JoshuaRed

Sailors were a tight knit fraternity and took collective pride in the fact that they were VERY different than the lubbers they mingled with ashore. They would have had no bones about going ashore in their sailing gear, and there are many firsthand accounts by people like Judge Samuel Sewall who talk about how seamen stick out like a sore thumb from the general populus. They walk a certain walk and talk a different way.

I'd buy that. Of course how many "formal events" would a common sailor attend? How many black tie galas does the average low/middle class person attend in a year?

Have to remember tho, that just because they were found on a wreck doesn't mean they were a sailor's...they could have been in shipment, or intended as a gift, or perhaps WERE a sailor's, but weren't being worn, or maybe were a passenger's...any number of possibilities could be true, yes, even that a sailor was clomping around the deck with them on his feet. :)

No "gentleman" would be seen in public without his sword at his side...this continued throughout the 18th century. Guns? I don't think so...it wasn't until the lighter and reliable firearms of the 19th century that a sidearm became a trusted companion.

If any dandy buccaneer WAS wearin' bucket boots the rest of his friends probably would have ripped 'em off his feet and boiled them up for food during the march back from Panama. One bucket boot could feed a whole mess!

Poleeticks? No thanks man! I'm more of an occasional kibitzer! :)

Wha? This is a 20th century illustration, not an actual portrait of Morgan done during his lifetime. There is no known contemporary "official" portrait of Morgan, sadly. The various engravings of him done during and just after his life were based on current fashion and the descriptions of those who had seen him - just as most of the pirate engravings were.

If you are interested in buccaneering the best thing you can do for yourself is procure the collected works of William Dampier...I got my set through abebooks.com. He has reams of worthwhile info on his firsthand experiences from his days with the buccaneers. TONS of stuff about the various indigenous peoples, the "privateers" (what they called themselves), the colonies, the Spanish, the weather, the food, how to cook food, what makes you sick, what to take when you get sick, which ports to sack, which ones to avoid, what the annual crop yield is for X Spanish Town, which wood is good for ship repair, how to cross the Isthmus of Darien, and just about everything else you'd ever want to know about life then. You'll notice the distinct LACK of discussion on "pirate culture"....chiefly because there was none as we think of it, and also because any personality/fashion traits we'd be interested in were so commonplace then that they needed no description. It would be like describing a McDonald's in Iowa to someone in Virginia. No point - McDonalds are mostly the same with very little to distinguish one from another.

Maybe just the "Elizabethan Sea Dogs".... I believe Drake, etc were referred to by this moniker during their life times, right?

Ya know THAT is a good question. I mean a good buccaneering kit could consist of as little as some clothing rags and a knife. You can easily justify not having access to or knowledge of square rigger sailing, you could feasibly build an accurate small open boat for coast raids with a few friends over a winter or two. All you need is a small tent & period camping supplies. It would be a tremendous draw at festivals to have dig & setup an authentic buccaneering pit and have the smell of roasting pig drawing people from all over. Course the smell of your clothing would probably drive them away just as fast!

I enjoy cigars. Typically I prefer the Romeo et Julieta Cedros Deluxe No. 2, it's smooth and cedary, not too strong. C.A.O. makes a mean cigar, and Drew Estates are doing some interesting things in the field. Their "Naturals" line grown with organic tobacco and infused with various herbs & essential oils are amazing. Royal Jamaicas are good too. I'd rather enjoy an occasional great smoke than cheapos all the time. The various indigenous tribes in South America were rolling and smoking early versions of cigars when the Spanish first arrived, called "sikars" ....which I presume is where the modern word came from. They were known by Europeans, but didn't really catch on for some time. So yes, they may well have been smoked by sailors who picked them up from natives, but it didn't develop as an industry then.

Oh yeah I know all about that firsthand! Hell, half the fauna here in Florida makes short work of any exposed skin! :)

Bucket tops are very similar to the "clammin" boots (when they're turned down) I used to see in Downeast Maine, and those guys never looked particularly comfortable trudging from the truck into the gas station & back out with a case of beer.... :)

Pirates were known to engage in comedic theater to pass the time, such as conducting mock trials, etc. Course I don't know that I'd limit that to just pirates, probably many sailors put on little plays and skits to entertain each other in the off-time.

Absolutely true. His would be a terrific impression for someone to do!

It looks a bit streamlined, over-stylized. Also looks like the artist couldn't figure out how to correctly draw his right hand on his hip so he instead blew up the poofy sleeve big enough to hide the whole arm. And those legs are looooong! But the actual clothing represented doesn't look too far from what the period engravings of Morgan look like. As to the boots, I don't know. I maintain merely as personal opinion that any seafaring man wouldn't wear those clunkers onboard ship....but I suppose Morgan wearing them during his land campaigns is not out of the question as we're talking closer to ECW period here. But they were predominantly designed & worn as calvary boots, right?

Looks smelly! But cool though.

Minor discrepancies in ratings are fine though, because as a potential buyer scrolls down the thread he/she will get an OVERALL consensus based on all the ratings. If most of the ratings are high, it will tell viewers that the item may be well worth considering. An item with consistent low ratings will also serve a useful purpose. It's like browsing Amazon - each item has an "overall" star rating that is a continuously updated average of all the individual ratings.

Yeah in my house we LOVE watching Newton's Blackbeard. He's so greasy and conniving! I walk around all the time singing "liTTle Johnny MILLER...somethingsomethingsomething...ho-ho-hoho...he-he-hehee"

I'd stand in line to see such a thing! You know what movie struck a surprisingly nice balance between gritty reality and hollywood? Polanski's "Pirates" with Walter Mathau. The story isn't very good but it isn't afraid to linger on quiet, slow periods where you can savor Capn' Red's dialogue, nor is it afraid to make dirty, violent situations humorous. :)

Now THAT is damn true!! That is one of the all-time best roles I've EVER seen in film or tv. I tell ya, any pirate movie would really benefit from casting Robin Weigert and/or Ian McShane...those two are STELLAR. Just a sheer joy to watch. Every sentence out of their mouths is pure dramatic gold. Ultimately the MOST important thing a pirate movie should have is the integrity to history that Deadwood has. (yes, I KNOW Deadwood changed some events & the sequence in which they happened, but I'm talking about the overall effect) Would it slump at the box office? Heck no - Deadwood is quickly chasing down Sopranos to become the most popular show ever for HBO, based almost solely on fan word-of-mouth. See as cool as Master & Commander was, and as much as all us salts love it, it didn't reach out and grab you the way Deadwood does. Make a movie with characters and dialogue as compelling as Deadwood with the production sensibilities of M&C and you'll have a winner.

Toss in the fact that girl-pirates have already been used as a gimmick for pirate flicks means you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to try and revisit that. My favorite Hollywood girl-pirate was Anne Bonney in The Spanish Main.

The pose itself looks remarkably like a Pirates of Penzance poster, perhaps the poster was based off this, or vice versa.

Sure, 50 or 60 bucks for some beer, chicken wings and a "cheap date" from the wrong part o' town! I can't imagine much more than that level of activity happening 340 years ago in Port Royal! Well, throw in some brawls, gambling, etc....

Oh and PLEASE do not shy away in fear from touching upon slavery, tobacco, etc. Both very real and very vital parts of life back then. Though I suppose those words are like the kiss of death to investors. :) By and large remember that 90% of pirates were the type of criminal who be robbing 7-11's today, not high-profile heists. It was about getting quick ready money to sate immediate needs, and perhaps if you were lucky enough to not have to work again.