Yo ho Yo ho

[thepiratecaptainmorgan]

A Brief History of the Pirate

I have been a "Pirate" for a great many years. I have done the research, lived the

life and suffered the consequences for my actions. I am What many consider the Last true

Pirate in the world. Living life as a Pirate is not an easy task. I have seen many

discussion forums on this matter, and Lately I have seen an influx to the "Pirate" way of

life, or how hollywood portrays it. I have decided to post this to share a little info.

1.

The Pirates Life for me.

Contrary to Hollywood or popular belief, Pirates were neither Handsome, or Rougish

in nature. Most were underfed, Over worked, and out of life by the time they had seen their

3rd voyage. Scurvy ran rampant in the pirates life. A Lack of nutritional requirements made

sure of this. Coupled with excessive drinking, a Loose lifestyle, and never seeming to find

enough gave them a real short span of life.

Most Pirates began life in prettymuch the same way we all did however, most were

poor before they were 10 (And usually Parentless). Plagues and famine wrought havoc in the

civilian worlds where pirates came from. The Sea Often times offered and escape from this

certain execution from nature. But Life at sea was no cakewalk either.

To get at sea you basically had 3 options. 1. Join the military, which meant a life

of hardship and never quite getting to the top. You would be a sailor, never attaining

promotion or favor. Squandering your pay (What little there was) on Booze and women. 2.

Drafted into service by a merchantman or even worse, a slaver. EIther way your pay was less

and your workload doubled. Most died at sea from a lack of compassion buy the sea or fellow

crewmen. and 3, Steal a ship, get a buccaneer crew, and Become a Pirate. Not an easy task,

first you need over 10 people that you can trust to assist you in the hopes of a better

life. Hopefully they wont want your ship, life, or all.

2.

So you wanna be a pirate eh?

So you have elected to steal a ship. Great! Sounds easy enough. Do ya know how to

sail a ship? Looks easy enough. ropes, sails, wind, wood. Rudder. Hmm this is getting

complicated. Ok lets assume that you do know how to sail. Now Which type of ship? Small

medium or large? (Do you want fries with that?) Ok. The differences are simple, Small: Not

to sea worthy, may sink, but in great abundance all over the isle of England. Medium, hmm a

bit harder, but can be found, Needs a greater crew to get sea worthy, lightly armored and

gunned, easy prey for large Naval vessels. Large: Forget it, Military in nature, Very

heavily armored, and gunned. Crewed by people that need a reason to live, (Killing you would

be a great way to get promoted!) Not easily accesable, Next to impossible.

Ok,for the sake of argument, lets say you manage to get a Medium sized ship. GREAT!

a Barque. Ya need 15 men to run her, and you have em! GREAT! Lets get going! Going? Do You

know how to Circumnavigate the globe? whats a latitude? longitude? How does a sextant work?

Where in the World am I? I know I was just outside of england, and I was travelling.. um...

er.... uhmmmmm southish?

(MORE TO COME)

[thepiratecaptainmorgan]

Lets define south, true south is best defined as a bering of but not limited to 180

degrees give or take a few degrees, right? WRONG! Depending on where you sail from, True

south can lie on or about 180 degree but remember the earth is a globe, so True south lies

at a different range each time you plot it. (Real accurate Magnetic Compasses were not

around yet) Hence the Sextant is Born! (FANFARE! MUSIC WINE!)

The Sextant, Some guy figured out that to navagate the seas, you would need to be

able to triangulate your position. Whoda thunk it? So In order to triangulate your position

you would either have to be a NAVAGATOR or have a basic understanding of mathematics,

Astronomy and Physics. If you did have that basic understanding, you would have been of

decent upbringing and your family may have money! If this be the case, then why bloody hell

are you out Pirating? Enjoy life!

Ok, again, lets say you do understand all these things and by some bad stroke of

luck, you were born poor and destitude. Ok, You know how to Navigate! TAA DAA! So you and

your ten "Reliable" Mates set sail. Off you go! the Blue Sea! Your Sailing! MAN WHAT A LIFE!

The open Sea, the smell of the ocean, Hey look its Dinner time! Dinner? you did bring food

right? You actually Bought enough Provisions for a long journey? being at sea without an

internal Combustion engine can take months to cross a Small ocean. Fishing you say? Ever eat

fish for weeks on end? Ok, remember that Crew you took on? They will be getting mighty

unhappy about this Fish menu. Better Get ready to become govoner of an island! But hey, YOU

Did Bring FOOD! and WATER! WOW! your set!

3 Weeks into your journey you are well on your way to the Pirates life. Night after

night you sleep in a wet soaked bed, The Bilge is starting to smell. Your Mates are starting

to smell, Your clothes, hell everything smells! even the food is starting to get rancid. and

No land in sight... 4 Weeks out and still no land in sight. Your Eyes are tired, so you wax them. 3 Weeks later, No Land in sight, the wind has all but left, and the food has literally walked off the side of boat. Slight clouds ahead, calm seas...

Week, Ate, We ate the cabinboy. Just Kidding. Week 8, LAND HO! Someone actually spotted an island! GREAT! WERE SAVED! LAND = Food = Water! V A C A T I O N!. As you get closer, you notice a french flag overhead the Fort! GREAT! WE STOLE THIS BOAT FROM ENGLAND! THEY COULDNT POSSIBLY KNOW THIS! But Wait! Is England at war with France? Hmmm Assuming you know your local politics, and They are not, You Quickly hoist up a French Merchant Flag! And Calmly Sail into port. Upon DOcking, You Are Boarded by the French, They check to make sure your NOt Pirates, (And you Insist your not) And they let you go on your merry way.

THIS CONCLUDES JOURNEY 1

(MORE TO COME)

[thepiratecaptainmorgan]

READY TO SAIL READY TO SAIL!

Aye, after 3 long months on the Isle of Jamacia, you decide Lets get going! This

Pirate aint gonna get Famous by sitting on his Arse! and your Confidence has risen, even

your crew has gotten larger (4 people) So now you have 19! and you get a Cargo! Yes Some

foolish merchant has offered to Pay you to SHIP Goods just a short hop to the Ilse of Cuba!

WOW! Making money and getting to go to Cuba! Your Provisions are paid for, and off you go!

This time you know how to navagate, and your getting better at it. The Crew is in good

Spirits!

3 weeks out, food is looking good, Spirits are high, and the wind is in favor, Now

this is the life you dreamed of. The Next day, on the horizon, you spot a mast. slowly it

closes on you. It seems to take all day, and it does, Night falls, the mast is but a speck.

but slowly it gorws. all night long the thoughts race through your head, what is it? whos

nation? English? have they found us! even Worse PIRATES? oh man, all night long you cannot

sleep. the Morning brings relief. No mast, no ship, No nothing. WHEW! as you sail along, you

begin to feel better. 2 days more, and that mast is back, this time she is closing fast.

You are three days out of port when you see the vessels hull, she a brigantine! As

she closes you realize your worst Nightmare, She a British Warship, and she is bearing down

on you fast! Seems the Brits have been tipped off that you are infact the guy they are

looking for. All day long she closes on you, at dusk she is in range, but she backs a bit

off, Stalking you in the darkness. you can hear her behind you but she is not gaining.

Another sleepless night.

0430 in the Morning.

Cannon FIRE! Your vessel is under attack! Seems the british have infact missed

this ship you aquired and they want it back. Quickly you get the crew mustered. Now you have

two choices. One, you can make a stand and try to defeat the heavily armored vessel, or Two,

you can dump your cargo, and outrun em. (I would Pick Two if I were you). So You Dump the

cargo and make a run for it. Simple enough, and in no time at all, (3 Dead crew later) You

have ample distance between the two of you. Before nightfall, you can't even see them

anymore. Whew! You made it out alive! But what about the Cargo you were carrying? You only

recieved 50% of the pay and were supposed to get the remaining half when you arrive in port!

Oh well, only out 50% is beter than dead! Oh did I mention that the hull was

damaged in the attack? and your Taking on water? Ok, Man the Bildges! you can keep this

water out and the boat afloat!. "Ever Actually Man a Bildge?" It takes a lot of effort to

pump sea water. and even the strongest of men can weaken quickly from it. The Food is also

usually kept below deck, and Sea water and food dont mix to well.

You will have to move the rations updeck. But this has an issue as well, Heat,

Gulls, Theft, So now you have the following to think about: The Crew will realize that the

food will spoil quickly, so they will be inclined to STEAL as much as possible to stay alive

(No one really like dying). That which the theives miss, the Scavangerous Rats of the sea

will get (Gulls) and that which gets missed buy them (NOT TOO MUCH) will go bad in the sun.

All the while the ship is still taking on water (and moving Fast will only make this worse,

but Slowing down may give the british time to Catch up. So its "Sink, or Swim" Literally.

Remember those clouds? there getting worse, Storms are the number 2 killer of the

Pirate. but According to your charts, there is a deserted Island round here somewhere. As

luck would have it you find it. Carefully you make your way into the shore. Finally running

aground (Anchor). The Storm is a mild one, not damaging too much, but it finally ends. There

sits your boat, listing to the port, but still afloat. Now you need wood. Deserted Islands

have plenty, Did you remember to bring the Carpenter? or even tools to fix the boat? Lets

say you did. Ok, three week downtime on a paradise cant be that bad,

Wondering if the brittish are still looking for you? Ok, Three weeks and your Boat is ready to float, You even managed to take on fresh meats and Supplies. Now all you have to do is wait for High tide and hopefully you will clear the bay. (Again Luck is on your side) and your afloat and on your way. Now lets discuss the Cargo that you dumped. Most Merchants belonged to a guild (Like the Mafia) And when ya messes things up they want either the goods, Payment, or both. Now you have new worries, The Royal Navy, a Merchant guild, and the reciever of the goods. (No going into the port of call now) Better find a bigger boat.

Well you sail along for what feels like months. and then you happen upon her, an Old Dutchman. (Large Converted Warship) Listing to the Starboard. She seems to have been badly hurt in a battle, but the best news, there is flotsam and a british flag in the water. Seems like that old Warship that was chasing you found a bigger fish, and lost. There are survivors on the Dutchman. but not many. Your Crew dont outnumber them, but Your healthier, they dont look ready or eager to fight.

So you elect to Board her and Perhaps get a bigger ship. GREAT! you Take her with almost no resistance. HA HA! The Scaberneous Dogs! Fixing the hull leaks on her is easy (Cause your Smaller Boat has lotsa Wood to offer!) Most of her crew are weak, and exausted. so you find the best of them and offer them a deal: Stay with me and join my crew, and get food and life, Refuse, and I set ya ashore (Being humane) to live out your lives on a god forsaken island. Some join up, the rest dont. so you strand them.

Three weeks out, and the few that joined up have taken ill. Your Original mates have also begun to get sick. (WIthout the Advent of modern medicine you have unwillingly taken on Cholera laiden individuals. Without Vaccinees being availible, this was called the Yellow Death cause Death was garanteed. You Figure this out, but Perhaps its too late. 60% of your crew are infested. Your not, but the Ship your on is. You Strip the ship of all breeding area of the disease, and regretably you kill those that are suffering. (No Romance in that now is there?)

Your Ship, now understaffed, NO FOOD or FRESH WATER, is sailing high and Dry as it were. You continue this journey from town to town, Port to port, and Sea to sea, all the time your health is in jeopardy, your crew changes fast, and not much LOVE, ROMANCE, or GLORY in it. Life as a Pirate Has become a Reality to you. You Learn Not to Love anyone, Trust even Fewer, and Hope to god (If there is one to you) That when your end comes, Its Quick and painless and not at the end of a rope.

(These Facts Hollywood Have left out, because Face it, a Scurvy Cholera laiden Jonny Depp, or Orlando Bloom, just wouldnt sell Tickets. But a Handsome Jonny Depp, and Orlando Bloom will and did. (As for Women) You notice there were NO Female Pirate Captains Save for one, Anna Marie, and She was not one for long. There is a reason behind this, Sailing at sea is a Harsh life, Not many Comforts, and BAD LUCK to bring a woman on board. The Sea is a Woman, to Anger her is to face certain wrath. In the 21st Century, we have afforded Kindness to every aspect of our lives, But back then, Things Were Infinatly different. So Ladies, When ya thinks of a Pirate, Try not to think of Depp, or Bloom, Think more of TED Bundy, Richard Rameriz, People like those would have made Excellent Pirates in nature.

Thanks for Reading

Comments?