Bright

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/folklore-and-the-sea-the-american-maritime-library-vol-6_horace-beck/378895/?mkwid=sckPaGqkw|dc&pcrid=70112871912&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&gclid=CPX7k5KGvNMCFUc2gQodnvkCAw#isbn=0785811192&idiq=6123949 Fisherman, sailors, merchantmen, navies, shipwrights, pirates and smugglers - all earned their livlihood from the seas and the shores surrounding them, some honestly, some with cruel and cunning. Here are the stories, the tales, and legends which form the lore and fables of these men and women. The rugged fishermen of Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritime Provinces; the privateers and merchantmen of Maine, Massachusetts and the Chesapeake; the mariners of the British West Indies; the seafarers of the harsh and stormy coasts of Ireland and Scotland - all helped shape myriad legends and tales of the deep. Herein you will discover beliefs and superstitions about boatbuilding, weather, creatures of the deep, and the ghosts and demons that have, in all ages, risen from the sea to terrify and enchant men. FOLKLORE AND THE SEA unravels the sources of these folktales, plumbs their meanings, and helps preserve the customs, beliefs and traditions of hundreds of years of seafaring.

Please join The Charles Towne Few at the old Exchange and dungeon on January 21st for our change of command ceremony. Time will be announced soon. Drop in and meet the crew and new officers for 2017. 122 East Bay Street Charleston, SC 29401 Sandy bottoms and the This Pub lasts call ;-{

Don't sink your ship she says But it's been too long since we've seen the warm shore her heart said Her emotions like a squall rocked the boat that was her heart Her dreams, a mirage that disguised the reefs in all her hearts misguided misdirection, All in an attempt to garnish some sort of anchor or grounding affection Don't sink your ship she says She ties herself to the helm and she plants her feet Her tears lost in the sheets of rain Tears lost to the pain She had no choice but to pull back from the beckoning shoals No choice but to wait out the storm Don't sink your ship her remembered voice whispered as she sagged by the mizzen mast. Don't sink your ship Tomorrow could be your last.

https://youtu.be/LNWdRGAAjfM Lynx is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx built by Thomas Kemp in 1812 in Fell’s Point, Maryland. She was among the first ships to defend American freedom by evading the British naval fleet then blockading American ports and serving in the important privateering efforts. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, the American Navy consisted of only 17 ships – eight frigates, two brigs, and seven assorted smaller vessels including a few schooners which saw service in the Barbary Wars. When a nation went to war, owners of private vessels were granted special permissions, called “letters of marque,” to prey upon the enemy’s shipping; thus, “privateers.” While rarely engaging enemy warships, their impact was felt by English merchants who insisted on warship escorts for their vessels. To perform this duty, warships were drawn away from engaging the scant American Navy and blockading our coast, and thus did the privateers, motivated by profit, assist in our national defense. Among the Baltimore privateers was the sharp-built tops’l schooner, LYNX. Privateers were so effective at running the British blockade and harassing the British merchant fleet that the ship yards, which built them, became primary targets for British revenge. The most notorious of these were at Fell’s Point. But in order to get to them, the British force had to sail beyond Ft. McHenry, which protected the entrance to Baltimore’s inner harbor and Fell’s Point. For 25 hours on 13 and 14 September 1814, the British bombarded the fort with over 1500 iron shot and mortar shells,but were unable to achieve their goal. It was here, on the morning of 14 September that Francis Scott Key, a lawyer from Georgetown, DC, was moved to write the “Star Spangled Banner” which, 131 years later, became our National Anthem. Although captured early in the war, the original LYNX with her rakish profile and superior sailing abilities, served as an inspiration to those ships that would follow.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/215862656994/ So the Charles Towne Few has dropped its web page and moved to Facebook and Captain Edward Lowe a.k.a. Jake Jacobs has been re elected to serve as the helm contact wjacobs1@comporium.net, 803-503-1063 check Facebook to see our current activities or next meeting location.

http://www.keysnet.com/2015/06/30/503330_cops-responding-to-shots-fired.html?rh=1 Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies responding to “shots fired” reports on the old Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon Monday night found a man in full pirate costume packing operational black-powder pistols in holsters on each hip. Jamie Spiering, 58, was also allegedly armed with a sword and two knives. Spiering, who said he is an entertainer, told deputies he was on the bridge with friends for sunset. He said there were no projectiles in the pistols, and that he had fired them toward the water. But witnesses told a different story, said Deputy Becky Herrin, the Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. They said Spiering fired one shot in the direction of cars traveling on the functioning Seven Mile Bridge, which runs parallel to the old bridge, now only used by pedestrians. Spiering was arrested and booked into county jail on a misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace. He was released on $328 bail later that night. By KEYSINFONET Keynoter PublishingJune 30, 2015

Date: September 16, 2014 Contact: Mike Litterst, 410-962-4290 ext. 886 Media Statement: Cannon Breech Failure at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on September 16 BALTIMORE –During the firing of a reproduction historic cannon at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on September 16, 2014, the breech of the gun failed, according to the National Park Service. At approximately 11:30 a.m. on September 16, the park's living history gun crew used black powder to fire a salute to a passing ship as part of the weeklong series of events celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner. The firing of black powder in the reproduction cannon caused the breech to dislodge. The breech is the mass of metal at the rear end of the cannon. There were no spectator injuries;one of the members of the cannon crew suffered minor flash burns on one hand.The cause of the accident is under investigation. The NPS has suspended the black powder historic weapons firing program at Fort McHenry. The immediate area around the Water Battery remains closed but the rest of the park remains open. The cannon crew was saluting the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle and The Pride of Baltimore II. About Fort McHenry National Monument &Historic Shrine During the Battle of Baltimore, September 13–14, 1814, the valiant defense of the star-shaped Fort McHenry against the might of the British navy inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." The 15 broad stripes and 15 bright stars still fly over the fort 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most famous as the birthplace of our National Anthem, the fort was used continuously in a variety of ways through World War II. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FtMcHenryNPS and on Twitter, @FtMcHenryNPS.

Flogging Molly Float http://youtu.be/5-IrkGfcNAU Drank away the rest of the day Wonder what my liver would say Drink, that's all you can Blackened days with their bigger gales Blow in your parlor to discuss the day Listen, that's all you can Ah, but don't, no don't sink the boat That you built, you built to keep afloat Ah no, don't, no don't sink the boat That you built Sick and tired of what to say No one listens, anyway Sing, that's all you can Rambling years of lousy luck You miss the smell of burning turf Dream, that's all you can Ah, but don't, no don't sink the boat That you built, you built to keep afloat Ah no, don't, no don't sink the boat That you built, that you built to keep afloat Singled out for who you are It takes all types to judge a man Feel, that's all you can Filthy suits with bigot ears Hide behind their own worst fears Live, that's all you can It's all you can It's all you can do No matter where I put my head I wake up feeling sound again Dream, it's all you can Tomorrow smells of less decay The flowers quick just bloom and fray Be thankful, that's all you can Ah, but don't, don't sink the boat That you built, you built to keep afloat Ah no, don't, no don't sink the boat That you built, you built to keep afloat Ah no, don't, oh no, don't sink the boat Oh, that you built, that you built to keep afloat A ripe old age, a ripe old age I'm a ripe old age, that's what I am I'm ripe old age, a ripe old age A ripe old age, just do it the best I can, hey A ripe old age, a ripe old age A ripe old age, that's what I am A ripe old age, a ripe old age A ripe old age, just do it the best I can, hey The best I can

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58069425-78/cannon-parade-orem-twitter.html.csp

Best practices On this Friday the 13th aye like to commend Ivan on his attention to firearms safety. There is probably no more sensitive issue in the United State. Those who don’t see his concern may not know of the fundamental four rules established by Jeff Cooper that gives rise to his concern. Rule one all guns are always loaded. “Anyone taking light of that rule has established they are a fool .” Jeff Cooper Rule two never cover the mule with anything you are not willing to destroy. Rule three keep your finger off the trigger till you’re ready to fire.Rule four always be sure of your taget and whats beond it. I am one of the guilty parties, as I go heavily armed in public in my kit and do frequently pose with said weapons in pointing and or presetting, and or draw a blade and hold in treating position. The problem is that one does not know from a photo weather of not as Ivan put it if it is a fully functional weapon nor the sharpness of said edged weapons. This doesn’t matter if you adhere to the safety rules as unless you have the weapon in hand and have personally inspected it, it’s real and loaded. I would submit to you if you pulled and pointed an unloaded toy gun at a cop on the street that you may pay with your life as the take these rules very seriously. As anyone involved with arms of any kind should be. It never fails to amuse me when attending some venues that they will tie a ribbon on my blades but not allow my black powder weapon as it’s real even when I have not shot or powder. Those who throw axe’s know that an edge weapon need not have a sharpen edged to be deadly as even the single shot unloaded pistol of the day were also intended to be used to crack skulls. Different venues and events and participants will each have view and opinions as what is proper for their setting. I have some teachers that will not allow even photos of my kit with weapons in their class’s and other schools that will ask us to bring and do demonstrations. Their views and opinions are night and day different and will never meet a happy middle ground. But on this Friday the 13th let’s all take that moment in time to examine what we do to insure that we are exercising the best possible safety standards that are applicable to our venue events or circumstances as many accidents can be prevented. Thank you Moose for your focus on these issues, which must be reexamined with other view and prospective that may differ from our own .

I can not tell you the history on hand hooks but, in 2010 I had the misfortune to tear some tendon's in me right arm. After the surgery to reattach them they placed me in a brace to keep me from rotating me hand till the tendons had time to heal. As we were working with the Schiele Museum in Gastonia North Carolina Pirates exhibit I wore the hook as a cover up to the arm brace. As the public visited many asked and looked for a pirate with a hook. One lady went on a tangent about how everything that the group was up to was all fake and she singled out me and my hook, my Captain pulled her aside and told her that I was a injured vet and had removed my modern prosthesis hook and replaced it with the iron one for the exhibit and if she didn't believe him to feel my brace under my sleeve. Which she emedatly did. Her face turned ashen and she became very apologetic. I don't know if it guilted her into buying tickets to the buccaneers ball but I spied her again that evening at the ball. I can say that using it all weekend in setting up camp and that even at the ball with glass setting snugly in the hook and my plate of food balanced on top of the glass that the hook was quite practical and very useful even without the modern ability to open or grip . As me grandfather was a starfish me hand has grown back and I no longer need to were a hook ;-}

OK the start of this thread is An event organizer was recently asking questions on Facebook related to what was needed to encourage reenactors to come to an event. This assumes they need you as part of the draw for there event. I would say there a hybrid crews out there. What I mean by that is they are a cross between professionals and armatures. They do get paid or some sort of bounty for their participation at events yea it is not there full time profession and they do it because they love it and are not making money but need to offset their time off from the jobs and cost to travel and make camp anything that can make it a break even rather than a expenditure will bring good crews in from all over. With that in mind as has already been stated Jas.Hook they need to appreciate that work that goes into put a proper kit and camp together. Most events that out crew attends they allow us put out trade blankets and sell item to help off set our cost.They will provide porta Johns and or access to rest rooms and shower facility's and camping at no cost to crews.Those who wish to see black-powder artillery and or demonstrations provide a powder bounty. Better events will provide Ice and water at no cost and tall ships festivals free access to the ship for those that are part of the encampment. Museums usually provide passes for participants come back and enjoy the museum at a later date. As most living history groups or reenators are pretty self sufficient, water.food,ice and access to RR facility's and having camp fires go a long way. As Michael Bagley stated there communications on the event dates and location can make or break an event a groups willingness to be part of or the public to attend. And our pet peeve would be they insure in ground sprinkler systems are turned off in encampment ground areas prior to tent placements, as sprinklers going off in your tent on the middle of the night doesn't count shower access ;-}

http://www.thecharlestownefew.org/ At the helm ofthe Charlestowne Few, is the fearsome and seductive Captain Anne Bonny.Although her true origins have been the subject of much speculation, popularbelief is that she was born in the spring in County Cork…the offspring of asolicitor and his housemaid, one Mary Brennan. Not long afterher birth, her father, outcast from society due to the scandal, decided toleave Ireland with his mistress Mary and their young daughter. Together, theyreportedly travelled to the Americas where Anne’s father attempted(unsuccessfully) to practice law…eventually taking up more profitable means ofsupporting his family. As a merchant, he amassed something of a small fortune,which permitted a young Anne the life of an aristocrat. By thirteen, she hadalready gained a reputation for being both audacious and freespirited…attributes complimented by a long mass of fiery dark-red hair. Despiteher father’s best intentions, and no shortage of “suitable” offers formarriage, Anne ran off with a minor pirate leader named James Bonny…and wassoon thereafter cut off from her inheritance. James provedincompetent, and the ambitious Anne soon prevailed upon him to leave the EastCoast for the Spanish Main, arriving on New Providence Island sometime around1715. Anne hoped that the favorable “legal” conditions and heavily travelledsea lanes would inspire her reluctant husband to enterprise, but James soonturned government informant, accepting the “King’s Pardon” and convincing Annethat his goals were too small for her plans. By 1717, Annehad become a frequent visitor to the taverns where more active pirates oftenmet, making the acquaintance of Captain “Calico Jack” Rackham. The pair soonformed an alliance, and on their ship the Revenge,began a series of forays into the waters of Nassau. Not longafterwards, their crew was joined by a young man who went by the name “Smith”whom Anne soon took a fancy to. Her attentions forced “Smith” to reveal hertrue gender and identity as one Mary Read, a woman who had already fought in anumber of armies under the guise of a man, and proved to be an exceptionalfighter and leader. The secret out, Anne, Mary and Rackham became partnersuntil the trio was captured by the King’s Ship Agamemnon. However, Mary proved to be with child at the time, andher execution was delayed. Whileimprisoned, Anne caught the eye of a young Barbados militia officer, MajorStede Bonnet. Impressed with Rackham’s leadership and enamored of the piratelifestyle (and in no small measure, Anne), Bonnet “facilitated” the pair’sescape and then fled with them to the Carolina Coast. At BeaufortInlet, Bonny brokered an alliance with the infamous Devilmen of Cape Fear, and alongwith Rackham and Bonnet, participated in the siege of the town before militiaforces chased the various pirate companies to Southport. There, Bonny andRackham attempted to persuade Bonnet not to proceed with his plan to sack thetown , fearing Royal Navy dispatched to stop them. However, Bonnet attacked andwas soon captured and “hung”. Some said that Bonny actually led a rescue ofBonnet from prison, and that an imbecile cabin boy was hung instead…Reportsthat Bonnet was sighted off Ocracoke Island still persist, though a fewspeculate he has taken up “respectable” merchant activities as one “CaptainThompson”, and some suspect he may have gone inland to explore the mysterieswilds of the New World in search of the elusive “El Dorado”. Captain Bonnythereafter won over the command of the Revengeand the Charlestowne Few due to her fearlessness in battle, and devotion to hercrew. Her legend has spread such that many in her native land believe her to beGrace O’Malley reborn, or perhaps a true-life Selkie, as much at home at sea ason land. annbonny@thecharlestownefew.org 843-812-4265 https://www.facebook.com/groups/215862656994/