michaelsbagley

It is also worth mentioning that for the third year running, one of the re-enactors won the grand prize in the costume contest (trip for two to the Caymans), and this year it was Tiger Billie! A huge congrats to Billie on that. Taking third place was another of our lot, Shannon! (I think it is a 5 day all expense trip to Put-In-Bay, which is by no means a cheap trip)! I believe Shannon took second last year (the year Cheeky one first place). Let's hope this trend keeps up! A bunch of more deserving prize winners there could not be! But the suggestion for expanding the boat battle Friday is most appreciated.... and I think it will likely be a welcome suggestion by both the owners of the boats and the festival organizers! That battle was a ton of fun. For those interested, we have been asked to try increase our numbers again for next year... I would love to see upwards of fourty re-enactors out for this, and with our recent success on the Santa Maria, I know that to be a realistic goal. The festival organizer has made a tentative meeting with me for this autumn, and I would guess we will meet again in the spring to talk things through as well. I can see next year being a big expansion year for this one. Just as an aside, I have always focused on the re-ensactment angle of this festival in my posts... and why wouldn't I? That is what I am most interested in... But this festival is really for anything and everything pirate related! The re-enactment encampment I mostly organize is only a small corner of the greater festival.

I would rate this event as one of the most enjoyable I have been to in a very long time. Everyone seemed to have an awesome time (kind of hard not to, when just about everyone was blind drunk when we were not demo-ing in the park). Pictures are abounding around Facebook, but I managed to edit down some of the video footage I got into this fun little clip... http://youtu.be/EjclVmHEpqk I'm already starting to plan and plot ideas for this one for next year....

Not sure if this has been posted or discussed here before, but saw it come up on another forum and figured there would be interest here... Museum of London http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Collections-online/object.aspx?objectID=object-83031&rows=1&start=2&sort=summaryTitle%20asc

Not a specifically pirate event (although pirates are very welcome), this event is for all living history portayals that focus on the "Bad Boys" (and girls) of history. PIrates, highwaymen (and highwaywomen), rebels, gypsies (the historical kind, not the Renn-Faire fantasy image), and other historical portrayals from the "darker" side of history are perfect for this event. The locations is at Historical Tunnel Mill Living History Center in Charlestown, Indiana. While not a strictly juried event, folks wanting to come should have their impressions based solidly on historical fact and not fiction. The timeline is loosely the 18th century (basically the long 18th century, or flintlock era, so late 17th or early 19th century portrayals are fine). As a side note, I am NOT the organizer or coordinator for this event, just giving a hand with some of the promotional stuff and spreading the word. I will likely be able to answer most questions about the event, or get the answers in reasonably short order. For those who have been around a while, this event is the replacement event for the old "Pirates of Paynetown" event (which was cancelled by the site owner). The new event was not made a strictly "pirate" as the loss of the lakeside site left the event without good lake for boats, and hence broadening of the concept to include all the scum of history. Registration forms are found At this link for PDF, or At this link for Microsoft Word format. Some details found on this web page on the Tunnel Mill web site.

I'll add you to the Facebook discussion page in case you can make it. (I will do it tonight though, as it is a pain to do that from the smart/dumb phone).

Put-in-Bay is on an island (South Bass Island) in Lake Erie. The main point of access is from a ferry that is about half way between Cleveland and Toledo Ohio (closer to Cleavland than Toledo though). Likely the cheapest option for those very far away, would be to fly into Detroit or Cleavland and a ride the rest of the way can likely be arranged. Edit. There are other nearby cities where rides can be arranged from, but being larger cities those two will likely be the easiest/cheapest to fly to/from

I think all told there were 5 or 6 hammocks (maybe 7?), most of the rest used those modern "air beds" or other such modern comfort items on the decks. Although one of our newcomers actually slept in the straw filled "captain's" pallet in the main cabin. Needless to say, there was not a lot of walking space once everyone hunkered down for the night, but we all fit.

It felt like a small ship this time. While we did not have to resort to folks sleeping in the floating museum house, we we're pretty full in board. I think the number of folks who slept inboard Saturday night was close to 40 (maybe just under). The main deck was very full, the quarter deck was full, and we even had folks on the forecastle and aftcastle.

As another endorsement, my wife has Two pairs of the American Duchess regency era shoes and loves them. One pair has not been worn yet, but the other pair has been out to two events and seem good.

Well, it was a record weekend... On every account. Our previous record for participants was around 34. We had 51 different participants (pirates, sailors, civilians, and some British Navy) over the course of the weekend this time (admittedly not all at the same time a some had to leave Saturday before some who could only make it for Sunday showed up... but it is still 51 people). We also had four small boats in the river for the first time in the events history. We had three as pirate vessels, and one as a British vessel helping defend the Santa Maria (which was nominally a British vessel for the weekend). It was also the first time we had different musical acts each day. The "Hard Tackers" who have become a semi-regular part of Santa Maria events performed throughout the day Sunday, but Saturday we had special guests "Off Keel" show up and perform for the crowds throughout the day, and stay on through the night to sing for and with the participants well into the night. Then there were the spectators... We almost doubled the previous record in dollars for ticket sales for the ship for the weekend. And for the first time since we have started the event, Sunday had a bigger turnout than Saturday. So while this event has almost consistently grown, it seems this ninth (that's 9th) edition of this event was a real benchmark for an incredible growth spurt. I have no doubt in my mind that the event will continue to grow, but I am guessing it will return to a more laid back rate of growth. There are almost a dozen and a half or more folks missing from the below photo (courtesy of DB Cooper, who is missing from the photo because he took it), but here is a photo of most of the folks that came out for a part of the weekend. It took everybody that came out, specially those who traveled from near and far to make this event the amazing success that it has become. Those who have attended in the past, and even those who have not made it out, but have wished the event well and helped support it in other ways. Linda (thee director of the ship) and the organizers of the event (Mark and Jennie G, as well as Trish and Shannon, and Kate_Souris and myself) want to thank everyone for helping make this one of the biggest and best pirate events out there!

Another point to bring up, is that both of those links are to private web site and have no citations. It's the equivalent of saying something existed because so-and-so said it on their blog. Had either of the authors of the web sites included some bibliographical reference, or anything more solid to base that assertion on, cool... but right now it reads like we say so because we heard it somewhere, so it must be true. Positive proof backed by solid references is one of the accepted norms for historical interpretation.

A newspaper article from the local newspaper.... not sure what page it is on in the print version, but there are some familiar names quoted in there. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/05/17/shiver-me-timbers-buccaneers-to-storm-santa-maria.html Craziest part is the article cites an expected turnout of about 48 pirates... and that is the "conservative" estimate based on the list... it could be over 50 this time.

Happy Birthday Mr. Henry, we'll tip one, or a few (or many) back together this weekend i celebration!

Eye, with the exception of the stripey stockings (and maybe style of hat).... that is likely one of the best early/mid 17th century outfits I have seen. Well done, great choice of colour.

So the festival organizer and I had a good long talk this evening. He came to the table with a good idea of some of the things that didn't work so well last year, and suggestions and ideas on how we could work together to make things better for this year. All that aside, he had nothing but great things to say about us all, and he repeatedly stated how great of a job he thinks we do, and how much he appreciates us being a part of this festival. He is also hoping we can gather around 30 pirate re-enactors for the encampment this year (or more if possible, but we need to know in advance if it is going to be significantly more so he can make adjustments on his end for accommodating us). (FYI, last year we had about 23 or 24, with about a dozen pirate re-enactors the previous year) Ferry Just like the last two years, our ferry passes to the island will be covered. Everyone will get a "people" pass for the ferry, as a group we will get 4 to 6 vehicle passes (pending on our numbers, about one vehicle per 5 or 6 people). So again we will have to work together and coordinate travel times to minimize the number of vehicles going to the island (unless anyone wants to put themselves out the expense of paying their own way for their vehicle on the ferry). <For those who have not been, having a vehicle on the island i more of a liability than a convenience> Showers Again, we will be given a boat load of shower tokens for the bathroom facility in the park where we demonstrate (which is only a couple of blocks from the camp we sleep in for anyone not in the know out there). Camping We will be in the same field we have been in for the last two years. It is only a two or three block walk to the display/demo encampment. It is close enough to the main strip of all the party bars that it is easy to walk home after a long night, but just far enough away from the strip that the night noise tends not to disturb us. Golf Cart We have been promised one. The organizer said he would try to get us two for this year (no guarantees). The prime purpose of the golf cart is to jockey our display items back and forth from the display encampment to the sleeping encampment. No joy riding. There were a few instances last year where the golf cart was being used for "personal use" when it would have been very convenient to have at one of the encampments. Nothing we couldn't work around, but something we will be working harder to avoid this year. Portable bathrooms This has been an issue for the last two years. Ty swears to me he has it worked out for this year. I believe we will have one or two portable toilets in camp this year. Plus other bathrooms available for use to use during the day. Vending We struck a deal that Trish and Shannon's vending booth will be comped and closer to the display encampment this year. A part of that deal (that I discussed with Trish/Shannon in advance) was that should any of the other re-enactors have any wares we would like to sell, we can put them in their booth. If you plan to do this, please have a short write up about your item(s) so Trish and Shannon (or whoever is minding the booth) can effectively tell potential buyers about your wares. Food Friday evening - It was proposed for the festival organizer to host a pizza dinner at either his restaurant or the restaurant next to his (or in conjunction). Despite both restaurants having fuller menus, this offering is meant to keep the cost reasonable, and the organizing easy. So it will be pizzas (likely a small assortment such as plain cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, and vegetarian), maybe side salads, and soft drinks (he did mention pitcher of beer, but I am unsure how serious he was about this). Saturday Breakfast - for breakfast he offered to have cold, fast, continental style breakfasts for us. Bagels, cream cheese, fruit, danishes etc. Easy and quick, and only items that require no cooking. Lunch - We will need to come up with our own lunch shopping list, and we will be preparing lunch in camp as a part of our demo. My suggestion is that those willing (or those who can be convinced to help) suggest a few dishes to make. If we can get three or four folks willing to cook a dish or two each, it should cover everyone for lunch. There will likely need to be a whole discussion about this. Supper - We are on our own. The festival organizer is willing to allow us to add to our grocery list to cover supper, but after how poorly things went last year, I for my part will be dining out on town, as many others are considering this as well. So if you choose to opt in for the groceries to make supper, you will be responsible for arranging the menu, getting me the grocery list of food items required (and keeping it reasonable), and most importantly CLEANING up after yourself. The festival organizer has offered to TRY (as in NO GUARANTEES) to try and get a couple to a few restaurants to offer up discount vouchers for some restaurants for us, but this may or may not come to be. Sunday Breakfast will be almost exactly the same as Saturday Lunch will also be the same as Saturday, so a discussion and volunteers for making a few dishes for Sunday will be required as well. No supper plans for Sunday, as most of us will be racing off the island to get home. I will eventually write up a second post regarding demo, display, and battle information. Please speak up with any comments, ideas, or concerns. Most of the discussion surrounding this event has been happening on Facebook, but again, I am good with separate parallel discussion going on and trying to make sure any relevant information makes it to both the Pub and Facebook group. The Facebook group is closed (private) so please contact me to get added to it.

Glad I was able to clear up that differenceI for you... I hadn't realized English wasn't your first language. Your posts always seem very well written! :) You may wish to try amazon.com as they are international, and the book I mentioned is originally by a Swedish (?) author and likely available in many countries, and possibly a few different languages.

Found the parallel topic after posting the above. Thanks for the heads up though... not exactly news I am thrilled with, but better to know in advance rather than finding out the hard way.

Sean is a great guy, loves to chat... But he is more of an in-person kind of guy and while he is online (forums and Facebook and such), he is not online a whole lot (that I have seen) so he may be slow in responding.

So although I am mostly focused on organizing the May Santa Maria event right now.. it is likely a good time to start up discussions around this event. I will be the main cat-herder for this one again this year for the re-enactment encampment, and will be meeting with the festival organizer later this week or middle of next week (pending his schedule) to go over things with him. Anyone have ideas/suggestions/concerns they think I should bring up with the event organizer? (Within reason). Suggestions or ideas welcome even from well wishers that are unable to attend, but the ideas from those coming will obviously get more attention. Over the past few years they have covered our ferry fare to and from the island, camping area, and fed us (although the food arrangements have varied and may change again). This is a pretty typical re-enactment display during daylight hours event... but can get wild and very party-ish at night. It can be a kid-friendly event, but is really more suited for those leaving the kids with a sitter or grandparent for the weekend. We had about a dozen for year one, almost double that number of pirates for year two, and while we likely can't double last years numbers, there is a request to increase our numbers again (maybe aim for 30ish +/-). Let me know if you're interested. One last thing, for the last two years running, a reenactor from our encampment has won a trip to the Cayman Islands... I'm hoping this trend continues (and that this year is me ) EDIT - title edited to add date for clarity and ease of reference. and one last thing, While not a strict historical event (it is a party island after all), we have endeavored to keep the re-enactment encampment and display to a reasonable level (although we are flexible). There is plenty of room at this event for more pop culture and party pirates, but the encampment is geared for the more serious (or at least semi-serious) re-enactor.

Elena, I think you might be doing yourself and your writing a disservice by dismissing rifles and muskets as the same thing. Rifles have grooves inside the barrel to put a spin on the shot to give better range and accuracy. 300 meters sounds like rifle range, not musket range. Muskets had barrels with smooth insides, and hence much shorter range. Rifles did not become common until after about the 1740s (they were exceptionally rare prior to that but existed going back to the 1660s (?)). Torsten Link's book "Flintlock" which can be found at many publishers clearance stores (think Half Price Books if you have one locally) and second hand book stores has some good information about the development of the rifle, and lots of good information about 17th and early 18th century muskets. You can usually find the book for under $10 in trade paperback.

Tar Bucket Bill, I would... A ) get sone face to face training B ) read a few books ("Gunsmith of Greenville County" is good) C ) or get someone else to do until you have acheived A ) or B ) ( or preferably both) I've read at leastfour three or four good books and had a little bit of coaching and I only perform the most basic of tasks when i have to.

No need to apologize! I appreciate the clarification, and the share of information though. I just wanted to ensure that my current opinions were still on the mark, and that I was still correct on where my lines of reasonable extrapolation and items based on fact. I have flip-flopped on my opinion of the colour for the waistcoat at least a couple of times a year since I started with that impression (and will likely continue to waffle on that opinion),

Hey Foxe, about your statement on blue waistcoats for independent companies, I went with that for my interpretation, but never found anything primary supporting that (the waistcoat could just as likely have been red by my research). Have you found anything that supports the blue more than the red? Or did you just choose to favour that choice as I did?

Well, we're down to the five week mark... The attendee list is larger than it has ever been at around 45+ folks... However in true realistic style, I suspect a bit of attrition as always... But It still should be a record breaking attendance with our usual average attrition... Or at least tie (or come extremely close to) our record attendance of about mid-thirties in numbers. We even have the seemingly obligatory attendees from Florida coming again this time (with another one or two from the sunshine state trying as well). Just a quick note, donations have either not come to fruition or just not been forthcoming, so I am seriously considering cancelling the auction for this time and returning items so far donated (or keep them for next time at the donators whim). Unless I receive a sudden and dramatic influx of donations RECEIVED (I stress received and not pledged) by the end of next week, I will be pushing to forgo the auction as the expected effort to rewards for the current items will likely make it not worth it. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks.