Spike

We allowed them on the Pirate line last year. There should be no change there, assuming they pass muster with Park specialist Kip.

I agree with you there Cascabel, it is dangerous to load a primed weapon. We make it our practice to load the barrel and then prime the piece.

Hurricane. We are trying to stay away from bronze horms and powder holders. Apostles should be fine, since they are single shots. Thanks for bringing this up. Spike

....And thank you Jess for pointing out the fact that whether the changes are perceived good or bad, they are not done so out of any evil intention, except for Not Nigel..... Cheers, Spike i almost missed that... Bwahahahaha .........(twisting moustache) .......... Oh and we made a special "Not Nigel" gate pass just for you, it is attached to a rope ladder.

Ahoy Commodore Swab, You sent me an email on MySpace about this and I replied there. And again, thanks for the offer. We would like to get one order, $40.00 of the fuse. You can email me at spikekeywest@yahoo.com.

William, Thank you so much. I cannot wait to have some great fun with the Mercury Crewe. We all work as one on these events, so thank you for everything you have done, past and present. Spike

Hello Lily! Thanks for all your help! We could not do this without our friends and family. You sure have made it easier on all of us. Thanks, Spike

Hey Cutter, Glad to catch up with you here on the Pub. Enjoyed our email dialogue and looking forward to seeing you at PIP. Spike

Hurricane and Everyone on the Thread, Thank you all for the excellent dialogue. This is exactly what we need in the post-Harry ever changing world of PIP. And Hurricane, thank you for the summary on the change that this event has always gone through. I am happy to be a party to all the changes, past and present. The Bone Island Buccaneers are proud of their part and hope that we can together keep changing together. And thank you Jess for pointing out the fact that whether the changes are perceived good or bad, they are not done so out of any evil intention, except for Not Nigel. Some of these changes came about due to the new management, some from the Park staff, after last years events. I want to thank Lily for getting together a GREAT volunteer list and for all of those who have volunteered. I believe by working together that a very positive impression will be made on those new Park management and staff who have never had the experience of PIP. My recent comments may generate more dialogue and if there are any questions please email me or Fayma. I would be glad to help smooth out any rough spots and the veterans of this event have already offered their expertise. I don't believe that the changes are introducing anything new into the event. Other than battle placement and plans, nothing has changed. We have an area within the Fort that we must maintain, and this area is now specific. That is the reason for the footprint requests. But again, this is nothing that should be too difficult for those that attended. And as noted, some crewe are used to performing this task for other events. We hope that none of the changes create any hardship for you. It is difficult enough to make this journey and take the time, expense and work that each of you. I appreciate it very much and it is the highlight of my whole Pyrat year. I may share that sentiment with some. And it is you the family that make it successful, make the work and play so wonderful and always give 120% . I salute each of your for that. So, we want to do the best we can for you and by you. I hope you enjoy this year and this becomes a permanent spot on the calender. Cheers, Spike

Greetings All, I am really getting excited about the upcoming Fort Taylor Pirate Fest, a part of the Pirates in Paradise Festival. This is our fifth year as part of the event and the tenth anniversary of the Pirates in Paradise Festival. It is also the third year that the Bone Island Buccaneers have been the event organizers. I would like to thank each and every one of you for volunteering your time and efforts to make this event a success. We have had some changes this year in personal at the Fort and their management. So, change is always inevitable. I would also like to say that any changes this year are due to specific rules from the State management. From our point of view, it is still a very relaxed event and we don't want to overload anyone with rules. However, we also want to be specific. We have learned from the past that the more information the reenactors have, the better it will be for all. And in the past, we have always been asked to provide more structure, scheduling and organizing. I hope we can strike that delicate balance. It is with a heavy heart that we said so long to Harry Smid, after he announced his retirement. His presence in the past 4 years was an amazing positive force to make this such a great event. And I think that truly, it was his vision that got the Fl State Park award. We just put the nuts and bolts together. Master Hairbone is still around in our hearts and we dedicate this year to him and his hard work in building the FTPF. Once you arrive at the Fort, you will be asked for picture ID, please make sure to bring it. You can then proceed to check-in. You will also get a welcome packet where you will find the Black Powder Safety Rules (they are not guidelines), your parking pass and wooden pog. Please keep this pog on your persona at all times to use for special discounts and access in and out of the Fort and event. We hope we have made for another enjoyable year. I would like to also give a big thank you to Fayma Callahan for all her organizational help with this events as well as Papa Ratzi and Callahan Digital Arts for another artistic year with posters, postcards and ads. And a big huzzah to Fort Zachary Taylor and the Friends of FT. Thanks to Hugh Callenish for the hot showers. Also thanks to our BIB Quartermaster, Nigel for his hard work every year and this one is no exception. And a big thank you to the Bone Island Buccaneers crewe, Julie McEnroe and Captain Finbar, Captain Sterling. And my biggest thank you of all is to YOU, the great crews and vendors that make up our Pyrat Family. I raise my glass to you all. Fair Winds and Followin Seas, Captain Spike Bone Island Buccaneers PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: TIPS Hammocks – Hammocks are allowed within the encampments. They must be taken down each morning before the Park opens and then can be put up again after Park close. Fires – There are only a few common fire pits that will be allowed. All camps are allowed to use braziers to cook/warm at any time, but they must be attended. Modern camps are allowed gas stoves or braziers and NO open fire pits. Trash – We will provide plastic bags. Please place all trash into those bags. We will also recycle, all recycle bags are white. We have two scheduled trash pick-ups per day. Please leave trash on back end of tent'encampment during those times and keep them covered during event hours. CAMP: Fayma Callahan and Nigel (BIB) will be managing all camp set-up and administration. Please check in with them when you arrive at set-up day. Captains are in charge of the their camps and volunteer lists. Modern camping will be provided in the same area as last year for RV's, campers and modern tents. Footprint – You will be assigned a campsite area at arrival. We have created these areas in relation to the footprints each of you has provided. Ice – Daily ice delivery for camping. Gatorade and water will be available in common coolers at the event. Thank YOU Fayma! No camp visitors during Guided History Tours. Showers – There will be outdoor hot showers. Only Dr Brohners Soap products allowed. We will provide it for you, if you do not bring your own. VENDORS: Captain Spike and Park Staff are managing all vendor set-up and administration. Power is a bit limited as the Infirmary building is not yet open or powered. Set-Up – You will be assigned your set-up area by Captain Spike. Set-up date is Wed., Dec 2. 2009. Area – Our vendor area is larger this year as we have the whole fairgrounds (inside the Fort) available to us again. Power – Limited areas for power, please keep to a minimum. Ice – Some ice will be provided to those vendors who are camping. BATTLES: Battle Plan will be included in the Welcome Kit and provided in advance to each Captain. Your Captains will provide specific orders on placement and duties for each individual in their crew. Only those who attend BP Safety Demonstration and pass inspection of Park BP specialist, Kip, will given a ribbon and permission to participate in live black powder reenactment. Volunteers All participants will be still be treated as State Park volunteers and covered under their insurance and work comp. Battle Will be run according to battle plan. Each Captain in charge of the their crewe, Field Commanders noted on the Battle Plan. Shooters There will be a safety demonstration each day at 9:30. Kip will approve each shooter. their loads and a demonstration firing. Once completed, they will then be given their ribbons. As usual, Braze and Cascabel will be working with Kip. Constable Heartless and Dutch have offered to help out with the weapons/shooters approval, as well as volunteers from Arch Angel crewe and Searle's Buccaneers. All cannon will need to be approved by Kip also. There will also be another safety demonstration at sunset. BP Rules STRICT adherence to BP Safety Rules, as provided by Fort. Gun Captains responsible for their pieces. NO drinking prior to BP demonstrations, battles or sunset firing. NO Loaded Weapons to be see/carried outside of Battle Reenactment. NO shooters/weapons allowed without ribbon and Kip inspection. NO powder horns. Loading only from single shot cartridges, paper or brass. Paper ladies will be provided.

Hello Vintage Sailor, I regret to say that artifacts cannot be sold at the Fort. In our vendor application it talks about the things prohibited from being sold at State Parks and artifacts is on the list. These are the Florida State rules that we have had to live with every year at the Fort. I hate to be the bearer of bad bews, but you cannot sell these artifacts at the Fort. You may want to contact Julie Mcenroe, she might be able to provide a venue that is not at the Park and you would not have to worry about this rule. You can email me if you have any other questions or concerns. Fair Winds, Captain Bloody Spike

And thanks for your donation of the showers. It will be a BIG improvement over last year. Looking forward to making this a great event again this year and the BIB thank all of you in our Pyrat family for everything you do for this event. It would not be a success without each and every one of you. Thanks Callenish!

My pleasure Lily. There will be some more updates later this month and more discussion concerning some of the tasks formerly performed by the Park Specialist. I have another meeting with the PM at Fort Zach this week and will have additional info coming. Thanks for your support!

Thanks a bunch. I have already spoken to Lawrence about the changes but he is not aware of all of them. He can call me anytime if he has any questions, comments or suggestions.

Hurricane, thanks to you and Diosa for your offer. We will surely be calling on our Pyrat family to help make this the best FTPF ever. And thanks for the kind words, we really appreciate it. I will pass on your rounds at tonights BIB meeting. Thanks.

Well the issue came to light when an "anonymous" complaint was filed stating a "brick" had fallen from the parapet during the battle. We never found the so-called brick and can find no evidence, but the state decreed that there can be no more cannon fire without a safety study/inspection. The FOFT have stated they may even be able to help, so we are looking to them for support. The fort is technically classified as a "ruin". We may also have the infirmary available as the roof work will be completed in August.

William, thanks for the support. We hope that a "safety survey" may be completed by FTPF 2009 so that we can fire again from the parapet. But the states wheels do grind slowly. I will keep everyone appraised of any changes. - Captain Spike

Hello Hawkyns, 1 - Yes the tavern is inside the Fort and available to the public during the day and reenactors in the evening. 2 - Yes Sutlers are allowed to camp in their boots. We have several who have done so. 3 - We intend to have a few different food vendors, this will be operated a bit differently than last year. We will also have a free dinner on Sat and Sun for reenactors and vendors. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any questions. As soon as the FOFT have their web site updated, we will have vendor and reenactor applications available. Thanks, Captain Spike

Aye Animal, this certainly appears to be the year of change. Which is the natural order of the universe. I wish you and Susi the best of luck and hope everything works out well for you. We must make the changes and choices in our life and deal with the consequences of those actions. You will surely be missed at PIP, but I will look forward to having fun with you at the next Blackbeard Festival. May these winds of change fill yer sails, yer soul and yer heart. I feel lucky to have known you and had a lot of fun at PIP. I will never forget the night Diosa had you on a chain at the Schooner Wharf bar and you scared the locals so bad they drank extra Rhum. I hope to see again along this journey. Captain Spike

Ahoy All, I have now had the pleasure of meeting with both the Friends of Fort Taylor and David Foster (the new park manager) concerning the Fort Taylor Pirate Fest. With the retirement of our dear friend Harry Smid, things will of course be different, but many things will not change in the way the Festival has always been run. I know that this email is going to generate a lot of questions. I will answer the best to my ability and hope I am able to provide an adequate answer for all of you. This is an excellent opportunity to make a positive impression on David Foster and we must all understand that it is a privilege for us to have this event at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. After talking with the Park, there are some things that will be organized differently due to certain requirements that the Fort has put forth. Harry was our advocate, and a buffer between the Park Manager and the reenactors, and as of now, they have not named his replacement. This “reorganization†is a positive thing in most cases, as there are always improvements that can be made to any event. Please try to use an open mind, and remember that this event has grown significantly in the last few years and the volume of people has changed as well. We all want a fun and safe event, and this is only the first of many updates that will be made. This is our chance to shine, to make our first impression as the professionals that we are as reenactors, and I want it to be a very positive one. This will help ensure that we will be able to continue to have the privilege of camping at Fort Taylor . 1 - We will be able to have showers on-site. Location is being worked on to make sure all grey water is caught in the appropriate facility drainage. Details will be forthcoming. Hip, Hip, HUZZAH to Callenish for making this happen. 2 - Camping will be by invitation only and limited to 150 total (modern and period camps). Each Captain or Crewe Designee will receive a certain number of invitations and will be responsible for assigning them to their crewe. The captains must keep track of their crewe lists and submit to festival staff as soon as possible, so that we may track any potentially unused spaces to offer other crewes. Upon arrival, a member will give their name and crewe to obtain their reenactor pass. Each individual must still register with the online registration that will be posted, as that is how we are able to be “park volunteers†and how they provide our temporary insurance while we are there. More information about the registrations will be forthcoming. The captain or designee will be responsible for their crewe. Each crewe will also have "guest" invitations to introduce any "single" or non-crewe members. Captains and crewes will be responsible for their guests also. The park has limited the number of camping participants this year, but not the number of reenactors overall. This pertains only to on-site campers. If you are staying off-site you are still invited to participate in all battles, skits and Living History presentations and must still fill out the registration form for the park. This only relates to on-site camping. There will be an entire thread that tells more about this, as we expect there to be lots of questions. 3 - Fires will be strictly limited. Our quartermaster, Nigel, will be in charge of getting you your information on all details of camp. We are going to try and get the PM to mandate one fire pit for each camp. If you have braziers, please bring them, as you may use them in place of a fire pit. We will also be asking each camp to submit an approximate foot-print for their site. Our space for the period encampment is also limited to a certain area of the park. Don't worry, the careening camp and period camp will be in the same place as 2008. However, now there will be certain "boundaries" where tents/camp can be set-up. We believe that we have a layout to fit us all. 4 - Each crewe will need to have a volunteer list for clean-up. This includes morning clean-up of bathrooms. Sadly, this was an issue with the Fort staff last year and this is a great middle ground to be responsible for our own clean-up and allow the bathrooms to stay open in the evening. I will be circulating a volunteer list to each crewe, to be submitted to Nigel. There will also need to be volunteers to do ice runs, clean grounds, and assist in manning the gate. We are going to try to get the Park to agree to having us do our own gate after hours, but this is still a negotiation point. 5 - A camp staff member will present at the gate for after hours entry and no one will be allowed to enter without their official pass. Passes will be given upon your check-in. Only reenactors and vendors will have passes for entry. 6 - There can be no more cannon fire from the parapet of the Fort. This has been decided by the Park, because of a structural safety concern with the cannon. We will set-up small arms and "command" center there. Artillery will be placed in opposing line along the field and path. Again, more details will be forthcoming, but we want to make you aware of the changes. We will be able to discuss the details of how we approach these changes together and encourage any suggestions. They will be warmly received and presented to the new management and FOFT. 7 - At this time there is no Park Specialist at Fort Taylor . We are unaware of schedule for replacement. Therefore, the black powder qualifications, checks, meetings, etc., will also be managed a bit differently if there is no replacement by FTPF 2009. Again, we will be discussion these proposed changes in detail for discussion of our possible alternatives. 8 - Some changes regarding the tasks that were formerly performed by the Park Specialist that relate to black powder safety, operations, storage, etc. There will be a different thread dedicated solely to that subject. 9 - Like last year, many crewes are going to cook camp meals and Silkie's Ordinary will be operating the same. However, we are trying to make arrangements for lunch to be provided with a meal ticket for each re-enactor. Dinner on Sat and Sun will be provided free. And there are the things that will stay exactly the same. For example: 1 - We are gonna have FUN FUN FUN 2 - All re-enactors will be still be Fort volunteers. 3 - We will still have a "period" and "moder n" camping 4 - We will have ice available, water, and this year Gatorade (from a private donor) 5 - There will be a stage, mess tent, food vendors and possibly the old infirmary open. 6 - Ole Zach's Tavern will be open, with entertainment and complete set-up. However, there will be no one serving. Bring yer own Libations (there may be a common fund set aside for Meade. Takes time to pre-order, let's discuss this among crewes). 7 - We still be hitting the streets pre-event to market, hand out cards, and informal Pub Crawls. 8 - There will still be a Land/Sea battle. Details will be coming as we get closer. The BIB may even get a sea dog of their own in this 2009 battle. I want to personally thank each and every member of our Pyrat family for their continued support of our event. We are going to work hard to make this a great 10th Anniversary. I also want to thank Harry Smid for giving us a fantastic foundation to build this event. I look forward to organizing with each of the crewes, captains, and members of our family. Thank you All, Captain Spike Bone Island Buccaneers

Animal, Tis my pleasure. I know it has been TOO long since I darkened the doors of the Pub, I will here more often leading up to the event. There will be more details to follow after the July 4th holiday and Fayma and I are working on much of the logistics to make things easier for all of us at check-in, etc. And a big HUZZAH to Callenish. We are going to have HOT SHOWERS!!!! Stynky, do ye hear that? Your Humble Servant, Captain Spike

Don't strain yer eyes too much Chappy and Morgan. They have a gift the way they make us look so good. So great to talk with you and Blackbeard had the GREAT icing on the cake with you two there. I believe that is where me mind first started to drift, by the next week, it were gone. Thanks for your chronicle of our Pyrat journey together!!!!!!

Aye Matt, twas great sharing the time ye had in Hampton. I was certainly on a roll, rolling on the ground bleeding that it is. I must say, it is entertaining, I think more for me than anthing else hehehe. And a big thanks to YOU so much for yer kind words, great pics and most important, that comradarie. We had a blast with you and Sarah and Klaus, literally and I think the Bone Island Buccaneers finally went overboard and lost their sanity at JLPD. May we find it adrift somewhere in Cayo Hueso. Cannot wait to see all of ye again.

Huzzah Mr Tignor. And it were great sharing it with you. Great enthusiasm is what makes amazing. I had a great time. Great PEOPLE, great history, great skits, great ships, great battles, great deal of rowing, great food, great songs. Just everything one would want in a Pyrat Festival. No wonder it is going on 11 next year, with bigger plans. Glad to share some that with ye friend.

Alright if ye ain't lettered enough to get the NAME of this here crewe correct, I am gonna tattoo it on yer ugly forehead. We BE the Bone Island Buccaneers. And I may even tattoo baackwards on yer arse so ye can read it in a mirror. I know my offspring will tarnish me good name, afore that is why I done here in this century. I hate blasted fortune tellers like yerself, I may tattoo a few other the things also!!!!! Ye will be wishin fer a few eggs. But seriously, great to see ye agin. And when exactly did iyou see Chrispy and Nell at the same time? I didn't see ye on the Kilmar Nyckel hehehehe. THANKS to YOU Jim for everything and expanding to the Pyrat era. Twas a great treasure chest we took home with us among other fine goods from ye!