The Buccaneer Project

[Brit.Privateer]

Hey guys and girls while some of thecomplaints about the public have some merit don't give up just yet. At the pirate festin St. louis I set up a display of celestial navigation and weapons for the public. It is not a small controlled event and not billed as a historic only event. I have had people young and old come back and pay another entry fee to bring their friends back to listen to my talk and ask questions. While some of these people are as you say walk and view many are spending as much as half an hour asking questions and listening to the answers. After thirty one years doing living history I have seen a lot. But please do not count the youth of today out yet. I have seen them transfixed and learning about everything from a mariners astrolabe to a chip log, and a traverse boaRD TO A STAR CLOCK. i HAVE FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKENDS HAD A HUGE CROWD AROUND MY DISPLAY AND IF THE FEEDBACK FROM EVERYONE IS RIGHT MY DISPLAy has been talked about by more people tha the belly dancers and the other acts. We all have bad times with people but don't give up on them yet. Beeee encouraged and they will too

Well, it's good to hear that someone found a place and public that allows for education. What I said about small events being the best for teaching, it's not always the case. It's just a matter of setting up the right circumstances, and sometimes it can be pulled off at a larger event. Course, a large event for me means something where there a thousand or more reenactors involved (something rarely seen in the pirate reenacting community), and I don't know how large the St. Louis pirate festival event is. Sometimes finding that right combination of event and receptive crowd is stumbled upon by accident, I've found that once or twice.

The best thing though to improve the odds of getting a receptive audience though is knowing how to talk to people and a crowd. An audience will respond to good public speakers more often than not.

[Swashbuckler 1700]

The cross-staff is mentioned in most navigational texts well into the 18th century. It was not as good as a back-staff but was considerably cheaper and more robust. There is fair evidence that the cross-staff was widely used by young officers like midshipmen and apprentices: see, for example, the second picture you posted or my signature quotation.

Hi... sheck this out:

https://pyracy.com/in...eer-circa-1640/

I don't know do I have talents but say is it accurate?

Edited February 12, 2012 by Swashbuckler 1700

[Swashbuckler 1700]

I Found this from a David Gordingly's (has many otker writers like M. Rederiker) book "Pirates An Illustrated History of Privateers, Buccaneers, and Pirates from the Sixteenth Century to the Present"French buccaneer Louis le Golif ( known as “borgne- Fesse or “Half- Ass”) write about his raid in Caracas “ I marched in front, as was right , my pistols in my belt, my fine high boots and plumed hat, and a sword at my side." He was certainly captain but interesting...

Edited April 6, 2012 by Swashbuckler 1700

[Cuisto Mako]

Borgne-Fesse is a fictional character, fun story, but should not be used as a period source

[Swashbuckler 1700]

Borgne-Fesse is a fictional character, fun story, but should not be used as a period source

Oh but in book it is said like it was real. how old story? It seems that he is one of those character like Charlotte de Berry.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Swashbuckler 1700

[Cuisto Mako]

Well it was first publish in the 1950s. The original manuscript was supposedly miraculously found in the WW2 debris of St-Malo and of course it was discover by a buccaneer specialist... Right from the beginning the book was called fake by maritime historians.

I have read it last year, and I must say after reading for a couple of years real memoirs and travel account from the 17th c this one scream "fake". There is tons of clichés and unbelievable elements in the story. The style of writing also try to imitate the style of the 17th but doesn't truly master it. It feels very modern

I have also red recently that the guy who "found" and publish the story actually published a short story about Borgnefesse during the 1930s...

[Swashbuckler 1700]

Well it was first publish in the 1950s. The original manuscript was supposedly miraculously found in the WW2 debris of St-Malo and of course it was discover by a buccaneer specialist... Right from the beginning the book was called fake by maritime historians.

I have read it last year, and I must say after reading for a couple of years real memoirs and travel account from the 17th c this one scream "fake". There is tons of clichés and unbelievable elements in the story. The style of writing also try to imitate the style of the 17th but doesn't truly master it. It feels very modern

I have also red recently that the guy who "found" and publish the story actually published a short story about Borgnefesse during the 1930s...

hmmm.... it seems thise book makers were fooled since it is told like fact in there. Indeed even that description I posted sounds little cliché.... It is really unlikely that it he was real at all ....

[Animal]

Bumping this for my own reasons. Need to re-read all of it to get up to date with Patrick Hands project.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

These pictures are from a French map cartouche of 1705 showing buccaneers. Although it's a little late they're not bad pictures and they offer a good comparison to the print GoF mentioned with the buccaneer and his gun. The picture below is a detail from a cartouche of a different map, this time of 1700. The first full figure from the left appears to be wearing the same sort of long smock as the buccaneers above.

Personally, I think these long smocks are buccaneer hunting shirts, and seem to have been worn at times with bare legs and puttees. Apart from the last picture small caps seem to be more commonly associated with the smocks than large hats. Basically, I think those are good depictions of buccaneers as hunters.

If we believe the pictures then buccaneers as seamen looked just like other seamen of the time:

The first two pictures show buccaneers from sea atlases of the 1680s, the third picture is one of the supporters of the arms of Lord Torrington, granted in 1689 and you can see how similar the pictures all are. In addition, the general shape of the garments is very similar to the figures in sketches by the two Van de Veldes of the second half of the 17th century.

Hope that helps a bit

I think this is the post where the images I am looking for used to be. Any chance to recover them? Please???

Bo

[Mission]

Bump. Yet another fantastic topic from which I learned so much. (Where, oh, where, is Patrick Hand today?)

[Black Syren]

Do you think he will find his way back?

[Stynky Tudor]

4 hours ago, Mission said:

(Where, oh, where, is Patrick Hand today?)

William has reached out to his last known email, I don't think he has heard anything back.

[William Brand]

On 2/11/2023 at 9:39 AM, Stynky Tudor said:

William has reached out to his last known email, I don't think he has heard anything back.

I've not heard from him in several years.  The email that I have might not be working anymore.

[Red-Handed Jill]

I found his Facebook page and sent him a DM, so we'll see what happens.

[madPete]

Excellent!

[Black Syren]

22 hours ago, Red-Handed Jill said:

I found his Facebook page and sent him a DM, so we'll see what happens.

Way to go Jill, I did not even know he had a Facebook page.