The Kudos Begin

[hurricane]

I want to personally thank Spike and the rest of the fabulous Bone Island Buccaneers for not only taking the fort fest to the next level but three or four beyond that.

Thanks to the Callahans -- the entire bunch -- for their warm friendship and amazing photos that they give us year in and year out.

Thanks to Harry and the entire fort staff for their hospitality, clearing the way for us, making us feel at home, solving some often bizarre problems and telling great ghost stories that still give me chills -- you guys are the best.

To all the cast of the Tryal of Anne Bonny and Mary Read -- thanks for letting me be your narrator. I'll have my part memorized by next year, promise.

To the Crewe of the Archangel... what can I say? The festival would not be the same without you. What an amazing cast of characters and true pirate hunters. And the hanging -- beyond words!

To my own crewe -- wow - you made it look easy. Still can't believe you broke camp and the shoppes in 40 minutes. That has to be a record.

Well, enough of my sappery...

Others feel free to chime in.

-- Hurricane

[Jack Roberts]

Wow, I can't wait til next year. I am so sorry I had to miss it.

I know it was a lot of fun. I just hope there still room for all of us.

[William Brand]

I guess my photos didn't arrive in time...?

[Animal]

Here's my penny and a half. More fun than should be legally allowed. Congrats to Harry and the Bone Island Buceneers for a sucessful year. When I go back to work, I'm filling in my vacation request for next year. I'll get there if I have to crawl there.

Animal

[Diosa De Cancion]

On the charity front I need to thank Fayma Callahan, Lily Alexander and Silkie for helping out with the Pyrates of the Coast fundraising in 'fill my chest... find a cure....'

Lily came up with the idea for bidding on being able to cut the hair of M.A.D'Dogge, Lily and Patrick and that raised over $200. Donated meals by Fayma and Lily at the Silkie's Hyde raised over $200 more and our tea shop brought in well over $100 in tea sales. Since we have a matching funds program, that bring us to over $1000 towards our charity!

Next year we will come up with some other fun things to do to raise money for charities and keep this trend going! It will be a heck of a lot easier if we are out in the encampment area...

Diosa

[Captain Jim]

The tally for the right to cut hair came to $255; Spike for $100 to cut Madd Dogge's hair, Edward for $95 to cut Lilly's and Mae and Brig went in together and cut off Patrick's for $60. The rules were these: The three top bidders win, with the highest getting first pick on whom they wish to cut, the second highest gets second pick. It was the fastest and most spirited bidding of the night from an opener of $15 to $100 in about 60 seconds. Most of the crowd dropped out at $40 and Mae and Brig at $60. Then it was just Edward and Spike. The bids were coming as fast as cannonballs in a broadside they were, but Spike was just not going to be outbid for the right to cut off the Dogge's hair. I have to wonder just how high he would have gone...Now if I had thought of it, I could have started bidding with the $813 we got from the Dead Man's Chest auction just to see how high he would have gone.

Oh yeah, the DMC auction brought in $813. Two vendors from this year have already pledged donations for next year and plans are under way to have two auctions (on Saturday and Sunday) and earlier in the day. Details will come when I get around to starting the 2009 Dead Man's Chest thread.

And since this is the kudos thread, special thanks to Mae and Brig for acting as our "Vanna Whites" and displaying the wares during the auction. They also showed the auction items...

Also Spike for lending his inestimable crowd skills as the auctioneer.

Lilly and Edward for fussing over all of us in the Mercury camp. And for coffee. Must...have...coffee...!

Harry for, well, being Harry and providing us with a big-arse Pyrate sandbox to play in and keeping the figurative cats out of the sand.

The Callahans et al for the 19,000+ pictures that they shot this year (and,no, that's not a typo, I meant 19,000+)

Silkie for the Extraordinary Ordinary Sealkies Hyde that became the focal point of the camp, especially at night. Great meals were had there, too, as I can attest.

More Kudos to come...

Edited December 9, 2008 by Captain Jim

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

$813!!! Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! you all musta kicked in some really cool stuff to go with the junk I sent! Wow! Count me in for next year to build another and supply some small items again! I will start earlier this time and hopefully get more done. School should be a little bit easier for me now. (NO MORE MATH!!! I finish my final tomorrow and have a good solid 'B' going in).Way to go Pyrates!!!

Bo

[theM.A.dDogge]

a personal thanks to the folks who drove the bidding up so high for the privalege to cut our hair....and to Captain Spike of the Bone Island Buckos....who not only pitched in $100.... to git even with me for loosin every event to me....but for also giving me a very high priced hair cut....not only do i now have a bald spot where i once had 12" of lovely locks.....while walking down town keywest the following day...walked past a very high class hair salon...where i saw an eighty year old wooman gitting the same cut i now sport!!!!.....i was told that i an "Posh Spice" now have a earliy similar hair cut......next year....i think Patrick Hand and I will re-enact the Spice Girls...with our new doos!?!?

once again...thanks alot...ya bastard

[RedJessi]

I just know I am not going to remember everyone - especially since I really want to thank everyone and I am terribly bad with names - and most of you have several different aliases! That aside...

Callenish and Salty - You guys were utterly fantastic, not only for giving me a place to stay, but also loaning me various bits of this and that, slicing off a hunk of ham and sliding me a cider on more than one occasion, for answering various and sundry questions, and just being all around awesome.

Kate and Mickey - You guys were too delightful for words, for being patient and funny and informative and so darned welcoming that I believe you just may be stuck with me. And thank you for offering to help me out with the PC side of this new hobby - I am sure I will be in touch. Hanging out with you guys was one of the best things of the event for me - next to shooting Maeve!

The FIRST All Girl Cannon Crew! Kate, Grace, Rusty - I had a blast (Wah-wah, terrible pun intended)! Thanks for including me, for it truly was an honor. And thank you for the drills, the education, the commraderie, and yes, even the stinky water. Ok, I lied, not for the stinky water at all, but if I had to endure the initiation, I am glad to have done so with such foine up-standing young lasses such as yerselves!

Sealkie - Damnation, if the Hide wasn't just ten pounds of fun in a 2 pound bag, I don't know from fun. And not only was it cool to hang out in at night, with rhum and stories and music and such, but you also made sure tehre were always snacks on the tables, water-ade at the ready and enough shade to make it welcoming any time of the day as well.

To everyone else - and I do mean everyone - thank you for being the intelligent, funny, passionate and engaging people you are! You are all amazing people and I am so grateful to have met you. I am sure I will be seeing more of you all in 2009, at the very least at the next PiP and probably before as several people have told me I simply HAVE to come to this or that event.

[Cpt Sophia M Eisley]

A fellow newbie here (to PiP)...I too had a hard time keeping up with the names, but trust me when I say I remember the faces and the compassion, good humor and warmth you showed to me and a great many others in the encampment during the stay.

Thank you so much Callenish and Salty for a roof over me head. You two are the nicest most down to earth individuals, and your little Hamish is too cute for words! He has such beautiful blue eyes, and the healthiest pair of lungs I have ever heard.

A big thank you to everyone else, particularly the Mercury crewe for taking me in and making me feel welcome. I enjoyed talking with all of you (Mercury and other crewes), and getting the chance to observe and take part in the many personas, reenactments and shennanigans that went on over the long weekend. A special shout out to Red Jessi for being a great "tent roomie" and providing a yummy sip of butterscotched libations one night, as well as several interesting conversations on shoes, psychology and other topics. And to Silkie...your ordinary made the event extraordinary - an ideal place to hang out and chat with neighbors, swap stories on whatever, and in the evening, eat yummy meals and swap bottles of rum and other libations during conversation or fyne music and singin'. Bravo lass! *claps ensue*

A special thanks to Mission (awesome salmagundi...and event recap!), Willie Wobble (for his "wobble juice", bottle wrapping skills and company, especially on parade night), and Mary Diamond and Sterling (for helping me to spruce up my new shoes with ribbon). Last but not least, the comedic, historical stylings of Douglas Pummell and Wicked William had me in stitches. I will never forget either of you, EVER (I'm sure you'll never let me...heehee), and I am looking forward to St Augustine and future gatherings.

[Sheila]

I'd like to thank everyone for making it a wonderful festival!! Especially Harry, the Calahans, BIB's, Pyrates of the Coast, and everyone in the encampment. I finally got a chance to hang out with you all on the beach and I very much enjoyed it! I think we will be joining you in camping out there next year.

[Brig]

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible. I can't tell you how great it was, but if you were there, I probably don't have to anyway!

To the Bone Island Buccaneers, you guys are one of the best parts of the event for me. Thank you so much for all your hard work and your passion for what you do. You're good people.

To the crew of the Archangel, you always amaze me anew with your kindness and humor. It's like Christmas every time I get to be with you all. A special thanks to Captain Sterling for providing the terror twins with a place to sleep at night, and to M.A.d'Dogge for the green fairy and the ghost hunting fun, and countless laughs.

To the Callahans, just...wow. Thank you.

A special thanks to Katie and Mickey for the great pictures and company, Mission for keeping up the journal for another year, and really, I could go on and on. There were so many people who made this event great by contributing some part of themselves. I can't list all of you, but know that you are appreciated.

Finally, thank you to Mae for not fussing at me every night when I'd stagger into the tent and step on you a few times while trying to put my inebriated self to bed.

Edited December 10, 2008 by Brig

[Capt. Sterling]

It was hard work, my feet still hurt, and now, I don't know which is worse to walk on sand or coral... still the event was fantastic and all because of them what made a showing...

To Spike and the Bonies, whatever it takes mates, just ask, I am always at yer service.

To Ma and Papa Razzi Callahan, ye both are the heart of this event, all the work ye do for the photos etc, is gratefully appreciated by one and all especially this old pyrate hunter. Ye always bring a warm smile to my day and make that crawl to the safety meetings well worth the effort. Thank ye for the breakfasts, especially since mine had to be different from all the rest...

To Hurricane and Diosa, thanks fer always having space and something to eat or drink when needed as well as the wonderful company. Twas grand getting to know ye a bit better this year... and... ahem... um.. thanks Lady fer ... cough, carrying me back to camp and putting me to bed Saturday night... ahem....

To the Mercury Crew, always nice to share the beach with ye all, even if yer a bunch of no good pirates...Well done Captain Jim, especially the Dead Man's Chest. And sorry I am Patrick not to have found them bear traps...but I reckoned ye would not appreciate me screaming in yer ear, so early in the morning..

To Hugh and Salty thanks fer the loan of Hamish, sorry things went so late...

To all the newbies who worked so hard to get to know all us chickens runnin around without heads, thanks fer your company, thanks fer yer patience and understanding... we are grateful that you came and hope to see you again next year and at other events during the year.

And to old friends, what can one say, save twas good to be in yer fine company again...

A special thanks to Mae and Brig fer not complaining every time I stepped on ye when ye were asleep...

Thanks to Silkie and her Hide, for a place to play during the night, watch Stynky steal things from everyone and share good company.

Thanks to Maddogge fer winning the Walk the Plank contest AGAIN... we were so nervous fer ye, that ye would have RUINED the rest of the weekend fer EVERYONE in the crewe IF ye had lost... but then we had the highest confidence in ye.

And of course, thanks to the Archangel Crewe and ahem... cousin... ack.. Robbie... a mighty fine job from the lot of ye... I could not ask fer a better crewe... right then, maybe I could, at least then someone would actually WIN all the pirate Olympic games and not just fer showing up...

Bean wants to add a special thank ye for all those that made her birthday special... and I thank ye too... it means a lot to me as well.

And to them that helped me make it down... what can I say... thank ye.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Diosa De Cancion]

To Hurricane and Diosa, thanks fer always having space and something to eat or drink when needed as well as the wonderful company. Twas grand getting to know ye a bit better this year... and... ahem... um.. thanks Lady fer ... cough, carrying me back to camp and putting me to bed Saturday night... ahem....

Captain, it was truly my pleasure to undress you, redress you and undress you again in your bed. Anytime you need such services, feel free to call on me. I am vying for the best mistress role :)

Besides, contrary to your griping crewe, I found you a complete joy. I am sure I have not laughed, giggled and stumbled so much in...well as long as I can remember. It was a delightful time!

Diosa

[Mary Diamond]

I guess my photos didn't arrive in time...?

William, dear, I am sorry ~ Yes! Your 2007 Pirates In Paradise DVD was Fantastic! I truly enjoyed seeing all the fun from last year ~ though, I would have preferred seeing You!

Next year, please?