Spike

Fayma, Thanks for the kind words. You have all of our support. I hope that the meeting this evening went well and we are all looking forward to having a FTPF in 2010. And a big thank you to all who posted on this thread. As Mission said, the Bone Island Buccaneers will have more time to spend with our family at the next FTPF. The whole crewe is looking forward to a chance to have a lot of fun. We certainly had a great amount of fun in years past, but this year we will have more time to spend with everyone and that is as exciting as managing the event. I spoke with Dan DeDeo yesterday and I am sure that Mama made a great case for the FoFT to continue the event. We will continue to support the event and have offered the FoFT to manage the event in a way that does not create the "conflict of interest" for the Friends. Again, a big thanks to everyone who has been involved and attended the event. We raise our glass to all of you and hope to see you on the circuit. Fair Winds and Full Holds, Captain Spike

Great advice dear Silkie. While it is sad that the contract has been cancelled this event will surely go on. Everyone deserves a round for the hard work that they put into this event. I think the FoFT will see the value and continue to hold the FTPF.

If anyone can make it happen it will be Fayma.

......pfffffftfttttt....crap i just blew my drink thru my nose..... Now THAT is what I call a role model. I have seen Not Mad Dog do that, but I think it was at the Pint Guzzling event. )

Aye Captain, chin up. I cannot say for sure what the status of the FTPF event is, only the status of the event contract. I will hope for the best. My intention here is to only communicate what the CEO of the Friends has stated to us and that we are not contracted for 2010. I know that many attendees must plan far in advance and as event organizer also know that plans require time and information. Therefore, when I received notice, I wanted to notify all involved of the change. Captain Sterling, you have my greatest respect and admiration. And the BIB wish to thank the Arch Angel crewe for their participation. The event would never be the same without your crewe and everything they have done for the FTPF. With Mad Dog's leadership and insight we had our best Pirate battle ever in 2009. Lily's help at camp was invaluable and the whole crewe went above and beyond the call of duty. The Bone Island Buccaneers have always looked to the Arch Angel crewe as role models and peers and we enjoy every minute we spend with your crewe at all the events we have attended together. Thanks for your continued support, friendship and optimism.

I Love the optimism. Thanks Morgan, I Love ya and we always remember the FTPF memories you captured for us. Keep them swords crossed and yer powder dry.

Hurricane, I want to personally thank you also for the hard work and support you have given the FTPF. I hope that the event will continue. Yes, the winds have changed in Key West, that is for sure. I would have liked to be able to be involved in the decision process, as we have in years past, but that was not the case. Thanks again and we really missed you in 2009. Fair Winds and we shall meet again for gtog!

Cheers to your optimism William and we hope that the event does take place in 2010. I wish I had some more information. It certainly is "bad" enough for the Bone Island Buccaneers but we are proud of our past involvement in the event. Thanks for your long term support and we shall share a tankard in 2010. Muah!

Thanks for the clarification. I believe that those who have attended previously know that FTPF is only a part of the overall PIP Festival. Too bad we didn't get a chance to see you at the 2009 PIP/FTPF event Hurricane. See you at PIP in 2010.

Thank you Jesse. We are all saddened by this decision. And yes, there was no information given. This is the first time in the history of the event we were not invited to the FOFT meeting regarding the Fort Taylor Pirate Fest, so I am completely out of the loop on the decisions. With the changes in the park management, as well as the new board members of the Friends of Fort Taylor, things are operating very differently and we were not given the courtesy of attending the meeting. I want to thank you for the support and memories you have given to the FTPF. Perhaps they have an alternative, but I am not aware of it. I am saddened about this decision after all the years of hard work we have put in to this event.

And I will look forward to a BIG HUG when next we meet on Bone Island.

Well Met Mickey, we appreciate all of the thanks and support we have received from our friends and family over the course of the event's history.

Aye indeed Sir. Quite a surprise and very confusing. Thanks for your support and everything you have done for FTPF over the years.

Thank you so much Red Cat. A toast back at ye. And I will hope along with you too.

That seems to be the sentiment we all share.

Greetings Dearest Pyrat Friends and Family, It is with a heavy heart that I write this post as I have grown to care so much about those in our Pyrat family and have put so much blood, sweat, Love and tears into the Fort Taylor Pirate Festival. The Friends of Fort Taylor have unanimously voted to cancel the contract between the Bone Island Buccaneers and the FOFT for the Fort Taylor Pirate Fest. We will no longer be managing and working the Festival. I do not have a reason for the cancellation as I only found out by a two sentence letter that was sent to our office. Today I spoke with the CEO of the Friends of Fort Taylor, Dan DeDeo, and he informed that the FTPF may not be held in 2010. He stated, "it (FTPF) is up in the air whether we will have the event in 2010." He also stated there are no RFP's for a contract, nor a FOFT plan to host the event. As i get additional information I will pass it on via this thread. I would like to thank all of those that have supported the FTPF during the last four years of our involvement. We have won a Fl State award for the event and had many many great times and smiles. The FTPF gained international exposure, national TV exposure through various different shows. And our best accomplishment, made the Pyrat wishes come true for two terminal young adults through the Make a Wish Foundation. But the best memories for the Bone Island Buccaneers and myself are those that were created with the great reenactors across the country that make up this great Pyrat family. We all thank you very much. If there is a FTPF 2010 then you can be sure you will see the Bone Island Buccaneers there. Fair Winds and Full Holds to all of ye, and we shall tip a tankard together when next we meet! Sincerely, Captain Spike Bone Island Buccaneers.

I have finally been able to sit down and get my thoughts together. This PIP/FTPF was certainly different for all of us. Harry Smid's memory lives on, but his presence was sorely missed. There were many things that caused this difference, a recessed economy, new Park Management, a larger encampment and many other factors. All in all, I believe we had another successful Event. There were no major problems that I saw and overall it was safe and sound. Of course, we had some issues we face each year, including scheduling problems and changes. However, I believe we have done a service to all and a good job presenting the Event. I am proud of the work the Bone Island Buccaneers have done on behalf of the Event. We have worked hard on the FTPF for four years and are quite proud of the Florida State Park award that was won in 2007. I do appreciate all of the hard work, dedication, and time spent throughout the year by the BIB crewe. It is a lot of preparation, hard work, long hours and you have my personal thanks for your efforts. My hat's off to Nigel, Bawdy Be, Robin, Portside, Greg, Dave 1 and Dave 2 for their tireless work to keep this Event rolling along. Special thanks to Bawdy Be for the help keeping folks entertained with her haunting songs. But the true thanks go to all of you. The re-enactors that attend, our long time supporters, family and the volunteers that worked hard on performing the logistical requirements we faced this year. I wish I could have spent more time with each and every one of you. It was difficult for me this year to get away for any free time to enjoy our friendships, stories and camaraderie. However, it was very fulfilling to see each of you no matter how brief the time. I look forward to seeing you again at other events on the circuit. So please accept my personal gratitude in this forum. Special thanks to Haunting Lily for running the encampment and registration, fielding the issues that came up, and kept the volunteers up to date. You are an amazing woman, a great friend to us all, and dedicated to doing the hard work. Also thanks to Fayma for helping things along with the FOFT tasks and the dreaded "list". Your constant work to make the Events at the Fort better is appreciated by us all. A big Huzzah to Barnacle Beau, an ex-crewmate, whose velvet voice was heard around the event, singing shanties and bringing smiles to No Rum Charlies face. And a very large thank you, to a very large personality, M A d'Dogge. A toast and a huzzah to you sir, for your excellent battle scenario and sword fighting. And for your help with the black powder safety and operations, I take my hat off to you. And you kept our second "Make a Wish" recipient enthralled with your collection of fine arms and new cannon. I cannot thank you enough Not Nigel. Sorry my pet scorpions got loose this year. Thanks also to Diosa, Blue Eyed Scotty and Maria for your support and work in the encampment and beyond. Especially for that delicious swirl cut ham, the way to this pirates heart! And a personal thanks to Braze and Cascabel for their help and performance at the Event and the Tryal. Thanks also to Synky, well, just for being himself! A big huzzah again to Crudbeard and Bloodthirsty Barb for another excellent camp set-up and the expertise on the cannons. A worthy servant of both Crown and Pyrat, thank you both. A hearty thanks to Hugh Callenish for the hot showers, they appeared to be well used at camp. And to each of you that volunteered for duty, I cannot thank you enough. For you did the work, the sweat and the tasks that the Event needed to please our new Park management. You did an excellent job and fulfilled your duties with diligence. My humble gratitude to you all and my biggest thanks. And a thank you to all the crewe and Captains of this Event. Captain Sterling and the Arch Angel crewe gave us our finest battle yet, the Mercury Crewe as well. Thanks to you both. And what a treat to have Pern, Dutch and Gracie from the Blackbeard crewe all together at the FTPF, thanks to you all for making the long trip down to Bone Island to be with us. Thanks also to those that set-up the Buccaneers camp, Patrick and Searle's Buccaneers and Manny. Also to Shay of the Keys and Commodore Swab, we thank you for your performance and participation. Thanks also to the crewe of the Pieces of Eight, Crewe of Two, Commodore Yellowbeard, Blackwolf and Luna, the "Fox" crewe of Beggar Ben, the Devil's Dozen nominees and all the independents who performed and entertained at this years Event. Our gratitude to all. And to our vendors, who brave a long trip to set-up our Thieves Bazaar, I thank you all and appreciate your long trip to Cayo Hueso. And to our media army of Paparazzi, our gracious thanks to Papa Ratzi, Mama Ratzi, Morgan and Johnny for capturing the memories of 2009. We look forward to seeing all those moments again to relive the event. A special thanks to Klaus at Pirate's Magazine, Mike and Jamaica Rose from No Quarter Given for setting up a booth and covering the Fort Taylor Pirate Festival in their excellent publications. Also thanks to Don Maitz, Sarah and First Mate Matt for their attendance and Matt's demonstrations at our Forge. A big huzzah to the All Woman Cannon Crewe, great poses on those new cannon you fired. And to anyone I may not have mentioned, I appreciate everything you have done for our Event. We have our annual wrap-up meeting with the FOFT and the Park Management tomorrow. This should begin an ongoing dialog on how we can improve the Event in the future and examine some of the shortfalls of this year. I would also welcome any suggestions from our Friends and Family on their experience, advice, comments, complaints or support. Please feel free to email at spikekeywest@yahoo.com as I would like this dialog to take place in private. I will also be posting here throughout the year to discuss some of the suggestions and comments so that we can all review possible changes for the future. There are great ideas out there and we surely want to hear from everyone about improving the Event. That has been our goal and will continue to be our focus in the future. Fair Winds and Followin Seas, Captain Bloody Spike Pierce Bone Island Buccaneers

As for the soap issue. We went back and forth with the Park on the green "seal" products they provided. They were all commercial and the manufacturer, Kimberly Clark, does not ship directly, but goes through their own vendor list. After a many conversations with the Fort and an EXCELLENT suggestion from this Pub we have an alternative. The Park approved products are Bronner USDA approved products organic PLEASE SEE HERE: http://www.drbronner.com/ Some of you are very familiar with the product. We have ordered some Bronner body wash, as well as shampoo from this approved supplier, so will have some on hand if folks are unable to find the product. However, the site has a great list, you can order it online, and it can be found in retail outlets. I am currently looking for a local source to provide the same product, if one is available here in the Keys, and will post it here. Thanks, Spike

Okay Silkie, I think that sounds like a grand idea NOT Nigel and NOT M.A.d'Dogge on the SAME plank !!! Ahh, what a sight.

no doubt someone will....but it still won't be you... Well, I didn't HAVE to beat you to take home the trophy

Congrats Hurricane. Didn't know this was the last year in Cayo Hueso for the time being. Glad to know it is a success for all the hard work that Pyrates of the Coast do on the WPC is appreciated. Good luck and wow them at the many other festivals that have not been as fortunate as PIP to have you for so long. It has certainly entertained us for years, made for many laughs, great photo ops, press and a helluva good time. I can only hope to see again on that East Coast circuit to make more merriment. My hats off to the Pyrates of the Coast. Spike PS: And aren't you taking her on the "high seas", not the road? Sonds like it would hurt to walk the plank over I-95. PSS: I hope SOMEONE beats NOT Nigel in this last leg of the PIP Walk the Plank Championship in Cayo Hueso.

Lily. Thank you for all your hard work on getting these lists together for Fayma and I. I have not gotten anything from those above and will check with Fayma later today. I will be sending the FT Park Manager the final list on Wed afternoon. Again, your hard work is much appreciated. So okay you folks, let's get those registrations into to Fayma ASAP.

Hmmm what is this world coming to? Pirates extending well wishes to a pyrate hunter...ye all hate me, but where would ye be without me? Thanks to all, yer kind wishes are very much appreciated.... Aye, indeed what is the world comin to.......Well we want ye to be in excellent health for another good hanging Cappy! Oi and hate is such a strong word and such bad tonic. Not Nigel has said it best. But I would be lost without such a fine nemesis as you looking to stretch me own neck. Aye, get well and be well. For even a Pyrat hunter is looked upon fondly by the sort that places their heads in this here Pub.

I thank you greatly sir. We look forward to seeing you there.

Hey, I hope we get to raid you again at PIP this year. How are things up North? The Bonies give ye a hearty huzzah from all of us at the Southernmost City of Cayo Hueso.