnout for this event than you can imagine. Racism is still alive and well in America, after all.

How about Slave Ship Days? You know, have people pay to be put in shackles and packed by the hundreds into the holds of the Key West schooner fleet, [which] on a hot July day sail out to Sand Key Light and back? No food, water or toilet facilities. Or, the deluxe package: a day sail to the Marquesas. What great fun to see how the ancestors of 10 percent of the

American population arrived on our shores.

One of my personal favorites would be Spanish Inquisition Week. Whips, chains, thumbscrews, the rack, maybe even an iron maiden for the big spenders. Prizes awarded for the loudest screamers.

We could also try that much loved event, The Crusades. A recreation of the taking back of the Holy Land from the “infidels” by the Christians. No, wait a minute — George Bush is already doing that under the guise of his war on terror, in a country, Iraq, where there were absolutely no terrorists until his bold statement: “Bring it on.” See, that one is working great — Halliburton, Blackwater Security, Bechtel, et al. are getting rich from it. Maybe he will sell Key West a franchise of the concept?

My point is, all of these things are part of history. And piracy, like all the other abovementioned atrocities, is a part of that history, and a part of the present. But that doesn’t mean any of them were good, honorable acts of which we should be proud.

Piracy, a crime that is still occurring ... off the coast of Somalia and elsewhere around the globe, is an evil that shouldn’t be reenacted, praised or thought of as anything but appalling — and certainly shouldn’t be reenacted as a way to promote tourism and make money.

I personally find this childish celebration as offensive as the other moneymaking schemes I have proposed. But, absolutely anything for a buck, right? So, have at it, children, and when, and if, you grow up you will see what a malevolent thing you are celebrating.

Walk the plank, indeed.

Austin Gray Taylor

Big Pine Key

A classic portrait of the pin with flowers! Still life at its finest...

eh...only had a mre 2 and a half feet to clear outta my drive last night.....course at the end...when the plaow went by....4 friggin foot drift.....that heavey arse wet snow/ice combo.......damn i miss the Keys allready....

yo Harry....dont need a permanent(or at least durring the winters) pyrate down at the fort do ya....also used to do civalwar cannons ehh??

We be always recruitin' cannon persons!! Fill out a Florida State Park volunteer form on line to volunteer here in the winter months and get away from that white stuff!!!

... and that's why I live in the Keys. I can't deal with that stuff anymore. Years living in northern Germany, the mountains of Arizona and a the interior of Alaska game me more than enough of that white stuff!

Not to worry--a "merit badge" won't be required to play. But, as our event expands and new shooters come to play, we want to make sure they will play well and safely with others. We'll be taking steps to achieve those goals as the year moves on.

Not too worry folks, we will continue to emphasize safety at the Fort Taylor Pyrate Fest. Events I've attended with my CW cannon and crew, we are required to demonstrate our proficiency on the weapon--including what happens with the two stages of misfires. I see nothing wrong with that--it shows the event organizer the weapons owner(s) have a grasp on safety and aren't just toting around a big gun.

Remember, when we all work together on the safety aspects, we limit the chances of a mishap occuring to ourselves and, more importantly, to our visitors.

Will be looking for your help, Jim, in the fort.

If the restrooms are attended frequently they too will be easier to clean. Additionally if we are all policing them then we are likely to be considerate of the next fellow.

Problem is all of this requires someone(s) to make schedules.

Harry ...can we make it so that anyone who camps must carry the load. That if they do not do their share they can't come back? Do we want to do that?

I've already banned one vendor for an infraction from this past year. I think everyone is aware of the situation and will police each other that we will get thru this without too much problem.

oy harry, i just had a thought. This is more of a weapons issue than barriers though. You have a color of the day to ensure weapons are inspected. would a "shooters band" of some sort work out here? the group is still small enough that yourself and the weapons safety folks will know the shooters. Proven return shooters get a permanent band on themselves or the weapons for the week. A color wire tie instead of ribbon maybe? If its not there and noone recognizes the shooter on line, potential problem children could be readily identified. the drawback to this is a safety class would need to be provided as a refresher to those who would like and afford new weapons owners an opportunity to shoot- with all your free time- this would not be a problem i'm sure after the class, the band is issued.

I like this idea. One of the things we're going to look at for future events is the shooter as well as the weapon. We want to make sure the person behind the weapon knows what they're doing. I've done this before with cannon and it has worked out well. We'll still want to do daily inspections--safety, safety, safety.

Now that I've gotten to know many of you shooters, I am comfortable asking for your help with inspections as well as policing shooters. Dutch, I would really like to enlist you...

Our safety zone for small arms firing is supposed to be a minimum of 10-yards from shooter to spectator. Personally, I prefer a wider separation. With that said, we will have a roped area set up for 2009 that will not allow spectators to "cross the line." For those on the battle line outside of the fort, we will set additional safety zones. We will also enlist the support of participants and park personnel to help police that. During the cannon battle on top of the fort, I think we did a relatively good job in keeping spectators safe. I have absolutely no problem explaining the facts of life to these folks (while at the same time wanting to drain the gene pool). My opening remarks prior to the cannon firing was basically, you stay back because we don't want to blow you up.

It's most appreciated that there are many who will volunteer for gate duty. Having pulled guard in real life as well as at CW events, I know it's not fun. But, if we don't come together to police this, there won't be a facility for us to do what we do.

Other issues revolved around the beach bathrooms. Park staff indicated the facilities were filthy when they'd come to clean them in the morning. If we're going to allow all to utiliize the facilities, then we will require volunteers to help with the cleaning. Another issue revolved around someone saying they had my permission to use our shop facilities. An absolute lie. That person will not be invited back. Those were the most important items to come out of that meeting. By and large, park staff appreciated the assistance it received from the good majority of you. The Bone Island Buccaneers met this evening to work out these issues and from what I've read, y'all are going a long way to help correct these things. I really appreciate your help!!

Man, some of you have been reading my mind! I've been re-working the registration form today. One of the new additions is getting the size of the participant's tents. Plus, I've added the name of the crewe you'll be with.

We (the park staff) had an after-action report meeting on the event. Much of the feedback from staff was positive. But, there were a number of issues presented that I'm not happy about. Among them the park gate being left open on a continual basis after hours. Staff witnessed folks simply unlocking the gate, getting in their cars and driving off without bothering to lock up.

Nell, the Chamber/Visitor's Bureau needs to get with it too. We had several visitors who were sent to see the fort by the chamber but they didn't clue them in there was a pirate festival there. Obviously, visitors go to the building near Mallory often when they stop by.

-- Hurricane

This is yet another challenge to overcome. This city (Key West) does not support this event like other cities support their events. In fact, the City of Key West does not offer any monetary support whatsoever to any event held here. Their philosophy is that there will be some individual/group that will step up and make things happen, while the city coffers reap the benefits. The local chamber of commerce is of the same ilk. Unless said business is a member, there isn't any cross promotion of events. I know this for a fact as I used to work for the chamber when I first moved here. I was very surprised when I was told I couldn't talk about an event with a potential visitor because the group putting on the event were not chamber members.

But, there are other ways to "skin a cat." We have done our own marketing thru the cruise lines--we just didn't have any ships in this time. The best press is the free press and I'm working on that aspect around the state. The media in this town wouldn't know a good story if it hit them in the face. Also, they've never been known to let the facts stand in the way of a story for them.

We did a street show to kick off things. It was the Pirate Sail Invasion where pyrates came off the Wolf near the Schooner Wharf Bar. A couple of us English strode up the street with our proclamations, tacking them to the posts. It was a short, but effective show. And, the time frame was in the afternoon when there were numerous people around to enjoy.

I've got a few ideas I need to put down on paper and on the "strategy" board, as it were, to see if these would work. Once I am satisfied I can pull off the safety aspects of this, I'll offer up an engagement suggestion.

The downside to all of this is that those on the beach might not care one way or another what we do. But, at least I think it would be cool for us to do a... well... let me figure this out first...