Hawkyns

On 60 Minutes tonight, 8pm CBS Hawkyns Yes I am a pirate 200 years too late The cannon don't thunder There's nothing to plunder I'm an over 40 victim of fate

Ah... mi sympathies, mate. Niver worry thasen, though. Beginning o' next year, the's t'be a re-enctment o' t' burning o'Wicklow . Somewhere in Virginia or so 'tis said. Lot's o' victims on both sides, eh? Hawkyns

If I have to fly with a tricorne, I pack it in a separate box (made mine from a file box), fill the crown with soft clothing, and take it as carryon. Cuts down on what I can take carryon otherwise, but I've made it around the country without it getting crushed, not even breaking the clay pipe in the cords. Hawkyns

That's a great site, thanks. I think we tend to get a bit caught up in the sea battle/caribbean piracy/movie hype of our obsession. I'd like to know more about the smuggling side of the trade. It's kind of ignored in this country, but more common in English History. Smuggling between the continent and England was easy for anyone with a small sailboat. These guys look really good. Must contact them for more of their sources. Hawkyns

Nay, Lad. Rapiers are f't' Frogs and Dons. A true Englishman'll 'ave nowt t'do wi them damned birdspits. Get thisen a good stiff tuck or mayhap a heavy hanger. Listen not ta Saviolo an' his ilk. T'man knows nowt about the true fight. Read Master Silver's good book and prepare t' fight as an Englisman should. (Yeah, I've heard all about 'gentlemen carry rapiers'. It's not true, a swordsman carries what works best. If all you want to be is a nobleman, then carry the rapier. If you want to be known for your bladework, carry the piece that serves you best. I never bought into the Society nobility schtick. I'm fairly often catching flack ffrom the other Laurels because I don't dress like a peer. And I agree that my cannon and wheelocks are my first choice ) Hawkyns

Merry, dear, start here http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=18...9000519800720a4 It has links to all the relevant security info. Daggers must absolutely be packed in checked baggage. Never dealt with the bodice question, but if those bones look like flat pieces of steel that could be knife blades, put them in checked bags. Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Don't wear a lot of layers of clothing. Avoid wearing clothes with metal like jeans. Don't pack knitting or take sewing scissors to occupy your time. I fly with garb and weapons all the time. I'm flying to Austin this Friday with half a dozen swords, all packed in a locked, hard golf club case. Anything that may look odd or dangerous on the x-ray will go in that case, too. I carry nothing but clothes and toiletries in the carry on, and minimize my kit. One book, maybe a magazine and a CD player or MP3 player. That's it. The less they see on the x-ray and the less metal I'm wearing, the smoother the trip. Hawkyns

Found this on another list I'm on Greetings! Although this is a sales solicitation, I felt it would be acceptable since it's not every day that a Longship goes up for sale! (Even one that isn't currently seaworthy.) The Longship Company is selling our 32 foot viking ship, the FYRDRACA. We have had 25 years of sailing pleasure with this ship and are now purchasing another one. Please forward this on to anyone who might be interested, including Kingdom e-mail lists, Scandinavian/Celtic Fraternal organizations, and Scandinavian/Celtic Festival sites. (After all, Vikings belong at Scottish Festivals, too!) The Longship Company has pasted the latest and best information (and lots of pictures) on the sale of the FYRDRACA at: http://longshipco.org/usedship.html Thank you. - Terry Neill/Anarra Karlsdottir www.longshipco.org Anybody?? Hawkyns

Ahh that kind of jack. Wasna sure if tha meant a drinkin' jack or an armoured leather doublet. I do like my drinkin' jacks, too. Have a couple from Buzzard's Nest. Hawkyns

By English imperial measure, a hogshead is 2 barrels or 63 imperial gallons. A pipe of wine is 2 hogsheads or 126 imperial gallons. A pipe of ale is smaller, 108 imperial gallons. Hawkyns

Only if you have wrists like a blacksmith on steroids or an East German weightlifter. The recoil from a blunderbuss is not something you hold in one hand, especially your off hand. Hawkyns

Well....no. shiny is not correct. clean and sharp, yes, but not shiny. With the facilities and materials available aboard ship, the best you will get is a dull satin finish. Polishing was done with a cloth soaked in oil and brick dust or fine sand. The multiple polishings and the time involved would not be practical while at sea, never mind the problem of just keeping the rust down in a saltwater environment. it's one of my big hot buttons, all the chrome and mirror finished blades that come from the repro companies, especially Museum Reps. I've played with a cutlass like yours, Misery. Nice blade, fair balance, and more authentic looking than most. Ya got a good piece, mate! Hawkyns

Not really. The Highland Broadsword is a cut and thrust sword designed for warfare. It has roots in the Irish hilt of the 16th century. It works very well for the cut, and will thrust but it is not, by most people's definition, a 'fencing sword'. It is heavy and requires a lot of arm strength to wield. Fencing movements that come from the wrist and fingers will not work with a sword that can weigh upwards of 3 pounds. Watch the movie 'Rob Roy' for the best fight ever filmed between a highland broadsword against a court rapier. Hawkyns

Working kit will get damaged. So what? Damage is period, so are repairs. This past weekend, someone made a comment that my shirt had a patch. I guess I was a little stunned. It ripped, it got patched. My tricorn has been soaked and dried more times than I can count. It has burn holes from musket firing, and a permanent stain from where my pipe sits through the cords. It looks like what it is, a working hat. I don't quite understand the idea that when kit gets torn or stained, it needs replacing. We're pirates, dammit. We shouldn't look like fashion plates. I saw a lot of 'pirates' at the MDRF that had obviously never hauled a line, weathered a storm, or been in a fight. Duchess, you are correct. Be prepared for clothing to take damage, kit to get lost, and things to break. If it's so special, put it on a shelf and get something you won't care about. Being so careful of kit that it doesn't look worn or used just doesn't make sense. Hawkyns

Nobody, eh? Ah well, t'were only a hope. Hawkyns

Well, its a well known fact that all of Cromwell's army and navy were composed of rebellious freaks who had but recently escaped from Bedlam and were but a short step away from hanging. Interesting though, how they can determine so much. I'd guess he'd been doing for quite a few years, considering how well developed they said the upper body was. I hope they publish on this, and not just in the trade journals. I'd love to see the full results on the dig when it is complete. Hawkyns (Captain Roderic Hawkyns, Sir Thomas Blackwell's Reg't, 3 Co, Prince of Wales Brigade, The King's Army.) Unrepentant Royalist

Well, I've got to side wi' the 'adults' on this one. I have the greatest respect for those who have hauled the lines, breathed the powder smoke and swung the steel. Those are the people actively keeping the tradition, history, and mystique alive. My respect also goes to those who read the old books, retell the legends, research the histories and educate people about the glory and the truth of pyracy. They, too, keep the traditions alive. Both groups are well represented on these boards and it is a pleasure to hear from them all and to discuss our shared obsession. But we seem to have a new group, those who see this board as nothing but an extension of some online game, a world that does not exist outside the confines of the electronic medium. Mostly, that goup is the younger set, those who live their lives on these screens. I would support some kind of standards, or limit, or something, to deal with this group. Silver, I don't care if you're 9 or 19 or 90. If you can have an intelligent discussion of pyracy, then you have a right to be here. If dumb one liners and juvenile comments is the limit of the participation, then begone. It's a tough call. Many of the people here participate in both historic discussion and in our own private little fantasy worlds like the tub and the lagoon. Those who contribute meaningfully to those groups and follow the thread and the premise are fine. It's determining those who are a problem that becomes difficult. Most of know exactly what we're talking about, it's defining it that's hard. Hawkyns

We're not all cyber pirates around here. Many of us prefer honest steel, good powder, and real wood and canvas. Not everyone here has the chance, but many do and most would prefer it. Living the pirate fantasy just in front of a screen is not enough, and we live the real life whenever we can; sun, rain, dirt, pain and all. There are a lot of people on this board who have enough computer literacy to talk to each other here and that's enough. Don't talk down to those who are not as computer literate as yourself. Given the choice, I'll take my knowldege of wind, wave, and steel over keyboard knowledge any day. Hawkyns

Depends on the fight, the opponent, and the ground. I fight with both and they both have their place. Now, I'm not fond of a true rapier, because it's too light, and is mostly point with little edge. A cut and thrust early rapier (1580's) is a good useable blade, either for the edge or the point, as in Silver's manuals. The later rapiers and the court swords are of little use in a real fight, but were used extensively for duelling. For a duel, or for open ground, I'll take the cut and thrust. Gives me a bit more distance, and has the weight for a decent parry and ripost cut. Also, if my opponent is good, and has a longer weapon, I want to be able to match him in distance a little better. I use the short Del Tin blade for this (32" blade). For deck fighting I have a short hanger from Armour Class that is heavier than most blades but is designed and forged for re-enctment combat. I've used an axe as the offhand weapon, but it's not my favourite. Good for hacking and hooking your opponent, but not much use when you move into corps-a-corps fighting. A good stout dagger with hooked quillions is just as good for parrying, and lets you kill with the short, quick thrust when you move inside point range. A true boarding axe is just a bit too long and heavy for that fast inside movement. All that said, my normal carry piece is a short shell guard hanger, single knuckle bow, with a 27 inch blade. I figure that I can use a short blade wherever I am, but I can't use a rapier in tight quarters like below decks or in a crowd. It's also a sharp, original blade, that will still fulfill it's original purpose. I won't carry a weapon that is not real. Those I keep in my weapons case for fighting demonstrations. Hawkyns

Any more of the SCA pirates here going to KWAR in Austin, TX? I'm looking at the schedule and there is some great combat info, particularly from the late Elizabethan English point of view. Looking forward to learning some new techniques for sidesword, too. Hawkyns

First thing ye need to do is figure out what kind of crew you're going to be. Singing group, street theatre, party crew, or living history re-enactment are the major types, but there are others and there is some crossover. Which one you pick will determine the type of people you attract. No point in getting a bunch of hard core re-enactors if you want to do street theatre, or a bunch of growlers and croakers for a singing crew. Hawkyns

When working on the deck, I just wear the silk bandana or, if it's cold, a thrum cap or a monmouth cap over it. Tricorns are for walking around town, not working the deck. They fall off when you bend over, they catch the lines when you're hauling aloft, and they do blow off. Hawkyns

Friday night is really better for me, too. Thursday is weapons practice. No problem for me with the battle the next morning. Get's me in the piratical mood, so to speak. And hey, if'n we can make it so Merry's there, so much the better. Hawkyns

hey Guys!! Any chance we can kick this to the next weekend- 22nd? I'll be in MD on the 15th at the Grand Muster. Are we locked into this date? Francois I'd Like to hoist one t' tha but not on the 15th. What say? Hawkyns

I'm not going to PIP myself this year. Gwen and I are going to Fantasy Fest, instead. (PIP was just a bit too tame and family oriented). I'm on another board that is giving daily updates on KW status and everything is a go. They've been lucky with the storms so far. Hawkyns

Watching it now while I sew a new deerskin doublet for Gwen to wear at MDRF. Hawkyns