PiP 2008

[Capt. Sterling]

Not far fetched at all.... I like the idea of shooting prisoners...as one still gets the bounty in the end, dead or alive....

[Abbington M. Normal]

Not far fetched at all.... I like the idea of shooting prisoners...as one still gets the bounty in the end, dead or alive....

thank ye Cap'n.

[Harry]

We shoot an escaped prisoner in our Civil War event, so the precedent has been set. Keep that idea on the burner and we'll figure out where to implement it.

[Sean Merriweather]

that sounds great . so who going to be the prisoner?let's have willam be it like this pip.

[Jack Roberts]

Sean you must see the new video!

[Abbington M. Normal]

that sounds great . so who going to be the prisoner?let's have willam be it like this pip.

I offer my services to be the prisoner (getting shot). I would really love to do it.

One thing I would like to make clear is that the person who gets shot does not die but wounded. I'm not sure if that what ever one ment but.

at your services

Abbington.

[Silkie McDonough]

Abby good lad ...we all die for the "cause" from time to time.

[Abbington M. Normal]

Abby good lad ...we all die for the "cause" from time to time.

Oi Silkie!! I miss ye already!! I also missed you sing, I heard you were AWESOME!! I really wish I could 'ave been there to 'ear ye.

[Fayma Callahan]

Fully stocked first aid kit was in Captain's Tent (Spike / Bone Island Tent) and was portable for battle situations. I will make several smaller versions for the different camps/battle areas. How many do we need to have? My Lifesquad will provide materials. We want to have as much safety equipment as anyone feels necessary. I was also involved in a couple of minor injury issues, overall though, very safe atmosphere for as much dangerous stuff that was abound. Perhaps also a list of trained personnel from each camp? Thoughts?

[Diosa De Cancion]

Agreed Fayma, people seemed very careful for all the things that could have gone wrong.... our EMT saw only one person, who hit his head on a rock during battle. We had a fully stocked jump bag in our booth, and I am sure we will have that again this year....

[Capt. Sterling]

Fully stocked first aid kit was in Captain's Tent (Spike / Bone Island Tent) and was portable for battle situations.  I will make several smaller versions for the different camps/battle areas. How many do we need to have? My Lifesquad will provide materials. We want to have as much safety equipment as anyone feels necessary.  I was also involved in a couple of minor injury issues, overall though, very safe atmosphere for as much dangerous stuff that was abound.  Perhaps also a list of trained personnel from each camp? Thoughts?

I had the basics over by the careening camp along with folks knowledgeable in first aid, who recommended we all take a basic cpr course... couldn't hurt could it?

From past experience I have seen countless surgeons carrying real bandages and some type of cut cleaning meds onto the field... to treat minor things immediately. As they are already playing surgeon, folks know who to turn to.

Also for the heat, I was rather surprised to see such a lack of water bottles, canteens etc... especially out on the field... without a lick of shade that area could be brutal. Also I would recommend having some ice strategically placed just in case someone goes down from the heat... Gettysburg does it all the time, so does Monmouth... along with making sure neckscarves are soaked in cold water before taking the field.

Also, we did have a number of medical folks available, they were most gracious to volunteer themselves right here in the PiP threads... they should have been pointed out in the safety meetings and then spread amongst the different battling groups.

I, for one, was very disappointed in the terrible lack of communication regarding meetings, no one took into consideration when changing meeting times to let the careening camp know until it was already too late to get to the damn meeting. Sorry it may have been just peachy to tell the folks already in the fort that we will be having a meeting in 30 mins, but by the time someone from the careening camp found out and ran back with the information twenty minutes was already used up and we still had to get gear, secure camp and walk all the way back to the fort and then to be insulted by someone who was checking our guns about being late who didn't even know how to handle some of the items we were carrying???

Okay,,, I'll stop venting now..maybe. aw what the heck you all hate me any way.... Communication is the key to safety in these events. It needs to be a whole lot better which could mean more meetings set in the evening, when public is NOT around and sent in schedules a least two weeks in advance to groups....

please don't tell me, at ten o'clock am on Thursday that all my people must be at a mandatory meeting at 2 pm that afternoon or else they will NOT be taking the field!!! Folks are still flying, driving in on Thursday because we were told the event does not officially start until Friday and not a word of the 2 o'clock meeting was mentioned prior to that morning... IF it had been we would have arranged flights, etc, to accommodate...

The safety meetings should also include EVERYONE, not just folks handling weapons... the more people aware of exactly what is supposed to be going on the safer the scenario .. and this includes the vendors as they should be helping to draw the crowds back from the actual fighting and policing for safety reasons... when we walked in for the first battle, they had no clue!! There should also be reenactors that police for safety also... in one battle several young children ran out behind the soldiers in the fort... they should never have had that opportunity in the first place..

Sorry folks I've been doing this for 35 years now... and the one thing that truly keeps people safe is communication well in advance and no alcohol during operating hours.

Fayma is an excellent example of a great communicator... she contacted me countless times regarding every little detail for a project she was handling for me... she made sure she found me immediately and went over each item as soon as we arrived... she went out of her way to make sure we had the information we needed.,,,

[Diosa De Cancion]

I'm right behind you waving that communication banner!!!!

Just know it was not only you all out in the careening camp. Our crewe all had weapons and wanted to be in the battles and no one told us what was going on. Being a nosy reporter I saw everyone in the mess tent and started asking around to find out there was a safety meeting happening

(On a funny note... I pretty much said the opposite of what you said, and thought it was crappy that only the careening camp people seemed to know what was going on and those of us who were camping in the fort were ignored)

I believe part of this is growing pains. They've never had this many people fighting in PIP battles before, and I have a feeling there were just a few things lost in the communication field.

This is one reason I am pushing for a 'crewe' schedule so we have a little idea what's going on.... the Bone Islanders seem to want that as well.

As for water,cold drink, our 'tavern encampment' always had a barrel of cold drink (be it water, crystal light, etc) for anyone who needed it. I tried to tell people as I saw them that it was available, and any time they came by we would fill them up with an iced drink to keep hydrated. We will be doing that again next year...and I will make sure it's on the 'crewe notes'(that i hope will exist) so everyone knows where we are and what we offer. I don't want anyone to become dehydrated (that's the pyrate mom in me coming out ).

[Harry]

Yes, the communication issue was something that was not tended to as it should have been. For that, I take all the responsibility (go easy with the cat-o-nine-tails). That will be fixed for '08 as there will be a separate reenactor schedule available only to participants. The schedule will allow participants to know what's going on inside and outside the fort at all times and will provide times for safety meetings. One thing that will be instituted for '08 is a nightly captain's meeting. Each camp will have to send a rep to this meeting where we will go over the next day's events and get a general idea of what might or might not be working. Of course, should something not be working correctly at any time, that issue should be brought to our attention immediately. On this schedule will be my cell number as well as Capt. Spike's from the Bone Island group.

I know that many of you have been tasked by others to be aboard this vessel or that vessel in exchange for whatever and may not be able to make a safety or captain's meeting. That will be something that we will have to work around.

[Diosa De Cancion]

ah Harry, we know better than to go after ya with the cat' o nine ,you'd like it too much :)

I know a lot of stuff this year was likely because the fest grew too damn fast. last year, there were a few handfuls of us and everyone was able to communicate.... so... growing pains happen.... no prob... we managed to run over, grumble at braze if he picked on us for being late, then get approved :)

[hurricane]

It's great to have schedules, but remember, this is Key West. 4 can mean 5 (Walk The Plank Championships), 11 can mean 11:30 or so (the Tryal). It's island time there - a rich tradition in the keys and one of its charms.

It's the old joke in the Caribbean. Men buy expensive Rolexes on the islands so they can tell how late they are to appointments. Only, it isn't a joke. If you think Key West is bad, go to Jamaica, the Caymans, the Bahamas or Belize once.

U.S. watch watching isn't an island way of life.

-- Hurricane

[Capt. Sterling]

It's great to have schedules, but remember, this is Key West. 4 can mean 5 (Walk The Plank Championships), 11 can mean 11:30 or so (the Tryal). It's island time there - a rich tradition in the keys and one of its charms.

It's the old joke in the Caribbean. Men buy expensive Rolexes on the islands so they can tell how late they are to appointments. Only, it isn't a joke. If you think Key West is bad, go to Jamaica, the Caymans, the Bahamas or Belize once.

U.S. watch watching isn't an island way of life.

-- Hurricane

I can accept that Hurricane, but then one particular person doesn't need to be shooting his mouth off and giving folks grief. We still don't know what was eating this guy, but we won't work with him again...and for some reason everyone seems to know who he is, and we haven't been naming names...if someone has a problem with us... please come talk to us its the only way to get around something that is most likely nothing more than a simple and easily fixed misunderstanding....

As to time, reenactments have always been a "hurry up and wait" affair. And I certainly don't hold Harry accountable (although if he truly likes a little flogging now and then we would be happy to oblige ) the man was running around all over the place... what he needs is reliable/accountable folks in EACH camp to step up and say "hey we will make sure the guns in our camp are safe, we will make sure we are where we need to be on time, we will make sure you have runners available during the day IF you need to get in touch with us in a hurry...." Hell I detest walkie talkies but if necessary for safety... well then safety first.... Again, yes, I can understand growing pains but then lets work together to get things back on track... there are far too many very experienced folks in every camp that could make the entire event run a whole lot smoother and take some of the burden off of Harry's shoulders... but I think we should allow the actors to care for the actors and the living historians to care for their own... the two don't always know what is expected of each other's camp.

People that I found most helpful were Nigel, Fayma, and Capt. Jim... who always seemed to be trying to stay on top of everything...William Red Wake would most likely have been on top of things as well but.... ahem... we had him chained to a tree...

[Diosa De Cancion]

I can accept that Hurricane, but then one particular person doesn't need to be shooting his mouth off and giving folks grief. We still don't know what was eating this guy, but we won't work with him again...and for some reason everyone seems to know who he is, and we haven't been naming names...if someone has a problem with us... please come talk to us its the only way to get around something that is most likely nothing more than a simple and easily fixed misunderstanding....

As to time, reenactments have always been a "hurry up and wait" affair.  And I certainly don't hold Harry accountable (although if he truly likes a little flogging now and then we would be happy to oblige  ) the man was running around all over the place... what he needs is reliable/accountable folks in EACH camp to step up and say "hey we will make sure the guns in our camp are safe, we will make sure we are where we need to be on time, we will make sure you have runners available during the day IF you need to get in touch with us in a hurry...."  Hell I detest walkie talkies but if necessary for safety... well then safety first.... Again, yes, I can understand growing pains but then lets work together to get things back on track... there are far too many very experienced folks in every camp that could make the entire event run a whole lot smoother and take some of the burden off of Harry's shoulders... but I think we should allow the actors to care for the actors and the living historians to care for their own... the two don't always know what is expected of each other's camp.

People that I found most helpful were Nigel, Fayma, and Capt. Jim... who always seemed to be trying to stay on top of everything...William Red Wake would most likely have been on top of things as well but.... ahem... we had him chained to a tree...

 

Hmm....Sorry you had a bad experience with someone.... I probably was snipped at by someone about being late with weapons, but chances are I just shot back some smart comment.....

I agree that there needs to be better communication....

I believe harry has made a great step with a nightly captains meeting. if at the close of fest (or some other convenient time) we all have a 'here's what's happening tomorrow and where your people need to be' meeting, that will help with a lot of this.

I too appreciated Harry, Spike, Nigel, Scarlett Jai, and everyone else who was always trying to lend a helping hand. Next year we just need more people in the know who can make sure everyone with them knows what's going on too!

Diosa

[Capt. Sterling]

I agree that there needs to be better communication....

I believe harry has made a great step with a nightly captains meeting. if at the close of fest (or some other convenient time) we all have a 'here's what's happening tomorrow and where your people need to be' meeting, that will help with a lot of this.

I too appreciated Harry, Spike, Nigel, Scarlett Jai, and everyone else who was always trying to lend a helping hand. Next year we just need more people in the know who can make sure everyone with them knows what's going on too!

Diosa

I whole heartedly agree with ye Lady.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Those meetings are really a key function for battle re-enactments folks. In ACW we have "Captains Call" every morning and evening for company commanders to receive schedules, orders, etc., as well as "Sergeants/Orderly Call" every morning to relay to the troops any and all actions on the feild. You can't go wrong there. Glad to see this happenning!

Bo

BTW... I always keep a large jar of Pure Yellow Mustard in camp for instant burn relief. Used it in welding shops and in the Navy. Works wonders on the pain and if you get it right on ASAP it will even reduce the severity of the burn somewhat. Tried and true I swear by it!

[Capt. Sterling]

From what I am seeing of the pirate community, and mind you, this is not a bad thing, but they are far from regimental like Rev. War and ACW. Having done the Wild West thing, which I would say is more like the pirates, I would highly recommend at least one safety meeting where everyone participating must attend... KISH has done this numerous times and it works brilliantly... the more people on the same page the better... follow ups with representatives from each crewe each evening, when others wish to go to town or the pub, by all means but the first meeting should be a must for everyone.

I would recommend that the very first night...after a vast majority of folks have arrived... there should be a pot luck dinner where we can all meet and greet and go over the scenarios, battle plans, and allow people to explain how they would like to contribute. Again we would be all be on the same page then...

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I was not intending to suggest that pyrates should be regimentals!

Merely stressing organization for safety's sake.

Remeber the five 'P's for success;

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Perfomance!

(Or in this case Pissed Pyrates! )

Bo

[Silkie McDonough]

Oi Silkie!! I miss ye already!! I also missed you sing, I heard you were AWESOME!! I really wish I could 'ave been there to 'ear ye.

Abby you are sweet! How nice to be missed by you. Perhaps we will have the chance to harmonize next year!

[RustyNell]

Harry said

"One thing that will be instituted for '08 is a nightly captain's meeting. Each camp will have to send a rep to this meeting where we will go over the next day's events and get a general idea of what might or might not be working."

I think that will solve all the communication problems. Schedules for these things have a tendancy to change day to day. Perfect way to keep everyone informed.

[Misson]

This is sort of neat. I suspect it's well beyond our means to assemble any such thing for 2008, but I think it would be a cool to do given infinite supplies of money and people.

"The hardest Work we had was to get the Guns down to the Water, the Earth being so soft, that they who help'd to carry them sunk half a leg deep. To make it as easy as I could, I contriv'd a Frame of Bamboe Canes, under which 60 Men could stand, and bear equal Weight on their Shoulders. Tho' they were large 4 Pounders, the Gun and the Frame did not exceed 15 C. Weight; but had not the Prisoners we took help'd us (tho' it had been an easy Task in a cold Country) I could hardly have pick'd Men enough on our own for the Work, John Gabriel, one of my Company, a Dutch-man was missing. [Rogers later learned that Gabriel was lying in a house in the town of Guiaquil drunk in a "Brandy-wine fit."]" (Rogers, A Cruising Voyage Round the World, p. 101)

[hurricane]

Harry said

"One thing that will be instituted for '08 is a nightly captain's meeting. Each camp will have to send a rep to this meeting where we will go over the next day's events and get a general idea of what might or might not be working."

I think that will solve all the communication problems. Schedules for these things have a tendancy to change day to day. Perfect way to keep everyone informed.

I would highly recommend a morning meeting instead many head into town right after the festival gates close and don't return until late.

Plus, besotted heads of evening aren't likely to listen clearly. Far safer and far better to have morning meetings where everyone is fresh and we can make last minute adjustments, such changing locales of stage events if the weather turns sour. Things are always so fluid in KW and the festival.

It always allows those who arrive late the night before to be in on things for the day's activities. There are those coming who don't get the privilege of playing for the full time and come in late Friday night, for instance to play Saturday.

Plus it gives us a chance to go over the ground rules. For instance, one pirate pulled a real knife on one of the teenage soldiers and drove him to the ground with the knife at his neck. I know that Cascabel and cast will be having a "hands off" the tryal for everyone this year because it got out of hand last year. These are the things that everyone should be hearing with a clear mind and only hours to remember what was said, than sleeping on it in a besodden mind.

Just my experience from all these years of doing events.

-- Hurricane