how u get into pirates

[MrSnailGrave]

just wornding how ever one got into it or when you first know ??

i know you all got some good storys

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

The Cowboy and Ninja things just weren't working out for me.

[LadyBarbossa]

"the Goonies"

~Lady B

[Black Syren]

I grew up close to the coast so when little and riding across the ferries or spending summer vacation at Crystal Beach or Galveston we were always pirates.

[Rumba Rue]

Better booty.

[Patrick Hand]

or when you first know ??

Dang... back 'bout third grade... ( kinda old enough to kinda understand the stuff)I wanted a part in a play......Treasure Island I think it was....I wanted to be one of the Pyrates....... never got the part.. tho....

Heck wit them.....

But back in about third grade... I knew better....

Now I got's th' guns... I gots th' cutlass... noone can tell me I ain't a Pyrate.... (or a Marine on th' Royaliste.... but that be 'nother story......)

(Kinda funny... if you ever get up here in the California Mountains and ask around.... they will direct ye ter th' Pyrate O' Calaveras (that be Spanish fer Skulls....... how cool is that ?...)

Almost 50.... but as mr. Jimmy B. says......"I'd rather die whal I'm living than live when I dead"...........

Think that explaines it....... (well kinca sorta...)

[Coastie04]

Well, back when I was in about 8th grade, I took a weeklong trip on the historical schooner Adventuress, a 101' vessel built back in 1913. I caught the sailing bug. The next summer, I volunteered on the Lady Washington. I grew up around black powder, but nothing as big as a cannon (even the swivel guns and mighty 3 pounders that the Lady has). Between the sailing and sweet smell of black powder, I was hooked.

Coastie

[Perkeo]

I got into pirates because of one word......RUM!!!!!!

Well, I'm some what kidding. I've been in the SCA for a while and I wanted a new direction from every one else. (I'm still a Viking at heart) But I started doing research on piracy in the late 1500's about 8-10 years ago and decided to go that route. I'm not a "golden-age" pirate but I am a captain employed by one of the greatest pirates of the time....Granuaile (Grace) O'Malley.

Actually, in the period my persona is in we don't have rum yet (sigh) but we do have whiskey and wine!

[Graydog]

I was merely exercising me rights of salvage, which by the way are internationally recognized on the high seas as it were, when these people on board the ship be takin umbrage of me exercisin me rights.

They started yellin, “we stopped when we saw yer colors rise, ye didn’t need to fire across our bow, that belong to me dear sweet mother, give it back”…well boo hoo. Only brigands would interfere with somebody in a lawful and peaceful act such as I was conducting. An that be the Lord’s truth as it were. So, I ask ye, what was I suppose to be a doin with brigands on the high seas? Why ye toss ‘em over the side ya do. Ker plunk in the water did they go.

So then, I bring this har abandoned ship in, makin the waters safe fer navigation. Mind ye, a lot of work on me part to do this er task and it be done simply to benefit others in society. Nobody needs an abandonded ship runnin amuck up and down the coast, why it could endanger children that had ventured to far off shore. All I asked in return was to be allowed to be a sellin a few baubles that were found way back hidden in the hold. Nay, do I get to sell these er things or even a simple thank you? Oh, no, fer me simply exercising my dutiful rights as a good sailor they call me a pirate! The injustice of it all.

-Greydog

[Coastie04]

You're a good, productive member of society, Graydog. Just one little question, what flag did ye fly? It's amazing how a youthful and ignorant cabin boy can be too hasty to run up the colors and mistakenly run up the wrong one. Sure, it be an honest mistake, but then again, the courts aren't all that honest, are they?

Coastie

[Graydog]

Well of course we be runnin up a flag denoting good will and comradeship. It be havin X to mark the spot and a beautiful head image to show we were intellectuals don't cha know.

Har be a link to er:

http://www.frappr.com/pyracypub/photos/8464746

[Perkeo]

Aye, never seen a more friendlier flag.

[Captain Midnight]

I got into pirates at about the age of 9 or 10 when I got a birthday cake with little plastic pirate figures on it. I think one was a captain, one was one-legged on a crutch, and the other had a shovel burying treasure. Then, I read Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, and I've been going ever since. That was about 30 years ago, when it all began...

[Aedon]

To be honest, I really don't remember NOT being a pirate. My family has been on the Carolinas' coastline for well past three centuries, and not all of them were shipwrights and blacksmiths.

Aside from a supposed blood pull towards rum running, sailing, death and intrigue on the high seas, and good old fashioned sustenance pillaging; I would guess that the first time I really considered being a pirate as a choice rather than a birthright would be in third grade when I discovered Treasure Island. Barbecue, the man with one leg, and a thousand started pirate careers.

Edit: Ooh, dear God, I love that term. Sustenance pillaging. It just sprouted from my head, Athena-esque. 'Tis a beautiful thing, aye?

[hurricane]

I was fortunate to be asked to join the Seattle Seafair Pirates while they could still drink heavily in public, scare the hell out of the kids and chase women. I was 24. Stayed with them (I'm in the midst of my memoirs on my piratical escapades with them - some pretty freaky stuff there).

After 8 years I engineered a mutiny and took almost all the group's founders with me to form the Northwest Brethren of the Coast, which is still around today, 18 years later in Seattle.

The funniest part of all that was the Seafair Pirates sued us for trademark infringement, claiming the only right to wear pirate costumes in the country (if they'd only known how many others are out there). Long story short, they sued us for infringing on their "trade dress", ran out of money and settled out of court. Not very piratey, is it? Suing in court.

Things eventually got too political in the Brethren of the Coast after five years so I started the current crewe, The Pyrates of the Coast, which is now in Melbourne, Florida. Gets in yer blood, it does, says I.

-- Hurricane

[Captain Midnight]

Dang! Can you imagine what things would have been like if they had won the suit concerning dressing as a pirate?

[captain LadySlasher]

me.... peter pan and the pirates that aired on fox in the 1990's...

i was just a wee bilge rat back then, and fell in love with pyracy. but i really knew i was pirate crazed when i read peter pan.

then thats what started my quest to find real pirates, and when i did i knew i wanted to tell the world they ARE real.....

hhheeeeee.........

im also a history geek> that could be a part of it too..

[mcdrago]

*Sips his rum and lights his pipe*

Now then where to begin??? Ah, there it be....the missing memory. A story of high adventure, in color no less on our brand new color TV. First family to have one on the block I tells ye! Errol Flynn in...."Captain Blood" Now theres a fine tale of piracy on the high seas. My favorite though is Burt Lancaster in "The Crimson Pirate". They were the first to use the "lets hide under the dingy and walk into the sea" routine. Stolen by some pirates of course, for some silly new movie with Cap'n Jack somethig or other. Of course, I be datin' meself by tellin' that story eh mates?

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Mcdrago wrote: "My favorite though is Burt Lancaster in "The Crimson Pirate". They were the first to use the "lets hide under the dingy and walk into the sea" routine. Stolen by some pirates of course, for some silly new movie with Cap'n Jack somethig or other. Of course, I be datin' meself by tellin' that story eh mates?"

Arrrrr, I must have watched "The Crimson Pirate" over a hundred times, it was on 'the million dollar movie" over and over and over again on channel 11 out of NYC back when I was little more than a powder monkey. Aye, Mr. Bellows... it be right proper that these new upstart movies pay homage to the old ones. Also note that Mythbusters busted the underwater walking boat thing, but it still is a great stunt.

But the movie "The Crimson Pirate" and the book "Sinbad's Book of Pirates" by Capt. A. E. Dingle,

London, George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd 1935 were my beginnings in the wonderful world of all things Pirate.

For more books on Pirates check out this site: http://www.larryvoyer.com/Piratical/pirate...ges/pirates.htm

[hurricane]

Dang! Can you imagine what things would have been like if they had won the suit concerning dressing as a pirate?

Yeah, a scary thought - thank god we were doing Captain Morgan rum raids three times a week at the time and had more money than we knew what to do with - a good lawyer was a solid investment for pirates everywhere it seems.

-- Hurricane

[HildeKitten]

I suspect all the pirate movies I saw as a child :)

[Captain Tito]

Back in the 70s I rode POTC both in Florida and California.

I also wrote a report about Blackbeard when our 3rd grade class did reports on personalities of early American Folktales.

I was fascinated by the stories of Edward Teach in what he did on the waters of early America, and also on land. The legendary stories about him inspired me greatly. As I got older I put Pirates "aside".

Then, 5 years ago, I had won a trip for a weekend in Seattle.

I went into the Pirates Plunder gift shop, not having been in such a shop since Disney years ago. All of a sudden I felt an urge starting inside me.

Then that night we went to see the first POTC. As fate would have it, after spending 2 hrs or so watching Jack and Will go up against Barbossa, we walked out of the theatre and right into the Seafair Pirate Parade. It was like walking out of the movie, and then right INTO it.

(having not been involved in Pirates at that time, I had no idea who the Seattle Seafair Pirates were, or what the parade was going to be, that was being advertised around town that day, so it was quite a shock to discover that it was a Pirate parade). After all that, I got back into Pyracy again, and have never turned back. I went back to Pirates Plunder the next day, bought my first loot, and here I am.

[CharlieQ]

How did this happen? More importantly, why didn't it happen sooner?

I got into the music end of things first by way of me playing mate Captain Brad McClary and Ships Company. The chantey nights led into the history aspect of things, me being ye old ships surgeon & physician,.

From there I ventured into the pyratical/historical aspects, and more bad influences from the likes of Captain Fletcher Moone, Duncan McGuyver and other scallywags whom I've come to know and heartily respect (but don't tell 'em that!).

Then, in late 2007, I went to my very first (at my age, no less) renfaire, here in Maryland. Okay, I'm done, show me ships articles to sign!

Oh, and the wenches, did I fail to mention the wenches? From the Guild to the bevy of lovely lasses I've chanced to meet, never have I met a more diverse, sincere and good to the core group of people.

[Rusty Barrels]

You know Hurricane I thought you looked familar. In the early 80's I thought of joining them but didn't know if I could handle the drinking ( even tho I liked trying ). Then in the 90's it got too politically correct so I just figured I'd always be a lone seawolf. Oh by the way, I went to West Seattle ( spent most of my life there on Alki )a little while back and thought about having drink at the BenBow Inn ( remember that ?) and found it was gone. I alway did liked the bar fashioned after an inside of a tall ship. I guess I'll have to start going to Port Ludlow to the bar there if I want to enjoy a boat drink in tall ship setting. Didn't know about the other stuff you were involved with, did know about the lawsuit but just forgot about it. Thanks for refreshing the memories.

[count de monet]

i have always been a closet pirate. when POTC came out, and i stumbled across the st. louis pirate festival, i was hooked.

the whole family enjoys going to the pirate fest, i get to play dress up, the kids have fun, and enjoy the shows.

this year, i am buying season tickets, so we can go to the ren faire, and the pirate fest more than once. there seems to be alot that i miss trying to keep a watchful eye on the kids. so i'll goevery weekend hopefully.

ok----that's how i've been outed :)