Pirate of Choice

[Monterey Jack]

Late in the day, and I realize how many serious posts I've either started or contributed to; so.....on to the fun stuff....

What pirate or buccaneer do you identify with the most and why?

Mine would be Calico Jack. A lot of show, a lot of need for adventure and sometimes trying too hard to be THE pirate. He wasn't great, but he had a certain attraction about him that earned him a lot of attention and a faire bit of respect...up til the end, that is.

He was a survivor, if not a great fighter or great pirate...but he did his best and had fun doing it.

[Captain Midnight]

Mine would have to be Stede Bonnett. He was an ex-military man, a gentleman, and (I believe) driven from his unhappy life at home by a need for adventure. Not a great pirate, no, but (in my opinion anyway), a good man, and not altogether evil.

[HarborMaster]

I would have to go with Calico Jack Rackham., his flare for style and his uncanny ability to satify two women at one time.., *Wicked-Wicked-Grin*..., oh and fill me tankard with Rhum if'n ya please Raymond.

Aye' also Jack had a very savvy flag ...indeed he did.

[hurricane]

Heny Morgan. Brilliant strategist, successful pirate, later turned Lt. Governor and hung pirates that weren't his friends while protecting his old crewe mates and giving them land. Sacked half of Central America with an armada of ships under his command. Dies of old age rather than foolishness and not only leaves a legacy as arguably the most successful pirate/buccaneer captain in his day, but is also a bloody national hero of Jamaica to this day.

And he has own line of rums now.

Can't do much better than that...

Hurricane

[Fox]

<Sticks fingernails in palms to avoid giving in to temptation and posting... specially about Rackham's flag...and what a loser he was...>

[Mark Leser]

I identify with a less-known guy named John Callice. The fellow seemed to have about 9 lives....

[Monterey Jack]

<Sticks fingernails in palms to avoid giving in to temptation and posting... specially about Rackham's flag...and what a loser he was...>

Ye knew I couldn't resist takin the bait, didn't ye, Foxe?

Curious about your take on Mr Rackham, especially if it involves some historical bits on him or his flag that I don't have in my notes. I'm a chronicler of all Calico Jack info and have pretty much gotten his entire(short, relatively unsuccessful) timeline down. Seems folk want to talk more about his ladies than about him historically speaking. Still don't have where he came from or where he got his experience before hooking up with Vane.

So feel free to dish, either here or in private

[HarborMaster]

Could it be,.that he basically laid down at his time of capture?

Their all dead now so I cant really hold anything against them.

However for the most successful, Ching Shih was probably one of the most notorious pirates. With unquestionably the largest fleet .,tho they may have been Junks they were many. And in her time in the east., the government feared her.

[Master Sully]

Black Sam Bellamy is my man! He was never caught, ran his own little pirate town for awhile, made a lot of money, but went down with his ship and all his ill-gotten gain.

I think he had a good run at it and I wish I could " Be like Sam"!

[Monterey Jack]

Could it be,.that he basically laid down at his time of capture?

Well, yeah, there is that.

But even then, its always said that history is written by the victors; there's no way of knowing why he did what he did...besides being drunk, tired and likely depressed. he wasn't a great pirate to begin with and during his span he also had the misfortune to watch a lot of better pirates die and/or get captured. Its unfortunate that Anne Bonney's last words to him branded him a coward; I just don't think it was that simple.

I have no doubt he gave up, but the jury will forever be out on exactly why.

[Fox]

Ha! not half the outcry I was expecting!

On Rackham's flag: unless you have evidence (primary evidence that is) to the contrary then I'm afraid his skull with crossed cutlasses is very much a 20th century invention and we don't know at all what flag he flew - if any. It's definitely a cool flag, but Rackham never flew it.

On Rackham himself: name me something good he did. OK, he had a taste for calico clothes ("calico" incidentally was used in the 17thC to describe a plain material as well as the patterned cottons - apart from a throw-away remark in Johnson we don't know which type of calico Jack wore - he might have been dressed in plain, undyed, coarse cotton from head to toe), shacked up with Anne Bonney (but not, as far as we know, Mary Read), but really, what did he actually do that was any good? Even if you can name something worthwhile that he did, is it really enough to make him stand out above any other pirate...ever...?

John Callice certainly had a lot more going for him than many other pirates. I've always quite liked the story of Thomas Salkeld who proclaimed himself King of Lundy, but the pirate I probably have the most respect for (or at least, the most current interest in) is John Nutt, who managed to have the Vice-Admiral of Devon arrested on a countercharge of piracy, and actually secured his own pardon while the Vice-Admiral was rotting in the Marshalsea. That's class!

[Monterey Jack]

Ha! not half the outcry I was expecting!

On Rackham's flag: unless you have evidence (primary evidence that is) to the contrary then I'm afraid his skull with crossed cutlasses is very much a 20th century invention and we don't know at all what flag he flew - if any. It's definitely a cool flag, but Rackham never flew it.

On Rackham himself: name me something good he did. OK, he had a taste for calico clothes ("calico" incidentally was used in the 17thC to describe a plain material as well as the patterned cottons - apart from a throw-away remark in Johnson we don't know which type of calico Jack wore - he might have been dressed in plain, undyed, coarse cotton from head to toe), shacked up with Anne Bonney (but not, as far as we know, Mary Read), but really, what did he actually do that was any good? Even if you can name something worthwhile that he did, is it really enough to make him stand out above any other pirate...ever...?

Nope; no need for you and I to mix it up over Jack

You're absolutely right; he never did anything of great value, but then neither did a lot pirates; he doesn't stand out among the giants of the GAoP, which is precisely why I am so interested in him. He got his hands on a ship and went on the account. Pretty much end of story for him. he had a few close calls, no grand historical battles, and captured only small craft (the number 22 comes to mind, but my notes aren't here at work with me.)

The appeal for me in Calico Jack is that in the annals of piracy he was mediocre at best and still got into the history books. So aside from his affiliation with Anne and Mary, there must have been something else to warrent his brief popularity. Texts don't mention he ever had a falling out with his crew, or that he ever tortured or killed after taking a ship and in one case he gave the ship back after he took what he needed. Hell he even gave the crew Xmas off, so to speak. All the texts I have (which are pretty much the same ones everyone has ) all point to his flamboyance and affinity for women, drink and not having to work for a living. Who can argue with that? (That's rhetorical Foxe, step off the soapbox! )

I appreciate the notes about the flag and the calico itself and will look more into that myself.

[Captain Jacob Badger]

I be a Roberts fan....tho, naught agreein' wi' his 'no drinkin' policy, he still kicked arse as a pirate.....plus he was welsh......arrr

[Fox]

Me soapbox has been kicked out from underneath me! Actually, you make an important point about the difference between interest in an historical figure and admiration for one. I can see very well that Rackham is fairly enigmatic, and I can understand an interest in him. He's certainly not as straighforward as many other pirates.

No question Rackham was a loser, but losers can still be interesting (at least, that's what me missus says...).

[Monterey Jack]

No question Rackham was a loser, but losers can still be interesting (at least, that's what me missus says...).

Your wife an' mine must be related!

[Red Bess]

Anne Bonny. She knew at an early age she wasn't cut out for a traditional woman's role in society. She got into piracy by her association with the men in her life, but she seemed to have a real talent for it. A feisty Irish lass who knew how to drink, swear, shoot a pistol. And usually depicted as a redhead.

She's my role model!

[Tempest Fitzgerald]

Grainne Ni Mhalille, or Grace O'Malley to the common tongue, would be my choice . Now there was a lass with moxy and verve; never bowed to the English whim, survived two husbands,a year and a half of imprisonment, calculating as a sea trader and buisness leader, ( a fleet of some 20 ships by the early 1570's), daughter of a clan Chieftan, managed to gain the ear and a pardon from Queen Elizibeth herself ( with a pension)...Died of old age and never gave in to the dictation of conventional views. ( Unto thine own self be true) You just cannot keep a good Irish lass down!

[William Brand]

William Kidd. Friends in very high places and very low places. Short, notorious career on the seas.

[Rumba Rue]

In my case, there be none. For I identify only with me, myself and I, and I'm damn glad there be no one else like me!

[King's Pyrate]

I think it would be Jean Lafitte....Sailor, navigator, pirate, hero, gentleman, and businessman who could blend in with New Orleans and Galveston citizenry and like Morgan he rubbed elbows with Governors and Generals. He was at home with common sailors or high society. A unique fellow for his trade

Fair Winds

Kin's Pyrate

[Capt. Morgan]

Gotta go with Henry Morgan as well... he thought like a soldier as well as a sailor (does that make him a captain of Marines?? )... most of my early images of piracy stem from his deeds... sacking Puerto Bello and Panama... raiding the Spanish treasure hordes... drinking and wenching it up in wild Port Royal...

Good times, indeed!

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

Fletcher Christian mateys! started off a good mate but turned into a pirate from nessecity.

[Pirate Petee]

Christopher Condent for numerous reasons.

[Monterey Jack]

On Rackham himself: name me something good he did. OK, he had a taste for calico clothes ("calico" incidentally was used in the 17thC to describe a plain material as well as the patterned cottons - apart from a throw-away remark in Johnson we don't know which type of calico Jack wore - he might have been dressed in plain, undyed, coarse cotton from head to toe

Foxe~

Found some interesting stuff on calico fabrics at the address below; seems it was always a brightly colored fabric, though not always printed with decorative patterns. By the late 1600s when it started to become all the rage in Europe, it was nearly mandatory that it be bright, vibrant and printed with designs Europeans found attractive. No mention of it ever being plain and dull.

Check this out and let me know what you think: This is the guy making all my buccaneer stuff for the mostpart.

calicojacks.freehomepage.com

[Sealegs Constance]

I would say Anne Bonny would suit me better then Mary Read or Grace O'malley. She was never cut of for the traditional roles of a women. She new how to shoot a pistol, swear like a sailor, and drink. She got into piracy because of the men that she new. Hum sounds familar, soulnds like me. So I think this lass suit me well.