A Pirate Looking for Answers

[Capn Antonio Malasses]

The amount of questions I have for all of ye rivals the amount of rules in "The Code". That being said the best place to start is at the beginning.

Who are ye? And What do you do?

I've been looking over the forums for a few days and have learned quite a bit however I'd like to just come out and ask.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

How did you come up with your pirate name?

I see there are a few artisans here. Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

I've noticed that this forum seems spread out across the US. How does one find a crew or even start their own?

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

So many questions. Hope I didn't go overboard.

Thank ye in advance.

Capn Antonio Malasses

[Capn Antonio Malasses]

I realized I should have probably put a little bit in here about meself as well,

I am not technically a part of a crew. We have a band of us who get together for Rock Hall's Pirate Weekend but it's only once a year. I'd be interested in getting together with a group more frequently.

I have never been part of a re-enactment group but the idea sounds REALLY COOL to me and I'd love to find a local group.

Because I am not yet with a re-enactment group my costume is more theatrical and less historically accurate. I have never fired a flintlock pistol or a cannon. Although i would like to I just don't know anyone who owns one.

I am very interested in Pirate history and have read many books and websites on the topic (even though i can never seem to retain the information as well as I would like)

I am an artisan. I make a lot of different items from leather and metal. Usually they are for personal use or for friends. I don't normally sell them.

Again tahnks for ye help

Capn Antonio Malasses

[Mission]

Ahoy, Capn! These are good questions, but they have been asked before. (And you can always check out individual profiles for more info.)

Here are some threads you might like to peruse to find the answers:

What's your day job

Yer real name

What does your user name mean?

What does your avatar mean?

Pirate Persona

Bios

Going Hollywood

Vendors Index Thread

Pyrates on Etsy

Your interest in piracy

Tell us about yer crew

The best way to find a crew on this website is to look at the Pirate Crewes forum.

[Capn Antonio Malasses]

Thank Ye Mission. There is quite a lot of information there and I have read most of them before. I guess the main question I was looking to get answered taht I didn't directly see in these threads already is if the members of this forum are more re-enactors or more Renn Faire attendees.

I have seen many profiles that say the person is part of a re-enactment group. I was wondering what these groups do exactly and how the person got involved in the crew.

Thanks again for the Great links

Capn Antonio Malasses

[Mission]

There tends to be a mix of folks here. An observant member of the forum once pointed out to me that many of the East Coast and midwest re-enactors on this forum tend to be more or less moving towards period correct garb and re-enactments, while people on this forum from the West coast tend to be more involved with events that cater more towards "the popular image" of piracy. (Which sort of makes sense, given the environs.) But this is by no means a rule, and it does not hold true in every case.

I really don't know a lot of midwest ren-fair oriented pirates, although I do know some who come out to the re-enactment events I go to.

Personally, I've never been real interested in committing to a truly hard core crew, but I like to work on my PC surgeon impression. My crew is the Mercury crew, which doesn't really have what I'd call a formal organization. We've got members from all over the US. Our esteemed leader (who is not our captain because he doesn't want to be) lives in Utah somewhere. That would be William Red Wake. He started the Mercury Crew specifically for Pirates in Paradise back in 2006 or 2007 and it has grown from there. We decide which events we're going to attend through the Pub here or on Facebook and we tend to work inch by inch toward period correctness. (As such, it seems to me that we're a pretty open group and invite anyone who's interested in moving in that direction as well.) Most of our events are East Coast and midwest events, which is really odd given that our leader lives in Utah. Huh.

So that's my perspective. If you want my perspective on individual events, you'll find it (or, better said, them) on this web site. I've been writing really odd commentaries on the events I've attended since my first period re-enactment at Pirates in Paradise in 2007. However, they will in no way help you to answer your question - they're too bizarre for that.

[William Brand]

Who are ye? And What do you do?

William Pace. I live and work out of Logan, Utah as a graphic designer and photographer and I do too many things to list here.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

No. The place has great range. I happen to be, but I started out somewhere between fanciful interpretations and re-enacting. I now head up the nationwide crew of the Mercury. I simply joined began delving back in 2004 and just keep getting deeper and deeper into troub...the hobby.

How did you come up with your pirate name?

I took my first name, it being a period name and a name which appears in my lineage going back over a thousand years. The surname I use is Brand, which is a Danish great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granfather on my Mother's side.

I see there are a few artisans here. Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

Both.

I've noticed that this forum seems spread out across the US. How does one find a crew or even start their own?

There are numerous ways to contact a crew, but I would first search under the crews section. There are also nationwide groups such as the Mercury.

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

I re-enact the period between 1670 and 1720. Brand was born in 1670, 300 years to the day before I was born in 1970. I often play the part of the Mercury's Quartermaster at events around the country.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.

And...

...to be perfectly frank* I would gladly accept the position of Captain and serve there by acclamation, but there are some very strong feelings about having such a position on the Mercury crew. It would take a long while to explain.

* Notice that I didn't say honest. I can't be 'perfectly' honest, just somewhat honest.

[Mission]

Feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.

Hmm. Quite right. I was being far too terse by reciting forum link chapter and verse when I should have just answered your questions. Sorry about that Mr. Malasses. Again, welcome to the forum. Ignore the man behind the scalpel.

...to be perfectly frank* I would gladly accept the position of Captain and serve there by acclamation, but there are some very strong feelings about having such a position on the Mercury crew. It would take a long while to explain.

* Notice that I didn't say honest. I can't be 'perfectly' honest, just somewhat honest.

We should take a vote... I'll vote for you.

(Oh, wait, I don't get a vote.)

[William Brand]

Actually, Mission, you do get a vote. It works as follows. As a member of the crew (in a club member/hobbyist sense), you are allowed one vote.

However, the weight of your vote as an individual is measured differently from one member to another based on the strength of their opinion as it regards crew hierarchy. Add to this the pluses or minuses of the person's pirate history know-how on a wide range of maritime subjects, their own strengths or weaknesses for costuming (viewed through the skewed perspective of self and others and with the appropriate and proper portions of id and ego under the construct of self worth and individual identity). These must of course be balanced against the short and long term goals of the group at large and the impact on the pirate community as it exists now, both in relation to the members of the crew in a real world sense and in a historical fiction setting, and the opinions must reflect the nature of the crew as played to the public...to say nothing of the private and public reality of true self and the private issues of perceived persona as viewed in the context of the historical backdrop and then only as we understand it through materials of reference and from period examples as...um...

...I lost my train of thought. Doesn't matter. I was lying anyway.

[Mission]

Are you making up another Article we have to follow again?

[Capn Bloody Sam Rackham]

Cap'n Malasses,

To answer some o' th' questions put forth, I shall start by saying "Ahoy, an' welcome to th' pub, sir!

Who are ye? And What do you do?

I be Bloody Sam Rackham, 1st Mate o' The Cursed Few

I work in the construction field in me real life.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

I'd say a little bit o' both. Our group is a re-enactment group. Not so much as living history,

but the public view of pirates. We do several charity events here in the Southeast.

We are working up our first festival which, by the way, will be Grand!

Our captain is a member of the Devil's Dozen.

It all started years ago...

How did you come up with your pirate name?

I used a website that generated my pirate name.

I liked the sound, and built my persona around it.

Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

Not yet. Still looking for the niche, as it were.

How does one find a crew or even start their own?

Look in the crew sub forum. Ye might be able ta find one near ye.

Where ye be located?

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

Yes and no. Started with the POTC look. Building off of that to a more historical look.

I still want to look like what the public thinks a pirate should look like.

That's where it get'a a bit tricky. Kinda a mixture, methinks.

Hoped this helps ye out, mate!

[silas thatcher]

welcome to the pub !!

to put my two cents in regarding a few questions....

crew?? ya don't NEED a crew... you just need to fit in and play along in whoever's backyard yer in at the moment....maybe stay away from the mercury crew.... i hear they take anybody in !! (poking a little fun at me)

spread out ?? yes alot are, yet travel and get together at events...william redwake has mentioned that there are no like minded individuals within something like a gazillion miles of him... makes it kinda hard to get into a local crew...

name ?? had a silly one at first, then opted for one that would most likely have existed in the time frame... didn't wanna be "captain -----" because everyone seemed to be, but if you wanna make yours work for you, then go for it !!

period correct ?? (pc) since i didn't have anything better to follow at the time, i chose to follow the more well versed crowd here which so happens to follow pc-ness... learning lots as i go, and hey , even me, a near deaf, eyesight going, long time construction worker, never sewn before kinda guy, cut out, fitted and mostly hand sewed my very own breeches !! and they didn't turn out all that bad either !! next ones will be even better !!

besides, it can be a very rewarding, challenging, and educational path to follow...

reenacting ?? depending on your level of involvement, that too can be very fun... get to do neat sh!t !!

hope this idiotic rambling helps in some manner.... good or bad !!

[Bilgewater Browne]

Ahoy Capn Malasses,

If yer playin' at Rock Hall, stop by the pirate camp or pirate tavern and chew the fat for a while. Then ye can ask as many questions as we can stands to hear.

Lookin' forward to seein' ye

[Mission]

Hey, I liked the name Count du Monet! You could have created a really interesting backstory for that one.

Silas brings up a good point - you don't necessarily need to be in a crew to go to events. If you hang out here, you'll get to know people and the events they're going to and you can often just sort of show up so long as you play by the event rules. The last event I went to at Havre de Grace in Maryland, I represented no particular crew. I was mainly going to meet Blackjohn (another pub member) and hang out with his crew (Pirates of the Brethren).

There are events that do require you to belong to a crew, but if you express interest in them on the Pub here, a crew will often agree to include you in their group for that event. (Personally, I prefer events that don't require crew membership because "crew only events" often seem to be a little more uptight in other areas as well as group membership...but that may just be me.)

[hurricane]

Good questions all! And more than happy to answer them for you from my perspective.

Who are ye? And What do you do?

I am Hurricane... Captain of the Pyrates of the Coast, an entertainment troupe here in Florida.

In real life, I sit at home, make stuff up and clients pay me very well to do it. (Writer).

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

Definitely a mix of people here. That's what makes it interesting and lively.

How did you come up with your pirate name?

Earned it due to my bellowing and outbursts of German temper

Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

Have never sold anything really. Takes too much time away from pirating.

How does one find a crew or even start their own?

A great listing can be found at noquartergiven.net... There are a lot more crews than are listed in this forum.

Where ye be located?

Florida. Used to be in Seattle. Brought the crewe with me here.

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

Done both but found the re-enactment side to be a bit limiting for me since my pirate DNA is as an entertainer and performer. So I am back to my "hystorical" view - historical and hysterical at the same time. Been doing it since 1982.

-- Hurricane

[Capn Antonio Malasses]

Capn Bloody Sam Rackham,

We be setting sail from ports just outside of Philadelphia.

Silas,

You raise a good point about not needing a crew. As long as these forums can keep me up to date on events. I can just attend ones I can make it to. If I fall in with a crew then so be it.

Bilgewater Browne,

Aye we'll be at Rock Hall. My Father-Out-law has a ship at the Rock Hall Dock so we'll be there all weekend. If ye be going to the races look for the floating island. I'll be dressed just as I am in the picture to the left plus me hat.

Mission,

Count du Monet? Gotta Love Mel Brooks!

Capn Antonio Malasses

[Capt. Sterling]

Who are ye? And What do you do?

John Sterling, Captain of the Crewe of the Archangel, a group dedicated to Living History.

Regularly in the field of education.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

There is something for everyone here interested in the history of pyracy.

How did you come up with your pirate name?

It was given to me.

I see there are a few artisans here. Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

Both.

I've noticed that this forum seems spread out across the US. How does one find a crew or even start their own?

There are numerous ways to contact a crew, but I would first search under the crews section. The Crewe of the Archangel is made up of members from all over the United States. We currently have three members living in Pennsylvania.

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

The crewe of the Archangel strives for historically accuracy. We educate through Living History, trying to bring the life styles of the period 1670 through 1730 to life, both ship's crew and the people they would have interacted with on land.

And I humbly disagree with Silas on anyone can attend any event without being in a crew. Unfortunately that is not always the case. There are events that will allow you to participate with out a crew but many will only allow you to dress up and walk around without a crew, they will not allow you to participate in battles, skits, history demos, etc, unless you are a member of a crew.

[hurricane]

The good captain has a good point on that. While events like Pirates in Paradise allow anyone to participate, many events are crew only if you want to get into the thick of the action. For our own crewe activities we're often required to show proof of liability insurance, which can be a pricey proposition for individuals.

I guess it just depends on whether you want to participate or spectate. There are advantages and disadvantage to both as well.

-- Hurricane

[silas thatcher]

And I humbly disagree with Silas on anyone can attend any event without being in a crew. Unfortunately that is not always the case. There are events that will allow you to participate with out a crew but many will only allow you to dress up and walk around without a crew, they will not allow you to participate in battles, skits, history demos, etc, unless you are a member of a crew.

yes you are correct, good sir... i merely wished to give a general idea... but if i am not mistaken, there are only a few events that require such membership ?? or a few activities during general events ??

[Zingara Carmella]

Here is my version of the story ....as a new comer (me and my husb) have been to quite few events (TRF mostly and the one in Maryland VA )and you pretty much walk around get to say hi to a few ppl at the pubs or stores and that about it, then everybody knows everybody and go do stuff or look at you like you are one of the rest of the general public waiting to take a picture with a pirate instead of building friendships... maybe a naive perspective but if don't go there "recomended" or knowing someone you don't get to play.

We are not in re-enactment at least not yet, specially with 2 small kids don't have time and $ to dedicate to it, maybe in a few years but we like to learn the historic correct version of pyracy and to be some what more than halloween and ren pirates, as I said maybe naive .

[William Brand]

Here is my version of the story ....as a new comer (me and my husb) have been to quite few events (TRF mostly and the one in Maryland VA )and you pretty much walk around get to say hi to a few ppl at the pubs or stores and that about it, then everybody knows everybody and go do stuff or look at you like you are one of the rest of the general public waiting to take a picture with a pirate instead of building friendships... maybe a naive perspective but if don't go there "recomended" or knowing someone you don't get to play.

We are not in re-enactment at least not yet, specially with 2 small kids don't have time and $ to dedicate to it, maybe in a few years but we like to learn the historic correct version of pyracy and to be some what more than halloween and ren pirates, as I said maybe naive .

Not naive. Pragmatic. Re-enacting does cost money and then some, depending on the level of research and detail you wish to attain. It's best to ask a lot of questions, maybe even what you might think are too many. It's better to have asked too many questions than to have asked too few. And start simple. Buy or make a good shirt and a good pair of slops, stays, skirts, etc. Then work your way from there.

[Mission]

While there are events that you need to belong to a crew to shoot and eat and whatever, there are at least as many events (and quite a few more from my experience) where you don't need to belong. I have personally yet to see a "crew only" event that was so much fun that I desired to join a crew just be allowed to attend. As I suggested above, the ones I have seen come with extra responsibilities that I didn't particularly want. (Then again, my personal inclination is maintain my independence. Your mileage may vary.)

[LadyBarbossa]

My goodness, so many questions. :)

::: removes big plumed hat and bows elegantly::: the wicked Lady Barbossa, good sir. I'm both pirate and patriot. But in my non-historical life, I work at a radio station as an on air announcer.

I am a reenactor. I first became involved in American Revolutionary War and became interesting piracy just a couple months before Pirates of the Caribbean 1 when someone had mentined on a Rev War forum about Pirate reenacting. Oh, naturally I wanted to know more and get involved. Then, PotC came along. 18th c in general is my passionate interest.

How did I get m' pirate name? Well, I began with Blackheart, but that name everyone was using. I fancied Barbossa moreso than Jack in PotC so took on the name Lady Barbossa. And, well, the rest is history and it's stuck since then. Yes, I'm still Barbossa's greatest Admirer... to say at least.

I do private commissions at the moment for period attire. I research often attire amoung other things of the 18th c.

Hehehe. Oh, now THAT is the trick. Never been lucky with raising up a crew... yet. But generally what has been done, and I've done as well, is just post something somewhere of an upcoming event, attend, and well, goes from there often if those in attendence prefer ye to be Captain. I've made mention of a few events over the years but never made Captain... yet.

Historically close as possible. If I were accurate, I'd be bloody well living in the era at the moment. So, as close as I can get it with what resources we currently have today. Nothing will be perfect time period material, but we have some close enough items.

Hope that answers some of yo'r questions, good sir.

~Lady B

[Elena]

Who are ye? And What do you do?

I am Elena, I am an economist working in international affairs/ EU programmes management, and I am also an interpreter for English, French and Spanish.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

I am not a re-enactor, but I would have loved it. I am a writer of Age of Sail stories (as a hobby, and in my mother tongue, not in English) and, since one year ago, I discovered Roleplaying Games and I play on two Age of Sail ones (linked in my signature). On "Beat to Quarters" I am the PR Officer, and on "Before the Mast", I am one of the two administrators. I got into RPGs by chance, while browsing the net for historical documentation for a story I was writing. Google has its limits, but this time it was a good one.

How did you come up with your pirate name?

I have two pirate characters:

- Sol Picador (Piercing Sun) - a name meant both to highlight the man's skills with all kind of blades, from navaja to sword, and a diminutive from his middle name of Solano. In this purpose, he also wears a sun charm on his earring. (I wanted to give him an Aztec Sun tattoo too, initially, then I discovered that in my age of reference (be it 1719 or 1741) tattoos weren't yet common for sailors, they were brought from the Eastern Seas by Captain Cook's crew later.

- Sword Angel (Ange au Sabre) - also a name meant to highlight his fencing skills. And I explained it as a word play, because initially a woman in love had recommended this boy to the captain of "Marie Gallante", a corsair ship, with the words "Take care of my angel", so the crew made fun of him "Let's see what Mireille's angel is able to do!" And he proved himself, so instead of "Mireille's angel" in jest, he became "Sword Angel" with respect.

I see there are a few artisans here. Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

Not my case, I have never been good with my hands. I am good only at writing and learning foreign languages.

I've noticed that this forum seems spread out across the US. How does one find a crew or even start their own?

Who says only "across the US"? Our members (I am talking about both boards, and also about members who aren't active anymore, in this statement) are from US, Canada, Australia, Sri Lanka, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Finland, UK... and I might have forgotten 1-2 countries. The fact that I am here, courtesy of the Pirate Community Webring, means that I am still looking for crewmates - even if I got some through advertising everywhere.

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

I am focused on historical accuracy and I promote this on both RPGs I am on, and in my stories too. This is why I research a lot, and I provided online resources for the players of both games. (Well, there might exist a certain writer's license, as Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabattini had used too, but moderately used.)

[Capn Antonio Malasses]

Thank you all for your responses. I've leaned a great deal from them. It's funny how you'll get the answers you seek if you only ask the question.

Capn Antonio Malasses

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Who are ye? And What do you do?

still trying to figger that out.

Are ye, the members of this forum, mostly re-enactors? If you are, how did you get into it?

been accused of it many times, but still in denial, I think I am a real old guy. Got into it because I'm just plain nutz.

How did you come up with your pirate name?

Came with the costume?

I see there are a few artisans here. Do you sell your goods online or at shows?

I do make some stuff but I always end up giving it away.

Are you focused on being historically accurate or do you follow more of a modern view of Pirates?

Right now I'm trying to stay focused on being an old-guy at a University tryin ta get edumacated again.

sorry, I am killin' time before a night class, then the 70 mile drive home...*sigh*

Bo

fergot to adress this one:

I've noticed that this forum seems spread out across the US. How does one find a crew or even start their own?

had a crew but they all mutinied and scattered several years ago, been the lone survivor ever since.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Capt. Bo of the WTF co.