Capt. "Mad Dog" Davies

For me it's the right tool to get the job done, or whatever weapon helps keep me pockets full and me head out of a noose. Me all-around favorite is me mortuary sword: short enough for boarding, long enough for a tavern brawl or duel, tough, resilient blade that cuts and thrusts equally well, and nice iron cage hand-guard to deliver a solid punch. I also have a Dutch cutlass with shell hand-guard for more serious "wet-work" at sea, an English Dragoon pistol in .61 calibre, and a double-edged dagger that I've used against all manner of edged weapons to great effect, especially rapiers. The bottom line, in me own humble opinion, is that a good pyrate is a professional fighter and should be able to pick up anything at hand and make a weapon of it.

Aye Master Hawkyns, 'tis an interesting question ye've posed. We crew of Ye Pyrate Brotherhood try to be as authentic as possible without being Fascists about it. As I've explained before in other postings, we concider ourselves "acting re-enacters" in that we have a scripted performance that we present to the public, leading up to a treasure hunt for the kids, but we do it in a way that tries its best to be historicaly accurate and still fit the image that most people have come to expect of pyrates. Ye PB are patterned after Buccaneers of the late 17th C. with cavalier hats and bucket boots, rather than the later tri-corn hats and buckled shoes look of the Golden Age. We shoot black powder weapons, including a swivel gun and a small cannon mounted on a naval carriage. We fight with blunted rapiers and cutlasses. As far as events go, we stick to maritime events and pyrate festivals. We've tried the Renn Faire thing just as spectators, but were not warmly received as we didn't fit in chronologically with the rest of the crowd. The same goes for the first year of the Hampton, Va. Blackbeard Festival where we had the opposite problem of representing too eary a period for them. Ironically we unintentionally stoled the show there because we fit the public's image of pyrates more than the more hard-core reenacting crews who were there. As an individual entity like our good shipmate Cascabel, one can have a variety of garb and equipment to fit a broad time range. As a group, Ye PB focuses on a specific period and works to maintain that look. Because of the earlier time period represented at Renn Faires, the folks who come out of that scene and decide to be pyrates seem, at least from our experience, to blend and adapt garb, weapons, etc. into a later time frame than they are really intended for. This is fine, as far as it goes, but is more fantasy than history, in my humble opinion. The bottom line in my book is lighten up, have fun, and appreciate how wide and diverse the pyrate reenacting scene is becoming. Cheers!

Lice. :)

As most pyrate vessels tended to be smaller, albeit faster and more manueverable, than their prizes, it's hard to imagine how pyrates would manage to swing up onto and over the railings of larger ships. However, according to one method I've read about, grapnels were used to draw the two craft together. At that point, a sail could then be lowered, and the yard, extending over the prize's railing, used as a gangplank to board the prize ship. Of course, this would only work on a square-rigger. For the most part, I think pyrate boarding operations were done either by stealth, as practiced by early buccaneers from dugout "piraguas", by subterfuge, or under open threat of annihilation by the pyrates, who tended to be numerically superior to the crews of their prey. :

I always thought that one of the better parts of being a pyrate was that for us, everday is Halloween. :)

Ahoy all hands in the NY, NJ, CT, and RI area, I found out about a pre-Christmas Pyrate Party on Long Island that's happening Sat., Dec. 13th. For info on location, etc. have a look at the host's website: www.jukejoint213.com. Ye Pyrate Brotherhood plans on attending, and though we don't really know this particular establishment, I traded a couple of e-mails with the owner, Cap'n Bob and it seems like it'll be a lot of fun. If you're interested, send him an e-mail yourself, he's a pretty funny guy and tries real hard to talk like a pyrate.

Ahoy Dreamie Darlin' , In my opinion the perfect "smoker" for ye would be one of Pedersoli's fine Queen Anne pistols. They're the right historic period design (Blackbeard loved 'em), are available in a selection of different finishes, well made, dependable, and beautiful to look at. You can see them for yerself at: www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/p_pistols Write back and let me know what ye think about 'em. If they don't suit yer taste, I'll try and recommend something else. Best regards.

Dreamie, Darlin' You've a serious fine look yerself, true to tell. What's more, ye seem to have the goods to back it up, not just alot o' smoke, but flames as well. Bloody good for you, sez I! I salute ye, and wish ye good fortune and rich prizes, to be sure.

Capt. William , I thank ye for your gracious compliments to meself and crew. New Orleans is one of me favorite places on Earth, and I'm tryin to get the crew to make a passage there one day, perhaps on the way to Pirates in Paradise. We'll be sure to send ye a signal if we do. To answer your question, a mortuary sword is a type of cage-hilted cavalry sword from around the mid to late 17th century. It has a tough straight blade that's good for cutting and thrusting alike. It's name was coined by 19th century collectors who thought the portrait often found engraved on the pommel was a representation of the excecuted King Charles I. This is strictly conjecture on their part, as no one really knows. To quote meself from an earlier posting, "a straight-bladed cavalry sword of the period. It's light, fast, tough, short enough for use at sea, and long enough to keep an opponant at a safe killing distance in a tavern fight. It's capable of delivering a cut or thrust with equal effectiveness and has a cage guard of iron knuckle bars to both protect the hand and land a solid punch. Very nice indeed."

Ye Pyrate Brotherhood's brigantine be named "Scorpion" (Sorry RumbaRue, we had it first, about 5 years now).

We crew of Ye Pyrate Brotherhood be bloody Buccaneers, circa 1666. Meself I wear a knee-length hunting frock of black calfskin, leather waistcoat, ruffled silk shirt with pearl buttons and ruffled stock, fringed sash, a variety of knee-breeches, knee-high bucket boots, and broad-brimmed Spanish cavalier hat with red and black ostrich plumes. I carry a double-edged dagger (always), English Dragoon pistol in .61 caliber, and depending on the engagement, either a Dutch cutlass or English Mortuary sword, either one worn hung from a leather baldrick. Ye PB is based from a complete encampment including the Captain's Pavillion, a tavern built of boards, barrels and sailcloth, a trestle dining table, and surgeon's tent with instruments o' the Art. We also have a small cannon on a Naval carriage, and a mounted swivel gun. :)

:) 'Tis none other than Meself be Captain of the "Scorpion", mates, or have ye forgotten me so bloody soon?! And if Monty's Wench be who I think she be, I ask her: "How's all our shipmates in beautiful Olcott Beach?" Ye Pyrate Brotherhood sends warmest regards.

Ahoy! To tell ye a bit about Ye Pyrate Brotherhood: We hail from Long Island, NY, home to that ne'er-do well foul-up Capt. Kidd (Note: the first one, not our good shipmate Capt. Kidd of the Free Men of the Sea, who's a decent chap to be sure). The core crew membership's been around since 1999 with crew comin' and goin' as it suits 'em. At present we've about an even dozen steady pyrates on board. We are in essence "acting renacters" who combine story-telling with choreographed swordplay and assorted pyrotechnics to capture the public's imagination, lead them on treasure hunts, and generally keep the spirit of the "Sweet Trade" alive. We do about 15 shows a year at various Pirate and Harbor festivals around the Northeast. Despite our theatrical bent, we put a strong emphasis on historical accuracy in both our equipment and performances.

I'll drink wi' ye to that, shipmate!

:) Aye, I can't argue that. From the perspective of a "Board-ee" I'd do whatever it took to keep an aggressive boarder at a distance and back over the side, or dead on the deck in front of me. If that meant throwing a pistol I wouldn't have time to reload anyway, so be it. If it meant shattering the stock over someone's unlucky head, that's fine , too. But, as aggressors, usually numerically superior and better armed, pyrates just might have had the latitude to be more discerning. Besides, who's to say for certain what was or wasn't? Reenacting helps fill in a lot of missing pieces, I know it has worked that way for me. But we know it's just that...a reenactment, no matter how thorough. And there are limits to just how deep we can see into the past.