AnnaMarie

Heya, I think that it was blackJon...i hope I have that right...or something like that sorry if I got it wrong. Anyways he said that the Pirate Pop board pretty much is for that as it is realted to the pop culture image of Pirates, and that makes sense I guess tbh. Since the fantasy or hollywood view of culture is pop culture. So i would suggest maybe starting a few threads of topics that you think might be related or useful on that board for people that want to be able to discuss their fave aspect of pirate play....it sounds slightly dirty when said like that me thinks. But yeah it would be hard for anyone to complain or nit pick about the inaccuracy of something on a board that is designed to be the more fashionable, flamboyant, and entertaining side of pyracy. Also looking in this forum it seems most of the threads are at best a mixture but for the most part mostly places to shop for ren type stuff. but as this is how to get stuff and where to get it it is not the best place for chatting about what Ren groups might be better, or how to get that perfect wench look. So try out that board, make some threads direct some folks there and have a ball. i will go in and peek myself too if ya do it and see if I spy some fun and goodness to adopt myself.

Heya and Ahoy! Only have a sec before the fooding. Well your correct there are many styles and themes you can use for your camp and depending what you pick will best determine what it is that you shall bring. I think your idea though of pirates in quick getaway from their camps is still a bit romanticized but I will do a bit of looking around of some pirate engagments see what I can find on any land to sea sort of stuff. As far as what would a pirate do? I am a bit puzzled by what you think a pirate does in comparison to a sailor. A pirate is a sailor. Pirates all had to do everything a sailor had to do. Sailors are the men who worked boats the jobs and tasks where all quite similar it was the meaning behind you vessel or perhaps your owndership which determined what you where doing, Say navy, merchant, pirate. All of these men are sailors, just their extra jobs change a bit...and their pay rates. But The job of a pirate was to be a sailor first and foremost, they got to be a theif amd fighter secondary. So for your average thoughts on what a pirate needs or did, and what would be taking up his time, figure out what was required of a sailor. Sure sailors got drunk..if they where allowed, depends on the captain, same went for Pirates too. Pirates had just as much work as any other sailor, maybe more...the only blokes I pity more where fisherman and Marines.

Accurate? Well all of these things could and would be possibly found at camp. Bottles? these are used as flasks that is why you have them, same as a canteen, I offered the bottle in net only because it is a tad more nautical in look but things such as somethign to drink out of such as this or barrells would have been brought ashore unless fresh water was a gurantee, which is often as not not a gurantee when just setting up a camp. I did not suggest such things as sea chests because they would be big and bulky and only brought ashore if full of something needed. Lanterns? Unless you plan on having the inability to see anything after dark laterns where yes at least a feew brought ashore. Also for the nesscity of the camping people as I am sure being in pitch black is not always the most fun for us either laterns make life now as then a bit easier. Rope would have been brought ashore, it would have been needed to pitch hammocks and tents and for that alone would have been brought. Rope is a sailors friend and will always be useful. Boarding axes are useful in the creation of camp. Also about the oars as you can see in all the pictures the oars for the most part are tied with one knot even in the more complicated tents. Oars are usually bound as nothing is ever left loose. Wether you pull them quickly from your tent or where they might be stowed they will be bound and untying them is the same either way. Ditty bags? Well for one these would have been used at least the small ones to transport anything someone might need ashore. rather than lugging their belongings in a sea chest. they would also hold things like sail workers tools or any number of things really. they are a catchall and come from large to small size. All of the things are quite small. I by no means suggest to bring all of them either. Things like this it is easy to mix and match. To give the over all feel. I used authentic as these are all things that could be and would be used. If you feel there is a particular item that is not used by sailors please point it out, that way i can do more research and we can together find the answer. No bodys right all the time and I am the first to admit I am far from infallible. As far as reasons behind such camps? Well one is careening as mentioned. This is not the excuse we have been using. Most landings would take place at port. It would be rare to set camp and the reasons extreme usually. such things as immediate repairs may force them to camp. Another is sickness or disease. Quarentine means taking the men ashore. I fyour lucky enough to have a surgeon aboard then he might do a bit of work on said patients as well. it was the "clean air" that was supposed to do these men good. We often use the excuse of quarntine and have made a nice little sign which we add a diffrent disease to every camp we make and cross out the old. I think the idea of having to quickly grab oars and paddle off from danger is a bit romanticised to be honest. landing parties meant to seige or attack would not liekly have been setting up any sort of camp. They would simply sneak in and prepare to seige. Setting camp is a rare thing, and was usually only for practical reasons. I don't think it would be uncalled for though to expect in camp the ability to have light, especially as a large fire maybe unwanted, water, equipment needed to set camp, or the ability to carry what small things you would need. this is merely a list designed for people to pick and choose from it what they might want. You can go for bare minimum, but yes this gives you for one less ability for showing the public things from which they might learn something new, as well as going to bare might as well be less realistic. P.s. Don't forget that back then these people had to live, which means they had to eat, drink, and work. Even when down to minumum they would have brought the things along which would have been able to make sure these things happened. Although a hammock or a bedroll might be one fo the few things owned...and even the hammocks where rarely owned they would still need to have handy any tools needed to do work while not on ship, as would have been expected no one is ever just exempt. They would need the things to provide and eat their food and get water or wine for drink. This requres stuff. having too much stuff and clutter is overboard but some stuff is needed. the sailor or pirate with only blankets was a dead one.

Yay! As i said my info was a vague recollection. Finding better info = much better. SO I guess that answers it! :)

Here is the lean to I spoke of in my original post. Sadly it is pulled back due to the torrential downpour of the evening. The Hammocks where slung beneath this. Luckily as many tents fell that night is was one of the few camps that happened to take place in the same city I lived in. yay! It meant that while many ended up in cars, I got to go home to my apartment and snuggly cats. This picture is from the halifax Citidel Changing of the Guard. At somepoint when I am less lazy I should edit these alst two things into my original post... Sorry i am tkaing so much space with pictures. i am a very visual person and feel that it is always best to describe as well as show what I am trying to show people.

Thanks for the compliments. I sadly have none of my lovely ladies garb pictures...seems my man perfers me dressed as a boy.....hmmm....perhaps that is best left untouched The photographers are me and he taking turns...if you see me in the shot he is the photographer and if it is him it is me. I try to have fun, as I love both the historical and theatrical aspects of playing dress up. I keep my closet full of both options so try to be prepared for what ever op. arises.

Well i know tht this was like a year ago...but I never saw any pictures posted so i figure better late than never right? Well here is one. If you look at the first hoop from the bottom you can see whear the ends meet. I took the time at one point to talk to a cooper as well about how these are made...my memory is not always 100% accurate but I think I am rembering this correct. basically you take youg green branches or saplings that are thin and long enough to fit around whatever barrell you are making. You keep them wet and shave them in two. You then wrap them around and twist them under and over in a flat knot almost . you then clamp the hoop on til the wood dries and shrinks around the barrell. I hope that is right...it has been two years since I talked to the bloke.

Oh one other accessorie that is always perfect, accurate, easy, and fun to have is a bell and hour glass! You can see ours on a tripod in the boat picture. Even on shore men still had to keep time and watch. So announcing what bell it is is always fun and adds an extra flair to your camp.

Ahoy again! ^^ the reason I pout this heare and not some place like Twill is bacause like the other garb threads it is far from purely academic. It also involves the rooting around and aquiring of stuff. Plus I figured like the garb threads there are other events other than the festival. I have an event coming up...I hope...in about 2 weeks. I want to see and know others ideas as well. Plus I gave some hints on ways to fake stuff as well. The links are nice and thanks. Did not think to look in PiP because I am not going, but now I suppose this topic is viewable for tohers not going as well like me. The locations in the Pictures are of Louisburg, from the first sacking...early 1700'ss but forget the exact year. Fort Anne in Annapolis Royale, it was the defense spot for Port Royale. And I believe there is some shots from Privateer Days as well and that I sadly can not at all remeber the name of the town.

Ahoy again! I saw the threads on garb and thought well if your getting ready for an encampment what can you do to make your camp more accurate for a seaman ashore and some of the helpful things I have found to help distinguish your camp as more than just a normal ren or re-enactment army type setup. Now this might not be useful for PiP but I figured that this is stuff I have learned from others and research it is always good to share the info one has learned. Plus maybe others have stuff they can add and I can learn more. My field of expertise is historical fashion and theatrical costume, but after spending time setting up camp and learning how and what we need I figure I can offer what I have learned. So I will break up the setting camp into sections: 1. The Tent 2. Bedding 3. Accessories 4. The extra touches 1. The Tent Well there is a few ways to approach this. Accurately a landing party ashore would rely heavily on the resources of their sailmaker. Most ships did not store in cargo tents, in case they might need them. Due to this when deciding to go ashore to set camp the sailmaker was required to go to work, often using scraps of old sail to fashion that tents would be needed for the men that are going ashore. This often meant that tents where a bit makeshift, and used things such as a spar and such for cross beams. So knowing this if your starting from get go and happen to have lots of sail canvas about or in fact even one large sail this can easily serve as the body of your tent to have the proper and acurate feel. I will show you 3 tents that are all made out of sail or sail canvas scraps to give you an idea of what it is that you can do and pretty easily. First is the easiest, and most makeshift in appearence but it is usable and not really any less usable than any other tent. This tent will be the most intensive for ship parts. It requires a small sail, a bowsprit, and 4 oars. These pieces can all be used as well to fashion a lean to as well over a hammock. *Just unlike in this picture make sure that any markings on the sail are a bit more accurate than a large advertisement for the museum your working for.* here is the back to show how we closed up just the back end Yes it looks small but in truth it had room for 2 and their gear inside...but no standing room. Here are the same bits described used as a lean-to instead. This one is currently not pulled forward due to massive rain, but I think it shows the set up well this way. Now the last is something you can do if you dont mind altering your perfectly solid purshased tent. It is simple and basically using the basic idea of the tent above basically use a few bits of canvas and double them up and patch your lovely exisiting tent. Any stitching you do will effect the waterproofing of the tent so make sure all patches are double layer to begin with and put the patches in non vital or head dripping places. My recomendation is towards the bottom of the tent. You can use patches of the same colour as your tent but I would suggest at least make sure the patches are slightly a shade diffrent enough to be noticable. This tent labled the Boom boom Room is a good example of such a tent, it was built from scratch though. It is the tent in the background. 2. Bedding Sailors would not have many options avalible that I have found for bedding. The only ones that might have a bed were High ranking officers but usually only the captain. The captains bed was often bolted or built into the ship so even this would not have been brought out to shore. SO often you have the comfort option which would be the hammock, or wool blankets on the ground. Hammocks can be strung in your tent if it is tall enough but if the weather is nice enough you don't nessecairly even need a tent. A lean to over a hammock is always a valid option as well to prepare for weather and give shade. For bedding wool blankest would be good and common enough. 3. Accessories It is always those extra touches that make everything in life look supreme. Camps are no exception and even with a normal tent you can easily get across the idea your trying to portray without having to make your own whole new tent. So here are a few things you can add that will give that little extra and are things that would be very exclusive to a sailors camp. *Oars- leaning oars up against things are always a great way to show your nautical, you can get cheap wooden ones and paint them white and your set. *Ditty bags- These dufflebag style bags are the trademark of seaman in any size one hanging from a tent post or a large one full of your clothes serving as a pillow always adds to authenticity. *Ships Latern - This style of latern is always good, your gonna need light, so investing in a ships latern might be a semi nesscity anyways *Bottles in bottle netting - Glass on board ship was nettted to give it a bumper, make it wasy to hang, help contain breaks. Having one or two of these hanging around works well...it is super easy to do and besides even a modern wine bottle in this style netting passes since you can not see the bottle well at all. So it is a cheap option. *Rope - have a coil of rope. Rope is always always useful to have around and well looks right for the camp. *Weapons - a boarding pike or axe are another great addition to the camp when these things can be afforded. *Bell and Hour glass - a fun way to be accurate. Keep the hours and watch by the bells. here is a picture of our tent decorated with some accessories. 4. The Extra Touches Well if only we could all afford to have these last things all our own and always with us A boat a cannon (ahh Charlotte) Well that is all hope I am not being too uppity by making this post. just figured it might be helpful to others. Please add some other ideas i would love to see and learn more of what others do to make their camp more sailor authentic. Anna Marie

Of course you can get a sword replica that is a real sowrd. You can also get one that is made out of crap metal basically that resembles a sword but is good for little more than hanging on a wall. The cost of the fake sword will be signifigantly less, but in looking for a particular sword might be harder to come by. usually you can find this kind of sword in shops, malls, and flea markets all over the world for amazingly cheap prices but on most occasions they are usually garishily fanstasy swords and daggers. If you want something of better quality make sure it is not from India or china, both of these are the poorest quality as far as swords and will quickly lose shine and often rust within a few years of ownership. If you are dying to have a real showpiece or become a collector of swords I would suggest saving the money and purchasing a replica sword that is in fact a replica instead of just a something for show. this will be more expensive but will for one retain more value if you ever decide you don't want it anymore so you can sell it as long as it is taken care of, and will look far more beautiful than a cheap knockoff. It is in essence like deciding you want to collect pretty china, and having a cabinet to display it it, so you go any buy the prettiest corelle wear from walmat. Now at quick glance it might pass as being pretty china but it holds little value and is just a plastic facsimile of what you were after. Price of course is always an issue. getting the real sword you want might cost into the thousand dollars or more mark, so it might just not be a viable option for you. this is fine too, but it is a decsion to make I suppose between wether you want something that true, or something for looks alone. Neither would be a wrong decisoon and budget of course like in all things will play a major factor as well i am sure.

I am not arguing with you that stays aren't imprtant or nessecary but I was under the impression the threads for both men and women are about the basic things that very begginners can make or get on a very limited budget and get away with fitting in as PC. I don't think we are talking about full kit building I thought and I can be wrong on this was the best, easiest way to get people who have never been accurate before. So yes shoes are needed, stays are needed, but if you have one month and 60 dollars what can you get, and what can you fake to make your outfit visibly as accurate as can be. Yes someone who is planning on doing this as a hobby will need to get more and spend more, but I was thinking this was for people who are daunted by cost, and what to dabble and try out before coming into their own. Stays are not a project I would suggest for someone who has never made even a simple project before. He wanted a list to give someone that was going to an event for that one event of what they need to get to fit in. You yourself give your group a year to get kitted out. this is not about getting kitted out this is about what is acceptable as a minimum standard for getting started. If we expected every person to shell out the cash or time to make every piece of garment we would find a lot less re-enactors. We need to help others get to a level of accuracy before we demand full authenticity. believe me i am someone that gets annoyed when i go to re-enactment to find out that the red coats are fighting ren faire style pirates. Talk about misleading the public. But there has to be a medium ground met as well. Threadcounts and dye ingredients can come in time.

Hmm I thought it might be helpful to give some accurate pictures of hats to give people an idea of what to look for. If interrested I will also get the ingredients and recipe used for tarring, unless it is already posted here somewhere for those who want to tar ditty bags or of course hats. I know it is red ocre, pine tar, and something else too but what I can't rember nor can I remeber the proportions. Just remebr doing tarring in a well ventalated place is best and it takes days to dry! SO here are the hat pics. I tried to show pictures of actual hats but where I could not find them I will show repro's here is the ever beloved and known tricorn here is a tarred hat here is a monmouth cap in grey modeled by the handsome CalicoJack and here is a straw hat, this one is actually from a bit later it is from the 1830's but was the best I could find to give you an idea of what to look for. This one is far to tall for starters For the correct hat wear one that is no deeper than say a tricorn would sit on your head, also the rim of the straw hat could go a bit wider. beware of going to wide though or it might just start looking like an untied ladies hat. If large enough you can also cock up the sides. I know it is at times a tradition to wear the rippbons with your ship name on them but I am not sure when that tradition came in. this is accurate but hard to see as it is on a boy in the background

Well I still believe in speaking of the minimum nessecary things to own Stays are still a lot less of a priority in comparison to any of the visible things one may need. Granted I myself am a girl with good posture and am very thin. I ofte wear a very good and support bra and have not once had anyone notice my lack of stays, in fact many of the women at most reenactments are shocked to find I am not wearing them when they ask how I can be still so happy at the end of the day and not ready and willing to rip them off once the public is gone. Now perhaps I am lucky in the figure department, but I find that a good support bra and posture will get the effect needed as long as your of at least average body weight. Stays are a pain to make, require a lot of time and sewing, and are not something I would suggest for most begginers at sewing. Now yes I agree if your going to be doing this for some time and have the money to invest stays are a definate must. But until that comes to be and if your scrambling to try and put together as authentic outfit as you can stays are going to be the most expensive, and hardest to come by piece. Petticoats even the most basic sewing ability and about an hours worth of time will have ya set with one. Although ladies bare minumum always wear at least 2 petticoats over your chemise. If your going to turn women away for not wearing stays though you might as well turn men away for wearing underwear and not pulling their shirts up and around them, oh and the same for women. For minumum though If you want anyone to be able to afford it on a low budget stays will be out of many peoples league. Personally I have spent this entire season without stays, but I have a very proper excuse now, I am pregnant and well i think we can all see why for that, although Petticoats do wonders for hiding a pregnancy I must say.

Ahoy again! Well I figured I would post some of my more fun piccys of garb i own that is fitting for this genre. Well here is me as an Able seaman aboard The hector Doing some bottle netting like a good uhh sailor lad. this is calicoJack doing some knotwork aboard the same ship Here I am in my less accurate but fun Ren garb at the King Richards Ren Faire in a pub on talk like a pirate day Calicojack on Talk like a pirate day And here is my geekiest shot this is from a larp where I played a pirate...but it was changeling...so i was not human so that is why the makeup and ears, but it is fun and horribly inaccurate! here ya go fun and feel free to have a laugh! :)

hey all I would say everything listed so far is good for mimum garb but don't forget the bonnet to be worn under the hat! Also i think perhaps stays might be a bit more optional only for the fact that they are expensive and not entirely noticable. Also it is always good to give examples i will include a picture of a camp of mixed men and Women from a re-enactment. we represented the H.M.S. Supurbe that sacked Louisburg in the first battle of Louisburg. this will give you an idea as most of these women are not re-enactors and hat to throw together and borrow to get the minimum garb standards required. Also for those looking for a bit more jaunty pirate lass sort of look, make your betticoats out of the stipred sail ticking that men often used for their slops, use a tricorn which women of the period did wear but where not as common as prettier straw hats. Also I found an engraving which I am using for my idea of a new pirate garb and will have to dig up and post here of a pirate woman that was wearing her petticoats but had them hiked up a bit wench like over a pair of mens slops. besides this she was dressed in normal womans clothing. it is important to remeber that even though there is few records of women on board ships, both pirate and non pirate that all of the woman other than those trying to pass themselves off as men, Wore the normal womans clothes of the period. Even the sacred Anne bonney and such after being found to be female began to wear her womans dresses and petticoats on board ship and only changed to mens clothes during combat. SO as a woman to represent an accurate female pirate you need to dress completely and fully in mens garb as if prepared for battle, or where the womans fasion of the time. Other than the one wood cut with the slops under petticoats I have found little record of a mixture in styles. Also please do nto make the mistake that so many women do of wearing your chimese top with nothing over it or your stays, these are your underwear and although nice would never, and I mean never have been seen outside of intamacy.

Ahoy! Well My Boyfirend has been posting and taking part in all the rukus here for some time. I have been doing all sorts of piratey things and although I at one point had an email addy from this site I never did much here for posting. Well he has been for some time slowly working me into it, as I do do re-enacting and such like he does, I am also currently going back to school (must have been insane to decide to do such a thing) for history and Costume Studies. SO he has been making me poke around these threads as of late and looking at what people have to say and such. SO I thought that I would figet around in here a bit indeed. Oh my Boyfirend is that friendly chap Calicojack...suprisingly quiet here as I have hard times keeping him quiet usually. Well I do have to say I think minimum standards are important for a historical re-enactment. there is so much misconceptions among even those claiming to be professionals that it is sometimes more detrimental to the cause of accuracy and history, and what I mean by this is teaching the public and educating them well, that I think it is important that there is a very firm and distinct line drawn between waht is ok and what is not. I have a few times gone to things that are supposed to represent pirates as they are to find the "Ren faire" pirates is what the public is getting. Now I have no problem with Ren pirates and have my own Ren garb too but I think when your in a position of trying to educate the public of a historical truth rather than just entertain you need to make the modicum effort of getting some facts and assemble a reasonable facsimile of truthful dress. Now I voulenteer at a Maritime museum doing Dressup and such and they have the minumum Kit that they give out to those dressing up for them and I think it is a good standard to go by for many. For men- Shirt-linen if possible but cotton or a linnen blend will do must be button up with a collar White or Checkered Breeches, Trousers, Slops- Depends on what would have been more common to the time period your doing but for most any of those three will work. Wool if possible for the Breeches and canvas will make do on all Breeches and trousers should be white, Slops as Well can be white, striped made from sail ticking is also common. Waistcoat- these change depending on the time but most men would be considered naked in just their shirt, can get away with this if not on land or doing "dirty" work as Waistcoats where far to valuble to soil. Waistcoats should be wool and can be made do with canvas, they are very easy to make as well. Waistcoats common colour would be dark blue or brown if navy or an officer they would be white. hat-men do not go out of doors bareheaded. A wool cap (monmouth style if possible), staw hat, or tricorn, or tarred canvas hat. The wool cap is the easiset for people to get as it is easy to get a cheat there use a dark or light coloured winter knitted hat with no fancy knitting or pompom. Sailors have the advantage of going barefoot- so unless you feel it nessecary you can always do so easily. If not Buckle shoes and knee socks are the options. Any plain solid and not radical coloured Kneesocks will do but stripes are fun when you can get them. Buckle shoes are the most expensive things to get. Around 100 bucks from most places. The extra accessories? Neckerchief a square of fabric to tie around your neck like a bandanna. Or a cravat, more expensive. A short Jacket- Umless your a captain or some flouncy officer short jackets are best. Stay out of the way and are practical, they also look spiffy! usually wool of a dark colour and Navy if your doing Navy. canvas again will do for staying low cost. The shirt can be bought cheaply, the hat you might have at home, the waistcoat is suprisingly easy and inexpensive to make as are slops! Avoid wearing belts with tons of things on them! On ship things are stowed and always close at hand, pirates and sailors alike rarely carried little more on them than what they needed to hand atm. I will include a picture of me in a most basic costume...it is a very bad pic of me...as it was a very hot day. sadly I am not wearing a waistcoat as it was very hot and was wearing the Short jacket which would be hiding it from view anyways. Sorry for the wall of text, hope i gave something useful to the convo.