Hawkyns

Got a number of repro maps, mostly caribbean 16th and 17th C. Picked up a copy of Blaue's atlas a couple of years ago. Also found a copy of Basil Ringrose's South Sea Waggoner. Love looking at these. The artwork in the margins is tremendous and the detail is fantastic. Hawkyns

I'll raise a few flagons in agreement wi that! As fine a time as I've had in a long time. Good friends, good food, good drink and a damn fine time. Great to meet you all, and not to be the last! Cap'n Flint and Katey- me best thanks for your hospitality. I'll return the favour if'n ye sail north to the New England shores. Until next we rendezvous.... Hawkyns

Arr, it's weapons for me. 2 matchlocks, 3 blunderbusses, wheelock dragon, wheelock pistol, tower pistol, Tulle D, 3 cutlasses, lostsa knives and some blunt swords for combat. All working weapons. Oh, and books, yeah- lots and lots of books...... Hawkyns

Well, it's not exactly fabric, but the next clothing on the list is a black deerskin doublet. Made the breeches a couple of years ago and need the doublet to complete the suit. Using heavyweight muledeerskin, lined with linen, all hand stitched. Then I'm looking at an oilskin Billy Bones coat, but I may contract that out. Hawkyns

Rob Roy- the final duel. Has to be the greatest fight scene ever filmed. Hobbs is a bloody genius staging and choreographing these things. A couple of years ago, A friend and did some serious work rapier against broadsword. He trained with Martinez and I've been fighting for a long time studying George Silver's technique. Really brought home the difficulty of a duel with such mismatched weapons and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Hawkyns

arrgghh hrrrmmph well! never seen a rule like that before, an' I've travelled a fair piece to faires, gatherings and re-enactments. Guess I'll be walkin' funny, without that comforting weight on my left hip. Ah well, back to dealin' with the fallout from Izzy. See ya Saturday...... Hawkyns An Armed Society is a Polite Society

Lookin' forward to it, Cap'n!! Say, is this show a cutlass and blades only place or are belt pistols permitted? Hopin' Izzy takes it easy on yah Hawkyns

OK, as promised, more info on the British Military pistols of the 18th C. Land Service Pattern 1730 18 3/4" overall 12" barrel .66cal Pattern 1738 19 1/4" overall 12 1/16" barrel .56cal Pattern 1756 16 3/16" overall 10 1/16" barrel .66cal Known as the light dragoon pistol Pattern 1759 15" overall 9" barrel .66cal Known as the Elliot's light dragoon pistol Pattern 1760 16 1/4" overall 10" barrel .66cal Known as the Royal Forester's light dragoon pistol Sea Service Pattern 1718 18 5/16" overall 12 1/8" barrel .56cal Pattern 1756 18 3/16" overall 11 7/8" barrel .56cal Pattern 1756/57 18 3/16" overall 12" barrel .56cal These are all flintlocks, and all have similar characteristics Steel barrels, heavy wood stocks, heavy brass butt cups, wooden rammers, brass furniture and ramrod pipes. They are relatively flat angled between grip and barrel, about 160 degrees. Repros are available from several sources. As I said, you'll find some old repros of the pattern 1756 land service around, but be careful. Modern repros are being sold by Roylist Arms in Canada and by Middlesex Trading Company. There are probably others, but these are the ones I've seen. They tend, as I said to be in .69cal, or .62cal, those being modern standards closest to the originals. Firing them is fun, but make sure you have strong wrists. A .675 cal ball, plus 80 grains of ff has one hell of a kick. Hope this helps with what you're looking for. Happy Shooting!! Hawkyns

ARRRRRGGHHH..... I can't believe I typed that. The shorter barrels are the LAND service pieces. Too much rum, not enough sleep......... (mumble, mutter, errr...) Hawkyns

The tower pistol is mid 18th century. There are several variants, but the name comes from the fact the originals had "TOWER" inscribed across the heel of the lock plate, indicating that it was from the Tower of London Armouries. The most common calibre is .69, barrel length between 9 and 12 inches. The shorter ones were the sea service, especially the 9 inch barrelled pattern of 1756. Be careful purchasing replicas. In the 70's and 80's, a large number were imported that were unsafe. Breech plugs were not threaded, some only spot welded in 3 or 4 places. Frizzens tend to be soft and many need hardening before they'll throw a spark. So they can run from downright unsafe, through merely useless, up to some fine quality pieces, depending on date and manufacturor. Someone else asked about sea service pistols. I'll post chapter and verse tonight, after work. Hawkyns

Well, things are looking up a bit. Izzy's down to a cat 2. Track puts her landfall in NC then north by a point or two east. Should be north of the faire site by midday Friday or before. Good weather forcast for Saturday. So, if all goes as predicted, and there isn't too much damage, I'm still on for this. Is there any way to find out if the faire decides to shut down in the aftermath? Too many tourists might get scared of a bit of mud and want to stay away....... Hawkyns

Well, I suppose it depends when you're speaking about. 16th century and early 17th, the bollock knife was the working knife. They found a couple of dozen on the Mary Rose. Some double edged, some single, various grip materials. This was the ancester of the Scots dirk. After that, the so called trade knife became common. Single edge, a variey of point styles and slab grips. Advantage is that the grip does not extend outwards of the blade, so the sheath can be made to take most of the hilt, too. Sure helps keep the knife where it belongs. I've got variations of both, depending on what period I'm doing. The trade knife is probably more useful, but the bollock works pretty well too, and has a nice unique look to it. Hawkyns

Treasure Island. the early 90's Turner version with Charlton Heston as Long John and Julian Glover as Dr. Livesy Damn fine movie, great casting and a sound track by the Chieftains. It's only available on VHS, unfortunately. This is one I'd love to get on DVD. Hawkyns

Those are the standard FAA rules. Every airline has the right to go more severely. I suggest you check your airline website, go into baggage rules, check out firearms, then PRINT IT AND TAKE IT WITH YOU!! Counter agents have probably never seen a cutlass or blunderbuss before and won't know what to do. You might get lucky, like I was last time I flew and get TSA agents who spent 10 minutes and held up the line while they admired the weapons. You are just as likely to get the clueless one who hates guns. Do Not Fly With Black Powder. Make sure powder horns have been drained and cartridge boxes are clear. Strip out your boxes and shake them and maybe vacuum them before you fly. Depending on the method used at your local airport, sniffers can pick up the nitrates in BP and register them as explosives. Make sure you have all appropriate documents (hotel res, brochures, ship reservations, etc.) in your carry on and be prepared to answer questions. Don't talk like a pirate. If this sounds a bit paranoid it is. In the current security attitude, there are too many people who are wound a bit tight and will automatically assume the worst. Chances are you won't meet any of them. There are mostly a lot of well trained, sincere people who have just never run into people like us. Play their game and you'll be fine. Steve Barratt Corporate Travel Agent known to you lot as Hawkyns

Now that's a damn fine question. If Izzy takes the track the weather guessers say, it will go nearly straight over the faire site. I've got a hotel in Laurel for Friday and Saturday that doesn't require cancellation until day of arrival. Probably make my decision about Friday afternoon. I've never been to this faire. Are the buildings sturdy enough to take weather? Strikes me this will be a last minute call on whether to sail or not. Hawkyns

Aye, and grand it were. Me gun crew and I left New Haven in the rain and drove to Providence, there to board the Sloop Providence for a rousin' afternoon. On arriving, we found most of the other crews had not made it, with the exception of one chap, Frank, from the Speedwell. Most of me crew are new to the sea, so there was time needed to acclimate to the differences of runnin' cannon on a ship, as well as learning to keep the hell out of the way of the deck crew. Soon learned, though, and my brave lads were soon haulin' lines like old hands. The sun came out strong, so down Naragansett Bay we sailed, and made ready to fire a broadside of 2, two gunners to each 4 pounder and a monkey servin' both pieces. Coming broad on the larboard side was our target, a large country house with a party of F&I rangers and gunners to make our enemy. They fired first, but we soon returned that and secured the guns to cross to the starboard side and do it again. Twice we repeated this, for a total of two broadsides from each side. Wi' volleys of cannon and musket from the shore, and our broadsides, the Sunday sailors must've wondered who the hell had come a'visitin' such a quiet and staid bay. Finished 'em off with a volley or two from the small arms, pistols and blunderbusses. Cap'n said she were too shallow to go right up for close combat, the Providence draws too much water. So we let what was left o' the buggers live to fight again. And so, back to berth with more line haulin' and learnin' for my lads and a bloody good experience all round. So now, I sit with a mug o' rum to write me log. The sooner we do it again, the better, says I. Hawkyns Master Gunner Cannon lend dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.

Detonated due to a couple of factors. Standing in ranks, firing a Swedish volley with matchlocks. There is generally a fair amount of sparks in the air, as well as the occasional loose piece of match. We figured he must have had a clog in the valve that held it open enough for a spark to enter. Combine the two, and..... boom. I've also seen bandoliers chain fire for the same reason. I love my matchlocks (got 2 of them), but never let it be said they are the safest weapon out there. The superposed charge guns were a fairly popular experiment in the late 18th C. Even Nock made a couple. The weirdest one I've seen was a square barrel with nine barrels set into it. There was a series of channels between the barrels to guide the ignition charge from barrel to barrel in sequence. That one held 42 charges as I recall. Knock was also the chap who came up with the 9 barrelled volley gun. Single charge in each barrel (.50 cal), all fired simultaneously with a single flintlock. Made for Marines in the fighting tops. In practice, the recoil was so great that it knocked them out of the tops and down to the deck. Some of you may have seen this particular weapon in the Sharp series about the Peninsular campaigns. It is the weapon that Sergeant Harper carries. Hawkyns

Me lady wife has decided to go on the account with me but is having problems deciding on appropriate kit. She has plenty of wench garb, but wants to do more male styled garb. We've been looking at pirate fantasy stuff like the art of Clyde Caldwell, Don Maitz, or Edward Beard. Looks great to me, but is that going to be too way out even for this crowd? Opinions please, ladies? Hawkyns

Me lady and I are registered at the Atlantic Shores Resort. Yes, it's the other end of Duval Street, but by the chart, it's no more than a mile and a quarter, a reasonable walk by my standards. Does that sound right to those with more experience of the place? And it is on the beach, always a consideration..... Hawkyns

Cleared to sail, I am! I'll be there in time for opening on Saturday. Looking forward to meeting you all! Hawkyns

Please, Royaliste- easy on the N word, ehhhh? Just becuase some of us want to do the historical thing.... Anyway- I've been buying from Godwin for the last 20 years. His stuff is top notch, but not by any means cheap. You get what you pay for and his quality is absolutely the best. Another good weapons dealer is Loyalist Arms out of Canada. www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com Got one of their 16inch brass barreleed blunderbusses and couldn't be happier. Fair Winds Hawkyns

I've also seen refernce to duckfoot pistols being issued to prison guards in the 1800's. Sort of a riot control piece. I've seen a powder horn explode on someone's hip during a battle. Fortunately, he was wearing wool doublet and leather buffcoat, and the powder flask was of wood with a blow out panel. He got a bruise and his leather was pretty well scorched, but no other damage Hawkyns

Capt Weaver >>>>>>>> here is a link to a rather humorous looking man in a thrum cap 1590's ship's captain??? >>>>>>>> Have a care there, Cap'n. The chap's a good friend o' mine and a real decent sort. Does some amazing research and has a huge library. Got me a facsimile of 'The Mariner's Mirror" He's into major authenticity, so doesn't do much with pirates, but for the re-enactment side, he's tops. The thrum cap is from The Practical Goose. One of the 16th-17th C sutlers, not on line yet. Email Leigh Tartaglia at Leigh@dandy.net and she has some in stock or will make them for you. Hawkyns

Ahoy All! Will be going to the festival for the first time with me lady. Are there rules about weapons once we get there? Can we really wander about Key West with swords, daggers, and firearms? Are there any no-go areas? How about other establishments? Can we go in to Margaritaville fully armed? I've seen references to black powder, also. Are there safety regs and an armourer to check you out? For blade combat, do you use blunts or sharps, and is there an overall coordinating body that handles rules so that no-one actually gets spitted? Sorry if this all sounds a bit paranoid, but I've been a re-enactment safety officer for too many years. I like to know what I'm getting into. Fair winds!! Hawkyns

New to the discussion, but I'd say that with a large bore pistol, say over .50, then a single ball would not be your preferred load. Half a dozen swan drops or small shot would be much more reliable at short range. Has any actual loaded piece been recovered with load intact? Hawkyns