The Mercury, 1720 Careening Camp

[Ol Man From the Sea]

[A leather thong.... "Other end of Deval St.".........

(best Don Adams voice)

"I told you we didn't want to know about that"

[Patrick Hand]

I was looking for something else, and found an old but interesting thread in Twill......

Period Camping

https://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4998

[Patrick Hand]

Blackjohn posted a really cool link in another forum.....

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Goelet-MA1986.pdf

it's 322 pages pdf. format...... The Careening and Bottom Maintaance of Wooden Sailing Vessels

I downloaded a copy.... but have to start working, so I havent looked through most of it yet........

[Ol Man From the Sea]

Ok patrick here is my SWAG at what your kit weighs (Scientific Wise A**ed Guess)

seabag 1 1/2 Lbs

sail/tarp, 6 metal tent steaks,rope 10 lbs

2 wool blankets 7lbs

linseed-oiled groundcloth 2 1/2 lbs

a clean shirt, slops 2Lbs

...sock... an extra pair of socks, etc. 1/2Lbs

pewter plate 1/2Lbs

a small bag... 1 1/2Lbs

26Lbs

Weapons bag 1Lbs

cutlass, belt knife, belt 4Lbs

That puts your checked at 31Lbs

Haversack 1Lbs

Tankard 1Lbs

candle lantern in tankard 1/2Lbs

Pyrate Journal 1 1/2lbs

Small blank book 1Lbs

a small bottle of ink, my pen, digital camera. 1Lbs

Carry on 6Lbs

Total 37 Lbs

or about 1/4 of what the airlines will allow!

[Patrick Hand]

I think you might have overestimated on the haversack and contents weight.... but other than that, it looks about right.....

I figure that for the next PiP, I will have slightly more stuff.... well, at least an extra shirt, so I can change when I get too stinky....

I'm also trying to get a Blunderbuss, so the hard lockable case for that will weigh more (but I'm trying to figure out how to make that case with detachable wheels, so I can use it almost like a hand truck.......not period, but it would make things easier.....)

[Ol Man From the Sea]

I think you might have overestimated on the haversack and contents weight.... but other than that, it looks about right.....

Yea, with as spartan (which I also believe is the period "weigh" to go ) as your kit is, I was hopping to error on the heavy side, and most of what is in the haversack varies alot depending on just what it is. For example I have one mug that weighs 1/2Lbs while another weighs 1Lbs and if I'm not worried about being Goap I can get it down to under an ounce. Which is all just to say it is a good idea to keep travel in mind when choosen you kit.

The other items I am really guessing on are the blankets and the plate.

BTW why 2 blankets??

Also if you can give me a while longer I may have some ideas on that "hard case" for ya.

[Patrick Hand]

I figure that for the Careening Camp, the weight of my stuff is based on what I'm willing to carry from the bus stop at the Green Parrot out to the Fort.... My Buccaneer stuff is designed to carry all day (well other than tent poles and fire wood...)

I carrry two blankets , because they are very old Army blankets, and kinda thin... so two blankets weight just a little more than a thicker wool blanket... but provides better insulation... I don't need two blankets for PiP, but force of habit is why I took both of them......

I have kind of an idea how I want to make the blunderbuss carrying case.... I was fooling around with the idea for my doglock, but decided that a doglock and case was a bit too big to bother carrying.....(that's why I want a blunderbuss.... kinda funny getting a gun for one event.......But I wanna fire a gun a PiP next year.....( I could have make a hard case for my pistol.... but it just didn't seem worth the effort.....)

The Basic idea, is to make a hard wooden case that securly holds a blunderbuss, cutlass and pistol, at one end would be a hole to fit the axle, drilled all the way through the case.... so when I got to Key West, I'd open the case, take out the wheeles , axle and cotter pins and put it together, and roll along my merry way......

[callenish gunner]

you might consider shipping by ups; a blunderbuss et.al. to harry at the fort the shipment would take 2-4 days depending on the rate you pay to ship it ...and insure it ....if nothing else patrick i'll have plenty of weapons at the fort that you'd be able to use for the the battles etc.

[Ol Man From the Sea]

....if nothing else patrick i'll have plenty of weapons at the fort...

Callenish, will you be selling weapons at the fort? Bunderbuss mayhaps? and if yea be know'n, how long they be it'd help me ta know.

[Patrick Hand]

Thanks callenish gunner, I was offered a gun to fire last year.... but I really don't like firing other peoples weapons.... so I want to bring my own next year.....

[callenish gunner]

we could say you're taking them for a test run and besides i should have at least 20-25 different weapons there

[blackjohn]

Blackjohn posted a really cool link in another forum.....

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Goelet-MA1986.pdf

it's 322 pages pdf. format...... The Careening and Bottom Maintaance of Wooden Sailing Vessels

I downloaded a copy.... but have to start working, so I havent looked through most of it yet........

Yeah, I've been studying up on tents and stuff... I posted this over on the PB forum during lunch... one of the cooler more useful things that has been written.

"We went from hence to the Isles Roca's, to careen the Sugar-prize, which the Isle of Aves was not a place so convenient for. Accordingly we haled close to one of the small Islands, and got our Guns ashore the first thing we did, and built a Breast-work on the Point, and planted all our Guns there, to hinder an Enemy from coming to us while we lay on the Careen: Then we made a House, and cover'd it with our Sails, to put our Goods and Provisions in."

We have an event coming up where we'll have a redoubt to use. I figure that event has careening camp written all over it.

[Patrick Hand]

Blackjohn, I didn't think you would mind me re-posting it here..... awh heck... a lot of us are already on your forum......(and I couldn't find the link easly enough to post it here for those that don't know about your Forum) (kinda all Capt' Twill ...lostsa Good period stuff if you are interseted)......

Any way... Blackjohn.... post the link (if you want to(yah,,, right at the bottom of your sig... but hey... being polite.....) to your Forum..... and we can discuss all the stuff about a careening camp in both forums....

Awh heck.... th' Breatherin may not be able to make it to PiP.... but we can sure as heck (seePG-13) can share info..........

[blackjohn]

Patrick, oh hell no I don't mind. Not at all! This whole endeavor is made better by sharing information. I appreciate the fact that you posted it! I figure anything I find and post is fair game to be re-posted anywhere by anyone with or without acknowledgment. After all, it's not like I actually wrote the document and could claim copyright.

[Patrick Hand]

Still too much snow on the ground to get into a good Pyratical mood.....

But Spring is just around the corner..... and then Summer... So we gotta start posting kinda soon..... because soon it will be time fer PiP again......

OK.... not to worry too much about it yet..... but let's not slack untill the last moment either.......

I figure once the weather gets a little warmer, I will post how to make a linseed oil ground cloth (well and other stuff....) but it's still to wet and cold to make one yet............

So we can work on alla the background details.... then the how-to-do when the weather gets nicer........

[William Brand]

Aye. No time like the present. I need to pester Mike to start my boarding axe and boat hook.

So many things I need and so little time.

[Ol Man From the Sea]

No time like the present is right. big trade fair this weekend and I ain't got no period camping stuff. Here is my shopping list so far:

Tent or tarp

hemp rope to rig above

Iron stakes to tie above to

belt axe to drive above into coralcrete ?

Ground cloth

wool blanket

2nd blanket to serve as a pad (or to cover my camprest)

tin or Pewter plate

tin or pewter bowl or mug ?

already have jack mug

pewter, horn, or wood spoon

three tiened fork ?

"corn boiler" ?

Sea chest

candle lantern

This list seems to short I know I'm forgetting something, any ideas?

[Patrick Hand]

"corn boiler" ?

The best that I can figure out, is that a period "kettle" should be copper....

(Course, untill I make one, I'll keep using my CW tin cup to cook outta... I have instructions somewhere in my computer on how to make one.)

Tent or tarp

If you know how to sew, you can save alot of money making a tarp yourself....

Heck my sail/tarp is compleatly hand sewn.... (just for the sheer stupidity of doing it......) but for the price you will pay to buy one, you could get hemp and do it really correctly.......

Ground cloth

A ground cloth is just canvas that is painted with a 50-50 mixture of terpentine and linsead oil.... you don't even have to hem or sew it..... But you need a little warmer weather to make one.....

belt axe to drive above into coralcrete ?

Unless your going to do trecking, you can just borrow a hammer at the Fort....

Sorry... this isn't listing what you've forgotten.... but more "how to save some money on your stuff, by making some of it yourself.....

[Patrick Hand]

This is after period.... (1830's-1840's)..... but it is closer than a tin boiler.....

Making a Copper Trade Kettle

http://www.northwestjournal.ca/XVI1645.htm

[William Brand]

Just an FYI. The Mercury draughts are looking very nice. She is shaping into a grand little boat.

[Ol Man From the Sea]

The question mark after the “corn boiler” is because I’m not yet sure that I need or even want one, as I don’t plan to do any cooking. I always leave Key West wishing I had the chance to eat somewhere else or something more. One can only eat so much in one trip and the Keys have way more than that to offer. I want a plate etc. so I won’t have to be antisocial if there is some kind of group cook out. There are much better reasons to be antisocial than lack of tableware. Still it might be nice to boil some water for cocoa, oatmeal or soup etc.

A question I have, can horn spoons be used to mix something into boiling water or will they lose there shape?

The axe would serve both as a camp tool and as a boarding weapon, but again the question mark means that I’m “thinking” about one.

A hand sewn hemp tarp has crossed my mind. However at the rate I hand sew, I will still need something for this year (and maybe next). A machine sewn hemp tarp “seams” silly to me. I ain’t sewing a whole tent. I still need to think on the tent or tarp question, and a small “baker” hasn’t been ruled out yet either..

As to the ground cloth, I am a bit concerned about smelling, and smelling like, linseed oil all week.

A copper kettle does not look too hard to make. The tooling to make it though is more trouble than it is worth.

[Patrick Hand]

A question I have, can horn spoons be used to mix something into boiling water or will they lose there shape?

If you've ever tried to soften horn to make something, you know that it takes a long time in boiling water for it to work (three hours for my last powder horn...and it had thin edges).... so to stir coffee or coco, it wouldn't be in the hot water long enough to make any difference.... (I wouldn't leave the spoon in a pot of boiling water tho....

As to the ground cloth, I am a bit concerned about smelling, and smelling like, linseed oil all week.

Once it's dry, it will still have a linseed smell to it..... but it's dry, so it dosen't "get-on-you" .... It is one of those camping things tho... kinda like wood smoke.....

A copper kettle does not look too hard to make. The tooling to make it though is more trouble than it is worth.

Yah... I think he was a bit tool happy.... I'm just going to use what I have when I make one... (the seammer does look handy tho...) The basic How-to, is the important part, then you improvise with what you have avalible......

[William Brand]

I need to expand my shop to include making copper and tin items. It is so tempting. I'm drawn to so many of the craftsman arts.

Which reminds me. I have a powder horn that needs carving.

[Patrick Hand]

Which reminds me. I have a powder horn that needs carving.

I wanna go to a (well two different ) Rendezvous next month.... one of the items I wanna pick-up is another large straight cow horn..... I wanna make a Frenchy style powder horn.... Don't know if I'd carry it to PiP... it's more of a Buccaneer kinda thing..... but it should be a fun project.....

Spring is kinda slowly creepin' in, and I'm starting to get back in the proper Pyratical make-stuff kinda mood..... And the weather should be nice enough, so I can write-up the article on lensead oil waterproofing stuff.... hey... it's easy to do.... only slightly messy.... but you gotta let it dry really well (in a dry shaded spot) or it can spontaniously combust.....

[Patrick Hand]

I got wondering about the copper kettle....

From one of the Buckskinner books, I kinda thought the copper ones were (more) period......

But now I wanna kinda re-think that....

Maybe go ask in Twill....

Now... I have a Large CW era Tin cup.... I use it to cook outta

<Funny asside.... when I did CW reenactments someone once asked me why our unit all painted thier tin cups black..... not knowing that they get that way when you cook outta them......>

Pyrates didn't really cook for themrselves tho... food was cooked for/by messes.... so would a Pyrate have a tin or copper boiler (Buccaneer is a different time period.... so I have to think about that for my other personna)

So.... how would it work if we got a large pot (going to have to ask about the large pot in Twill).... we all threw in a couple of bucks, someone with a car or truck (hint hint----Capt. Jim) goes to the grocery store in Key West.... Buys a large chunka corned beef (slightly period) some potatoes.... and we just boil up a pot of food for our dinner.....

Awh heck.... mostly we all go into town to eat at night anyway... (other then the Pig roast on Sunday night)

but do we even need cooking (as opposed to eating ) utinsells for the Careening Canp..... is anyone going to be cooking?