silas thatcher Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 some of the people do make things unpleasant... two events i like to attend we are not usually welcome (as "pirate" reenactors ) but as time goes on, people come to apprecieate us even though we are not in the mainstream of the event... those die hards that can't let go of "hating" us just get more bitter but leave us alone, while the others come around to accepting us it's kinda funny actually
oderlesseye Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 This thread inspired me to make this meme http://www.myspace.com/oderlesseyehttp://www.facebook....esseye?ref=nameHangin at Execution dock awaits. May yer Life be a long and joyous adventure in gettin there!As he was about to face the gallows there, the pirate is said to have tossed a sheaf of papers into the crowd, taunting his audience with these final words: "My treasure to he who can understand."
landlubbersanonymous Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 also... Eye mentioned that sometimes a group of people or an event can put a bitter taste in one's mouth. That wouldn't be an issue if said persons were cooked properly.
madPete Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 also... Eye mentioned that sometimes a group of people or an event can put a bitter taste in one's mouth. That wouldn't be an issue if said persons were cooked properly. ROTDLMAO - This is just one of the reasons I keep coming back. ;-) mP Aye... Plunder Awaits!
Jib Posted October 18, 2012 Author Posted October 18, 2012 If other people's actions cause you to stop reenacting, you have decided to let them control you. Why would you do that? I can see finding new people or new events if the old ones aren't serving you, but to quit the hobby because you don't like the way someone else behaves? Nah. Nicely put Mission! Excellent point!
Ransom Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 My very first pirate event was years ago at Port Washington, WI. With a few very notable exceptions, I felt like an outcast, and the person who had been begging me to attend, barely spoke five words to me the whole five days I was there. I felt cheated and had dropped a lot for money for nothing. Had I let the experience of that event influence my decision to bail out of pyracy, which I almost did, I would have missed out meeting a whole new group of people whom I just love and respect, and would have missed out on being part of the crew of the schooner Aldebaran for four years. I gave pyracy one more chance at Ojai. Ojai was always a heap of fun, and I was very sad when they closed the doors on that event. At first, NorCal was just a huge bit of fun. But now it is soooo chaotic and crowed with people (30K over the two days) that by the afternoon, you can barely move around the event site. And the group we had hung with for so long, slowly morphed into a group of loafers. So again, a group of us split off (Red-Handed Jill, Iron Jack, Lady Jaxx, Wheezer, Captain Vortex, Wicked Wench and a few others), created a new group (The Seacats), and attended the smaller venue of Brookings, OR. We all did stuff, interacted with the crowd, and had a grand time. LOL So, I guess the bottom line is, a person's particpation in pyracy may evolve over time, but you never really let that pirate spirit die....you just move on and find new friends and places to play. If money and a horse-sitter were not an issue, there would be lots more events on our clanedar. ...schooners, islands, and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold... You can do everything right, strictly according to procedure, on the ocean, and it'll still kill you. But if you're a good navigator, a least you'll know where you were when you died.......From The Ship Killer by Justin Scott. "Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful."....Captain Jack Sparrow Found in the Ruins — Unique Jewelry Found in the Ruins — Personal Blog
Mission Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 My very first pirate event was years ago at Port Washington, WI. With a few very notable exceptions, I felt like an outcast... You're actually the third person I've heard say basically the same thing about that event. Curious. (I have never been, so I have no idea whatsoever. My impression is that it has more of a Ren Faire than a reenactor crowd. Rennies can sometimes be a bit cliquey from my experience.) Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."
Coastie04 Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 This is a very fitting topic, as I'm just signing on to the pub for the first time in a few years. I never really left piracy in my heart, but have definitely taken a hiatus in recent years. The primary reason is that there are no events (that I know of) near me in Alaska. I don't have the time or money to be flying around the country, as the wife and I (and now baby boy!) took up all our vacation time and money just seeing family. Then there's the other hobbies... homebrewing, gardening (mostly the wife, but I love the edible crops), and maintaining and sailing my own sailboat. There's only enough time and money for some of these, especially with the new aforementioned spawn (just 8 weeks old). If there were others around that did pirate events/get togethers/ shanty nights, then I would probably still have kept up with the hobby a bit more. However, the ease of access to other like minded individuals (except virtually) made me lapse on checking the pub or improving my kit. The weather up here doesn't help, either. However, my love of history and the sea have finally brought me back here. Arrrgh! She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
Matty Bottles Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 Congrats on the baby boy - I have two now. If you ever get a post in Milwaukee or Sturgeon Bay, let me know. We can get together and drink rum. "The time was when ships passing one another at sea backed their topsails and had a 'gam,' and on parting fired guns; but those good old days have gone. People have hardly time nowadays to speak even on the broad ocean, where news is news, and as for a salute of guns, they cannot afford the powder. There are no poetry-enshrined freighters on the sea now; it is a prosy life when we have no time to bid one another good morning." - Capt. Joshua Slocum
Hawkyns Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 Can't see anything that would make me give up. Tornado, bad event organisers, police hassles, antipathy to authenticity- and I'm still here. I've got to say, I think New England is kind of a backwater in Pirate reenacting when compared to the mid-atlantic and south east. If anything could, I suppose it would be the lack of decent events. I travel south for the good ones, and that's becoming more of an issue, cost wise. Hawkyns Master Gunner Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl I do what I do for my own reasons. I do not require anyone to follow me. I do not require society's approval for my actions or beliefs. if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends.
Jib Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 This is a very fitting topic, as I'm just signing on to the pub for the first time in a few years. I never really left piracy in my heart, but have definitely taken a hiatus in recent years. The primary reason is that there are no events (that I know of) near me in Alaska. I don't have the time or money to be flying around the country, as the wife and I (and now baby boy!) took up all our vacation time and money just seeing family. Then there's the other hobbies... homebrewing, gardening (mostly the wife, but I love the edible crops), and maintaining and sailing my own sailboat. There's only enough time and money for some of these, especially with the new aforementioned spawn (just 8 weeks old). If there were others around that did pirate events/get togethers/ shanty nights, then I would probably still have kept up with the hobby a bit more. However, the ease of access to other like minded individuals (except virtually) made me lapse on checking the pub or improving my kit. The weather up here doesn't help, either. However, my love of history and the sea have finally brought me back here. Arrrgh! Welcome back and best wishes to your heir and spouse!
Jib Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 Congrats on the baby boy - I have two now. If you ever get a post in Milwaukee or Sturgeon Bay, let me know. We can get together and drink rum. Funny Mister Bottles! I was just in Sturgeon Bay last weekend and took some pirate themed photos at Whitefish Dunes. Due to the rain we only managed about an hour on Friday and then went wine tasting.
Jib Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 My very first pirate event was years ago at Port Washington, WI. With a few very notable exceptions, I felt like an outcast, and the person who had been begging me to attend, barely spoke five words to me the whole five days I was there. I felt cheated and had dropped a lot for money for nothing. Had I let the experience of that event influence my decision to bail out of pyracy, which I almost did, I would have missed out meeting a whole new group of people whom I just love and respect, and would have missed out on being part of the crew of the schooner Aldebaran for four years. I gave pyracy one more chance at Ojai. Ojai was always a heap of fun, and I was very sad when they closed the doors on that event. At first, NorCal was just a huge bit of fun. But now it is soooo chaotic and crowed with people (30K over the two days) that by the afternoon, you can barely move around the event site. And the group we had hung with for so long, slowly morphed into a group of loafers. So again, a group of us split off (Red-Handed Jill, Iron Jack, Lady Jaxx, Wheezer, Captain Vortex, Wicked Wench and a few others), created a new group (The Seacats), and attended the smaller venue of Brookings, OR. We all did stuff, interacted with the crowd, and had a grand time. LOL So, I guess the bottom line is, a person's particpation in pyracy may evolve over time, but you never really let that pirate spirit die....you just move on and find new friends and places to play. If money and a horse-sitter were not an issue, there would be lots more events on our clanedar. Ransom I'm sorry you had a bad time at Port Washington Pirate Festival. I have attended that event off and on for a few years and had a great time (the weather can be a real challenge). Had I known you were attending at the same time I was I certainly would have extended the hand of friendship.
Jib Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 My very first pirate event was years ago at Port Washington, WI. With a few very notable exceptions, I felt like an outcast... You're actually the third person I've heard say basically the same thing about that event. Curious. (I have never been, so I have no idea whatsoever. My impression is that it has more of a Ren Faire than a reenactor crowd. Rennies can sometimes be a bit cliquey from my experience.) In my experience the Port Washington Pirate Festival is not a hard core reenactor event. 90% of the costumed Pirates are not period (either Buccaneer or GAOP). It is set in park off a marina and downtown region of Port Washington Wisconsin. They serve mini donuts and have a belly dance shows. Little is offered in the way of period vendors. The organizers are IMHO not on their "A" game. The last two years had no tall ships in attendance (although 2011 the ship had a break down). The event can have a weird feel about it, almost as if the festival doesn't know if it wants to be a street party, pirate circus or a cute small town flea market. That said I have a great time! A good number of Pyracy Pub members attend (Cheeky Actress, Mary Sterling, Merry Death and the amazing Bilge Monkey!). They do have some living history with the local militia who does black powder demos. In the past the crew of the Forsaken has attended and set up camp (alas never when I attended!). The area is fantastic for pirate photos if you can imagine a huge freshwater lake as the ocean. But it is the crowds that make it special! I am an entertainer. I'm only 10% historic. My forte is over the top dramatics and stage combat. The people who come to this free event love pirates! They want to be entertained and are easy to engage. The crowds want to play! Very few drunks and lots of families. Do I think that a pirate surgeon would be a welcome addition to the event? Without a doubt shipmate! Do I think you could get a crowd interested in real pirate history? YES! Would i play with a pirate surgeon or anyone else interested in a little street theater/ demo? Oh hell YES! I think living history has audience at this event that has not been fully tapped. If anyone wants to attend the Port Washington Pirate Festival in 2013 and meet a friendly face let me know! I can't promise good weather but I will promise not to wear my bucket boots! PS: This past year I did not see ONE Jack Sparrow replica over the age of 11.
Matty Bottles Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 I had the same problem with Port Washington as I did with PiP - everyone assumed that I knew people because I was on the Pub. But I'm only on the pub sporadically, and even then I don't feel like I've met someone until I've actually MET them. So I wind up sort of never learning who is who, or getting to know a handful of people out of a large pool. "The time was when ships passing one another at sea backed their topsails and had a 'gam,' and on parting fired guns; but those good old days have gone. People have hardly time nowadays to speak even on the broad ocean, where news is news, and as for a salute of guns, they cannot afford the powder. There are no poetry-enshrined freighters on the sea now; it is a prosy life when we have no time to bid one another good morning." - Capt. Joshua Slocum
Ransom Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 Jib, my experience at Pt. Washingtin had nothing to do with the event itself, but everything to do with the people I had flown across the country to hook up with. The event itself was fun, although getting stuck in the basement of a bank for an hour waiting out a tornado was...interesting. I did meet some wonderful folks, Merrydeath, Mary Diamond (the three of us had a blast dancing on Saturday night), Lady B, Cheeky, and Rats. However, the rest of the group, whom I didn't know, and had not interacted with on the Pub, basically ignored me. And as stated, the one person who had been begging me to come, who I had interacted with a lot here, barely gave me the time of day. I would hope any group would keep a newcomer from feeling so left out. I know the years I spent with Tales of the Seven Seas were wonderful, and they welcomed my husband and myself with open arms. By the end of our first time at Ojai, we felt like part of the family. Thier hosbitality kept me in the game. So, no bad feelings about the Pt. Washington Festival itself. If I could go with a totally different group I'd probably have a ball. Should I ever get that oportunity, I will for sure look you up. ...schooners, islands, and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold... You can do everything right, strictly according to procedure, on the ocean, and it'll still kill you. But if you're a good navigator, a least you'll know where you were when you died.......From The Ship Killer by Justin Scott. "Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful."....Captain Jack Sparrow Found in the Ruins — Unique Jewelry Found in the Ruins — Personal Blog
Mission Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 I think it would be hard for me not to have a good time with Mary D. and Cheeky. We always have such bizarre fund when we get together. The only thing that would make me stop reenacting was when I stopped learning new things. (Although I believe I already said that.) Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."
Jib Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 So maybe this whole piracy thing is more about the relationships you form???
Mission Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 No. For me it's primarily about learning things. The relationships are icing on the cake. "“People come, people go – they’ll drift in and out of your life, almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures.” -Nicholas Sparks Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."
Capt. Sterling Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 wow... wow... "I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers Crewe of the Archangel http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel# http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/
Mission Posted October 20, 2012 Posted October 20, 2012 wow... wow... If that's directed at my last comments (and it's not clear so I'm just guessing), I've noticed that everyone does this; most people just don't admit it to themselves. I love hanging around with a lot of the people in pirate reenacting - some of them are the best (and most generous) folks I think I've met. I love learning about them and writing about them and hanging out with them. However, once I stop reenacting, I recognize that I will go on to some new interest where I will meet new people and those folks will do likewise. It's human nature. How many of the people from your last personally engrossing endeavor with which you're no longer involved are you still good friends with? (Not casual acquaintances, good friends.) How about the endeavor before that? I'll bet it's one or two people. Sure, I get in touch with some of my friends from the past every once in a while, but we do different very things now so it's more of an acquaintanceship. Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."
Capt. Sterling Posted October 20, 2012 Posted October 20, 2012 no mission not aimed at ye... just reading the posts and thinking I could write a book, but ye know t'is better just to forgive and move on... "I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers Crewe of the Archangel http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel# http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/
Capt. Sterling Posted October 20, 2012 Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) wow... wow... If that's directed at my last comments (and it's not clear so I'm just guessing), I've noticed that everyone does this; most people just don't admit it to themselves. I love hanging around with a lot of the people in pirate reenacting - some of them are the best (and most generous) folks I think I've met. I love learning about them and writing about them and hanging out with them. However, once I stop reenacting, I recognize that I will go on to some new interest where I will meet new people and those folks will do likewise. It's human nature. How many of the people from your last personally engrossing endeavor with which you're no longer involved are you still good friends with? (Not casual acquaintances, good friends.) How about the endeavor before that? I'll bet it's one or two people. Sure, I get in touch with some of my friends from the past every once in a while, but we do different very things now so it's more of an acquaintanceship. couldn't agree more... people change, move on and life takes em in different directions... although fortunately I have managed to remain good friends with more than one or two .... Edited October 20, 2012 by Capt. Sterling "I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers Crewe of the Archangel http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel# http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/
Coastie04 Posted October 20, 2012 Posted October 20, 2012 Well, I'd agree that it's hard not to have a good time with Merrydeath, but yes...people do move on. However, every once in a while, we do tend to have a hankering to reconnect with the good past times and reminisce, which is one of the reasons I'm back on the pub (maybe helping to get the thread back on topic?). I still love the nautical history side of things, though I never got my garb quite up to specs (it's about 50/50 historical and...something else-I'll call it pseudo historical, as I've never really gone for the fantasy, but don't try to pass it off as truly historical). Most likely I'll never get the garb up to specs now, since there's really no need to. I usually wear it for Halloween and maybe one or two other times per year. However, if a pirate event was ever organized in southeast Alaska, I'd probably invest more time and money toward the authenticity for which I have tried. In the meantime, I'll continue drinking my award winning homebrew, sailing my boat older style but modern boat, and singing sea shanties as lullabies to my son. And, of course, not having to think about my Halloween costume each year. Arrrgh! She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
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