The Buccaneer Project

[Pirate Petee]

Pictures don't do Patrick's buccaneer kit justice, it's excellent. Ya really got see it first hand "no pun intended" ta see the amount of detail and authenticity. :angry:

[kass]

Where are the pictures? I can't find the pictures! I wanna see!!!! :angry:

Seriously...

[Patrick Hand]

I've done a little work on the Buccaneer Project, so I will have to take some photos of some of my new stuff, and then link them so you can see them.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos last week, when I took my girlfriend to a Rendezvous (her in sailor garb, me in my buccaneer stuff)

Dyed the jacket a greenish brown, looks much better than the coffee and tea staining that it originaly had....

like I typed.... photos coming soon....

[Patrick Hand]

I gust took some photos of my Buccaneer gear.....

http://photobucket.com/albums/b97/PatrickH...urrent=gear.jpg

The first photo shows all my camping stuff...

to the left is a light weight tarp, rope, and tent steaks (I'm going to fire blue the tent steaks next time I have a fire going...)

At the top is a straight razor, a waterproof soap bag with a bar of Casteal soap on top of a cloth towel. the 2 checkerd bags are for holding everything and my food (not shown)

On top of the waterproof snapsack is a coconut bowl, tin boiler (I want to get something better than my Civil War tin cup... but it will have to do for now) my pipe and tobacco pouch, and a horn spoon. (I also will carry a silver plate that I put away somewhere.............(I like the part in Diemphers book where the Doctor is drying his powder on a silver plate....))

Below that is a small pouch with pebles for the games painted on my waterproof ground cloth, my flint and steal, a sewing kit (a wood tube holding sewing needles, wraped with thread ) and some leather thongs and cord .

Below the snapsack is the machetti (I havent finished the handle yet...) I figure that a machetti would be more usefull than a hanger or small sword, I'm not sure if it is period, but I can chop wood, clear brush or Kill Spanards with one tool.......

The next picture shows my flint and steal. I carry everything in a small tin,(there is a hole punched in the lid of the tin, so I can make more char cloth...) The tineder tube is cotton batting covered with linen cloth. It holds a spark much longer than just char cloth. when not in use, the chared end is pulled back inside the brass tube to protect it. I'm not sure if it is period, but it is realy usefull for lighting my pipe or starting a fire.

[Hawkyns]

Looks real good to me. I think I have two minor comments. Is the razor neccesary? Documentation refers to the buccaneers as dirty and unkempt so the razor looks a bit out of place to my thinking. Second, and this is minor, when I went through this process for ECW, the tin cup came up as an icorrect item. Brass or copper seems to be the preferred material, generally as a small kettle rather than cup.

But I think it's great. How much time have you logged in the bush with this kit?

[Patrick Hand]

Hawkyns.... When I did a search for copper boilers.... they were about $60 to $80 .... so I will use the tin cup untill I can try to make one (using sort of the pattern in the Voygers sketchbook....)

I might get rid of the razor.... but the picture of Buccaneers showed then clean shaven... so I'm still thinking about that one.........

Unfortunately, other than setting up the tarp in my backyard, I haven't had the time to go trecking with any of my gear (worked a second job this Summer) and now that it's getting colder, I don't think I will have a chance..... (somehow a capote and mittens just dosen't seen right for a Buccaneer...)

If you could, I'd be interested in seeing a picture of your wooden tent steaks. I haven't fire blued the metal ones yet... but am thinking of maybe trying some wooden ones also....

[Patrick Hand]

OH yah.... I should have mentioned, that other than the flint and steal, everything is newly made, but I have done primitive camping before...... I just haven't had a chance to use the Buccaneer gear camping yet.....

I am thinking about finding someplace down in the valley where it is warmer and going camping befor it gets to cold (the Buccaneer stuff was designed for warm weather.... not winter camping...... )

[Captain Jim]

Yo, Patrick, found this on the web:

[Captain Jim]

Yo, Patrick, found this on the web:

thought ye might like it iffen ye ahdn't seen it afore.

Dang, a double tap. Look at the knife holder that he has. That's two i've seen like it, both attributed to the boucaniers.

[Patrick Hand]

Captain Jim, I've seen something like that in (I think it was) "the Buffalo Hunters sketchbook". it carried two skinning knives, and a steel to sharpining them.....

Interesting picture tho.......

[Patrick Hand]

I just found this great photo of my Buccaneer stuff, from the Kearney Park Renn. Faire last weekend.......

http://www.renaissancefaire.us/2005-11-12-...rk/page0320.htm

I'm wearing a different hat, and the tankard under the hunting jacket.... welll it WAS a Renn. Faire.....

[hitman]

You Know it's hard to belive but everytime you post a pic the gear gets better man. Good work

[William Brand]

Having camped with Patrick I have to say...

...damn fine kit, Mate. Aye. Damn fine.

[Monsignor Fitzwell]

That is the first time I have ever seen that drawing

but I like it as how it discribes a Buccanner

they were known to carry skinning and butchers knifes and tools for butchering cattle. plus long rifles, he has that, plus his garb is tattered, they were not known to be rich, and his clothes show that he spends a lot of time hunting on land, which they did. I have read they wore a lot of leather, as it was a side from their trade.

Also early raids on spanish ships were done from long canoes, he looks like he is totally portable.

Unfortunately history of the time was writen by those who survived, and the Bucanners life was hard and short, lus illastrators not having seen much but going by discription tended to draw in what they saw around them, not what actually was on the subjects they heard about. Remember that few illustrators were in the Carib at the time, most were in europe.

Another point is that the Bucaneers, being used a large raiding armies, transported by ships, would also want compact ways to store what they owned, that is also seen in the picture. I am sure that by the time the Spanish had sacked Tortuga and the buccaneers had tranfered to Port Royal the garb was changing to a more marintine nature, but I beleive that pic, if you look at what he has on him and the nature o fit's design, looks to capture the Buccaneer as his namesake would have looked.

but all that is my opinion

[Patrick Hand]

plus long rifles

Actuly it's NOT a rifle...... but a smoothbore.......

Just nit-picking a bit......

[Monsignor Fitzwell]

LOL, well maybe I should have said Long gun

anyway, it is a great plate, the person who drew it must have read a lot about bucanners, Most guys are totally influenced by hollywood

[Patrick Hand]

Monsignor Fitzwell.. you should look at some of the eairlier post ... there are some good pictures of Buccaneers from period sources that Foxe posted.

LOL, well maybe I should have said Long gun

Awh..... I was just being picky about that......

But it did get me wondering about early rifles..... But I think I will stick with getting a smoothbore......

[MadMike]

The drawing appears to be by artist Peter F. Copeland. Looks like it came from his "Pirates and Buccaneers" coloring book.

Anyone who is familiar with The Company of Military Historians knows Copeland's excellent research.

Yours, &c.

Mike

[Patrick Hand]

Mad Mike... I'm going to have to find a copy of that coloring book.... Other some some very minor points in the drawing, it is very good..... OK... I know the reason he showed the plug bayonet in front.... just don't bend over too fast if you carry one there.....

[Captain Jim]

fI wondered if anyone was going to see that plug bayonet...and I will go and find out who drew that picture.

[Monsignor Fitzwell]

I saw the post that Foxe links to a nice plate

this one is a bit more detailed

a few things I like are the knife toolbox/scaboard

the musket, shoes and leggings, cap, all apear to be period from discriptions I have read, I am supprised about the Bayonet

one thing I take a minor issue to is the number and size of the buttons on the jerkin, I do not personally concieve a poor hunter/butcher to have a jerkin with so many labor intensive buttonholes in it, and do not see loops for the buttons, also 4 or 5 buttons would do about the same trick, it was not a cold enviroment.

I used to have a book that had a few other plates in it that were so baddly concieved I thought maybe they were done for treasure Isle, but that is another story.

[hurricane]

Patrick,

Have you read The Sea Rover's Practice yet? It has great insights to the whys and where fores of the Buccaneer age and goes a bit into the Golden Age, but mostly for contrast. It has some different takes on why and who took to buccaneering and what they brought to the table. Amazing stuff there and seamingly well researched with tons of references and resources. The thing has something like six appendices alone.

As I take on the Captain Morgan character during that time, it is a fascinating read.

Here's a review from Amazon...

To read of sea roving's various incarnations—piracy, privateering, buccaneering, la flibuste, la course—is to bring forth romantic, and often violent, imagery. Indeed, much of this imagery has become a literary and cinematic cliché. And what an image it is!

But its truth is by halves, and paradoxically it is the picaresque imagery of Pyle, Wyeth, Sabatini, and Hollywood that is often closer to the reality, while the historical details of arms, tactics, and language are often inaccurate or entirely anachronistic.

Successful sea rovers were careful practitioners of a complex profession that sought wealth by stratagem and force of arms. Drawn from the European tradition, yet of various races and nationalities, they raided both ship and town throughout much of the world from roughly 1630 until 1730. Using a variety of innovative tactics and often armed with little more than musket and grenade, many of these self-described "soldiers and privateers" successfully assaulted fortifications, attacked shipping from small craft, crossed the mountains and jungles of Panama, and even circumnavigated the globe. Successful sea rovers were often supreme seamen, soldiers, and above all, tacticians. It can be argued that their influence on certain naval tactics is felt even today.

"The Sea Rover's Practice" is the only book that describes in exceptional detail the tactics of sea rovers of the period—how they actually sought out and attacked vessels and towns. Accessible to both the general and the more scholarly reader, it will appeal not only to those with an interest in piracy and in maritime, naval, and military history, but also to mariners in general, tall-ship and ship-modeling enthusiasts, tacticians and military analysts, readers of historical fiction, writers, and the adventurer in all of us.

It just came out at the end of August of this year. Amazon carries it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157488910...929444?n=283155

-- Hurricane

[William Brand]

Thank you, Hurricane. I shall add that to my list of must read reading.

[hurricane]

This is what one reader said about it:

For those who love historical texts, but sometimes have a hard time weeding thru the period language, overly technical jargon and miles of microfiche, this book is a real blessing. The author not only deals with the methods of tracking, chasing and boarding prey, but goes happily in-depth about the people who follow the "sweet trade". He covers the buccaneer lifestyle on land as well as at sea, the events leading up to their rise in influence in the Caribbean, and goes into clothing, food, religion, heirarchy, weapons, flags,choice of ships and cultural relationships.

I picked up this book primarily to confirm or disprove my theories on individual weapons combat during boarding actions and while the techniques are not played up in any great detail,citing the use of powder and grenades over cutlass and knife, the reasonings behind what weapons were used and how unorthodox hand to hand combat could be in closed quarters are sound.

Interesting to note that not all buccaneers were young and die early. One was 84 and had transitioned from buccaneering to piracy.

-- Hurricane

[William Brand]

I plan to take the book's ISBN number to the library and have them order it. It is a very inexpensive way to read all the books you want.