Ye Pirate Blog

This Day in Pyrate Historie

2010-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

The year was 1689. Robert Culliford, William Kidd and six other Britons were shipmates on a French privateering vessel called the Sainte Rose. They had been plundering with the sanction of King Louis XIV of France, the "Sun King." But when tensions with the Holy Roman Empire erupted into the Nine Years' War, Culliford and his countrymen mutinied and took over the ship. Kidd became the new Captain. They renamed the ship Blessed William, and used it to defend English colonies and to privateer against the French. But then, on February 2 of 1690, Culliford stole the ship and went Caribbean pirate! It's a little unclear whether Culliford mutinied against Kidd, or simply took the ship while he was ashore, but in any case today marks the anniversary of the start of Culliford's pirate career.

Tampa: Gasparilla Pirate Festival

2010-01-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

The 106th annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival and Parade will be this Saturday, January 30th, in Tampa, Florida.

This Mardi-Gras-style festival celebrates the (probably folkloric) pirate José Gaspar, who supposedly hailed from Spain and operated along the west coast of Florida in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Official site: www.gasparillapiratefest.com (beware noisy Flash site)

Bring Me the Head of Klaus Stoertebeker!

2010-01-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

The 600-year-old skull of a famous medieval German pirate has been on display at the Museum for Hamburg History since 1922. Or at least it had, until this month.

Authorities report that the skull of Klaus Stoertebecker was stolen from the museum on January 9th.

In the late 1300's, Klaus was the leader of the Victual Brothers, a band of privateers fighting the Danish and bringing supplies to the besieged city of Stockholm. After the war, they continued capturing merchant ships for their own enrichment, calling themselves "Likedeelers," which means "equal sharers."

Like many pirates, Klaus was eventually captured and executed by the authorities. His severed head was nailed to the wall of the Hamburg Town Hall as a deterrent to would-be miscreants.

Klaus' colorful nickname, Stoertebeker, means "drains the cup in one gulp."

So if you should happen to run across a 600-year-old pirate skull in your travels, please pour a mug of beer in it for old time's sake.

Pirate Doings in Michigan

2010-01-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Jan 22-24, is ConFusion, a science fiction and fantasy convention being held at the Marriott in Troy, Michigan. We hear there will be a "pirate rock band" performing Friday night. Also, rumors abound of a "roving pirate party" that invades people's hotel rooms with a minibar shaped like a pirate ship. Sounds like not your average scifi geeks...

http://confusion.stilyagi.org/

Pirate Sex Attack

2010-01-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Beaucoup style points to this guy, who, depending on how you wanna spin it, aggressively flirted with a girl while dressed as a pirate:

full story

We're not condoning sexual assault. We're just saying, whatever you're doing, it's better to do it in style.

On Stranger Tides

2010-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series will be released in 2011. It is based, in part, on the award-winning 1988 novel "On Stranger Tides" by celebrated Fantasy/Magical Realism author Tim Powers. It combines piracy with the supernatural, a perfect fit for the PotC franchise. Do yourself a favor and read this book while you're waiting for the movie to come out. We only wonder if they kept Blackbeard in the film script. Powers himself speculates that Blackbeard's role in the tale will be taken on by mutinous first mate Barbossa.

Pirate Weekend in North Carolina

2009-07-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

Fun and adventure for children and adults on Bald Head Island. The name of that island just screams for pirates...

Full story

Pirates! Matrimony! Cheese!

2009-07-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

I bet your pirate wedding didn't have a jolly roger made of cheese:

Cheesy pirate wedding

East Coast Pirate Goings-On

2009-06-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Virginia: a pirate-themed water park opened in Lorton at Pohick Bay Regional Park.

Washington, D.C.: Le Corsaire, a ballet about pirate love and adventure, is being performed by the Bolshoi Ballet at Kennedy Center.

Pirate Festival: Vallejo, CA

2009-06-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Pirate Festival this weekend in Vallejo, CA: "a Renaissance Faire for pirates, a living history with a tent city, a square rigger, cannon battles, sea chanteys, nautical-themed games for kids, wonderful food, beer — free admission!"

See interview with Captain Barossa,a.k.a. Michael Cawelti, theatrical combat expert and star of the festival.

Pirate Festival in California

2009-06-06T07:20:00.001-07:00

The Big Bear Pirate Faire is this weekend in Fawnskin, on the north side of Big Bear Lake near San Bernardino, California. They have five entertainment stages, a battle arena, vendors, food, and a kids area. The faire runs today and tomorrow 10 am to 6 pm. www.bigbearcityrenaissancefaire.com/pirate/

Pirate Festival in Virginia

2009-06-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today, tomorrow and Sunday is the Blackbeard Pirate Festival in Hampton, Virginia. It's a weekend-long dock party featuring many historical reenactors performing skits. There be music, vendors, and actual tall-masted sailing ships engaging in mock sea battles. The event culminates with a reenactment of Blackbeard's last stand and subsequent funeral parade. See www.blackbeardpiratefestival.com for more info.

Bumbo: Better than Grog

2009-05-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Grog has long been thought of as the quintessential pirate drink. Rum, watered down, often with lime added, and sometimes salt, was the drink rationed by the English Royal Navy to its sailors. The lime, of course, is used to prevent scurvy.

But most pirates saw land more often than navy sailors, and Caribbean pirates ate a lot of fresh fruit. Scurvy was not much of an issue of them. So they ditched the lime and added sugar and nutmeg to make it taste yummy.

Today, some bumbo recipes include cinnamon or grenadine.

Here's a simple recipe:

Bumbo
2 shots rum or dark rum
1 oz water
1-2 tsp sugar
dash nutmeg (& cinnamon if desired)

This Day in Pyrate History: Death of Captain Kidd

2009-05-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Captain William Kidd may or may not have been a pirate. He was a privateer for sure, attacking French ships on behalf of England. His trial for piracy and execution were probably more political than anything, and surviving documents that were mysteriously missing at his trial point to his innocence. His career was not very lucrative at any rate, and he was plagued by bad karma. His crew did not respect him.

But according to hearsay, Captain Kidd, upon learning that he was wanted for piracy, buried a substantial amount of treasure somewhere, hoping to use its location as a bargaining chip for his freedom. His gambit failed, and he was hanged on May 23, 1701. Actually he was hanged twice, since on the first attempt the rope broke.

Captain Kidd spent his career trying to do the right thing, but his bad luck led him to a probably undeserved fate. But thanks to him we have the classic pirate trope of buried treasure.

Pyrate Movie Review: Cutthroat Island

2009-05-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

In 1995, Renny Harlin, the creative force behind such masterpieces as Exorcist: The Beginning and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, decided to write and direct a summer blockbuster about pirates. He wrote a script, and talked a studio into greenlighting his project. Then every leading man he approached passed after reading the script.

So what did he do? He revamped the script to make the love interest the main character.

Geena Davis was Harlin's wife at the time. The studio didn't think she was summer blockbuster leading lady material, but evidently Harlin has hypnotic powers. He cast her in the lead and never looked back.

The result? Cutthroat Island is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst film flop of all time. Budgeted at $100 million, the film grossed $10 million domestically.

But it's not a terrible movie. It's just not that interesting. The dialogue is bland and cliche-ridden. The direction is uneven: Harlin couldn't decide if his adventure movie should be campy or straight (best guess: he wanted it straight but his wife could only do campy). The plot is not driving; things happen in sequence, but no tension is established. There is a reason this film has been forgotten.

Although the writing and directing are fairly incompetent, the story itself is okay... since it's basically lifted from Treasure Island.

There are some who say, "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." So let's take a moment to praise the art director. The costumes, ships, props and locations are all gorgeous. If you have a pirate party, project Cutthroat Island on the wall without the sound and play some music. Actually, play the CD of the film soundtrack, because John Debney's musical score is award-winningly good.

This film gave pirates a bad name in hollywood for ten years, and ended Geena Davis' film career. For some reason, the real perpetrator, Renny Harlin, is still being given work.

Two out of five skulls

Pirate Exhibit in Montreal

2009-05-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Near the end of the 17th century, Montreal-born Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville conducted a series of raids against the English in what is now Newfoundland. With the consent and blessing of the French government, he conducted a land campaign against English settlements. There was some plunder going on, but not at sea. In this case, I'd say he was a mercenary.

Then, in 1697, d'Iberville sailed to France and was given a commission by the French Navy to retake the mouth of the Mississippi river and resettle Louisiana. Sounds like a straight ahead Naval operation. At best we could call him a privateer...

But at the Pointe-a-Calliere museum in Old Montreal, they're calling him a pirate. They have a floor set up like a ship's deck, and they're displaying cutlasses, canon, sea chests, and other 17th-18th century seafaring goodies. The exhibit is called "Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters," and they're probably just promoting d'Iberville because he's a local boy and a loyal Frenchie (not that there's anything wrong with that). We say it's worth checking out if you're in the area.

Pirate Haunt of the Day: Tortuga

2009-05-19T09:29:00.001-07:00

Tortuga, featured as an anarchistic pirate haven in Pirates of the Caribbean is a mountainous, rocky island off Haiti's northwestern coast. Christopher Columbus encountered the island in 1493, and it was his crew that gave it the name Tortuga: its shape reminded them of a turtle. Some Spanish settlers eventually inhabited the island, and in the 1600's the Spanish fought over it with the English and the French. The Spanish ultimately abandoned it as unimportant, leaving it to the English and the French who set up neighboring colonies to grow tobacco and such.

The island was never well controlled by the colonial government, and it became a haven for Buccaneers who began calling themselves Brethren of the Coast. Henry Morgan-- who the rum is named after-- was a Brethren, and codified the previously loose association. In 1645, the French governor attempted to gain control of the island by bribing the pirates with over a thousand prostitutes. But pirates are an uncontrollable lot, and Tortuga remained under Brethren control for most of the 17th century.

Blackbeard News

2009-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

When pirates were asked what country they were loyal to, some would euphemistically say "We're from the sea!" Meaning their allegiance was given to no nation.

It has long been thought that Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was a less-than-loyal subject of the British Crown, hailing from Bristol. But now Kevin P. Duffus, an author from North Carolina, is promulgating the idea that the notorious pirate is not from Bristol at all, but rather a local boy from the Carolinas.

His theory is that Blackeard was really Edward Beard, the son of Captain James Beard, a landowner near Charleston. Edward Beard went to Philadelphia to learn sailing skills, then went pirate, acquiring the moniker "Black," in the tradition of Black Bart Roberts and Black Sam Bellamy, thus "Black" Beard. Teach was just an alias.

Duffus admits he doesn't have any proof of this theory, but cites lack of documentation of anyone named Teach or Thatch in Bristol in those days. He is further attempting to bolster credibility of his idea by petitioning the state of North Carolina to DNA test an old skeleton to see if it is from one of Blackbeard's crew members. No, we can't see how that makes any sense either. But in our view, anything that gets historical pirates in the news is good.

So, one dude thinks Blackbeard was from South Carolina, and the rest of pirate scholarship thinks he was from Bristol. But one thing is for certain: he was from the sea.

Happy Birthday, Black Bart!

2009-05-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of Bartholomew Roberts, arguably the most successful pirate of the Golden Age.

Born John Roberts in Wales in 1682, Bart was an honest hardworking seaman until 1719, when the ship he was third mate of (the Princess) was captured by pirates off the Gold Coast of Africa. He was pressganged into piracy, and by all accounts, he was reluctant at first. But his Captain, Howell Davis, found him to have excellent navigation skills, and being that Davis was also Welsh, he could communicate sensitive information to Roberts in their native tongue. So Roberts became a close confidant and soon reoriented his life philosophy. Captain Charles Johnson quotes Black Bart as saying:

In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labour. In this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst is only a sour look or two at choking? No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto.

At the island of Princess off the African coast, Captain Davis flew the flag of an English merchantman, and invited the governor on board for tea, hoping to hold him for ransom. But the Portuguese found him out and lured him into a trap and shot him. Bart Roberts was elected captain by the crew and he ordered a raid on Princess to avenge Davis. Roberts and his men killed almost all the male inhabitants and took as much booty as they could carry.

After this, the crew voted to go to Brazil. So they sailed across the Atlantic and became successful Caribbean pirates. In his career, Bart Roberts captured almost 500 ships! Roberts also instituted a version of the Articles of Agreement (the "Pirate Code") that forbade rape, instituted a kind of medical insurance for crewmen, and prohibited gambling and fighting on board. All disputes were to be settled by duels on land.

On February 10, 1722, the H.M.S. Swallow engaged Roberts' ship the Royal Fortune at Cape Lopez off Equitorial Guinea. Roberts and his crew had just plundered the Neptune and his crew were still drunk with success (and alcohol). Bartholomew Roberts was killed in the battle, shocking many who thought him invincible: three years is very long for a pirate's career. Some historians cite Roberts' death as the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Pirates vs. Ninjas the Musical

2009-05-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Alas, the age old question: who would win in a fight: pirates or ninjas?

We thought after the pirate-ninja peace summit in 2008, this age-old question would be finally put to rest. But alas, the debate rages on, no doubt fueled by rum on the one side and... uh... puffer fish on the other?.

If ye want to display yer allegiance to one side or the other, you can get fine t-shirts to declare such (see end of post).

If instead ye want to set sail for Texas, you can see a spectacle of battle with periodic song and dance numbers. Pirates Versus Ninjas: The Musical runs Fridays and Saturdays through May 30 at the Overtime Theater in San Antonio.

More Blackbeard News

2009-04-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier we reported on the museum exhibit of relics recovered from the ship thought to be Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. The more stuff they excavate from this wreck, the more sure they are that it is indeed the vessel of the infamous Captain Teach. National Geographic recently reported on some recent finds which lend more certainty to the identity of the ship. And of course they have great photos. Here's the article.

And in other news, if you're in New Orleans, or have a way to get there, consider checking out PyrateCon this weekend!

Pirate Video of the Day

2009-03-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here's "Redbeard's Rap" from Bus Pirates, an online comedy show about pirates who invade city buses, apparantly.

You can see episodes one through six of Bus Pirates, as well as some behind the scenes clips, on their MySpace page.

The Jolly Noggin of Blackbeard

2009-03-05T05:50:00.001-08:00

In 1996, a marine recovery team found the remains of a wrecked ship in an inlet on the coast of North Carolina. Since then, about a third of the wreckage has been excavated, yielding over 16,000 artifacts of British origin. The wreck has been identified as probably being the Queen Anne's Revenge, a pirate ship that scourged the coast of the southern colonies under the captaincy of Edward Thatch (sometimes given as Teach), better known as Blackbeard.

Blackbeard made his last stand off the coast of NC almost three hundred years ago. Despite the fact that Blackbeard had decided to accept a Royal pardon and retire, Governor Spotswood of Virginia sent two sloops out of his jurisdiction to hunt down the illustrious Captain Thatch.

Lieutenant Robert Maynard, in command of the mission, engaged Thatch near Beaufort Inlet. After a spirited exchange of insults and gunfire, Blackbeard and ten of his men threw grenades made of rum bottles full of gunpowder onto the deck of Maynard's sloop. After covering the deck with smoke and broken glass, they boarded.

They say Blackbeard was shot five times and stabbed close to twenty before he fell. Maynard cut off Thatch's head-- not only for a trophy, but also as proof to collect the bounty (a meagre £100). He hung the head from his bowsprit. That's the beam that juts out from the front of a wooden ship.

According to legend, Blackbeard's decapitated body was thrown overboard, where it swam around the sloop seven times before sinking. But the head was kept, this we know. And scholars suspect that we still have Blackbeard's actual skull.

This supposed skull of Blackbeard and many of the recovered artifacts from the supposed Queen Anne's Revenge will be on display at a grand exhibition of pirate history from antiquity to the present at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. The exhibit, entitled Knights of the Black Flag, opens tomorrow.

A Bottle of Rum

2009-03-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

Pirates didn't have running water on their wooden ships (and in case you didn't know it, you can't survive on sea water because of the salt). So all the water to be consumed on a voyage had to be brought along in barrels. Over the course of a few weeks, the water would get algae in it.

To keep the water from growing, they would sometimes put salt in it (enough to kill algae but not pirates). Or they would put some alcohol in it. Pirates of the Caribbean found an abundant supply of "kill devil," an alcohol that came as a byproduct of sugar cane production. When people began to cultivate kill devil on purpose, its name became rum. A bit of rum in water (and sometimes also with a little salt) is the drink that became known as "grog."

Rum was very cheap and abundant in the Caribbean, and so it was the alcohol of choice for our brethren around the Spanish Main. The Royal Navy gave strict rations of hootch, but pirates could be freer, at least when recruiting Navy sailors. During a voyage, the captain would still ration the rum, and the Articles usually outlined stiff penalties for being drunk during battle.

Pirate Lingo Made Easy

2009-02-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

If ye want to portray yerself as a bloodthirsty pirate (and let's face it, who doesn't?), ye have to take an affect to yer speech. No need of immersin' yerself in literature, nor takin' any theatrical dialects class. Just remember these five rules:

Goodbye, G
Any word with an -ing endin' now has an -in' endin'. Most of us do this anyway ("are you comin to the party?"), but with pirate speak, you actually hang on and give emphasis to that final N.

Hello
As soon as ye show yer scurvy face-- at home, at the bar, at the underground cockfightin' den, or wherever-- immediately establish your piratocity by greetin' everyone with a hearty "ahoy!" It's how pirates say hello. In Klingon, the hello greetin' basically amounts to "what do you want?" In Pirate, the hello greetin' basically amounts to "I see you."

Yes & No
Simple as mud. This rule alone will make you sound like a pirate. If you forget all the others, remember to say "aye" and "nay" in answer to questions of truth-value. If someone tells you to do somethin', and you decide to do it, say "aye" twice.

To Be or Else
Pirates do not conjugate "to be." I be a pirate. Ye be a scallywag. She be a saucy wench. They be askin' fer a keelhaulin'!

Friends & Enemies
Finally, when addressing friends, call them "hearties" or "maties." Call a disreputable friend a "scallywag." If someone pisses you off, call them a dog. Nowadays, "dog" is what male friends call each other. But in the Golden Age of Piracy, there was nothing worse you could call someone than a dog. Tone of voice helps-- say it with spitting anger. You can add adjectives: "Ye scurvy dog!" "Ye damned dog!" or make it poetic: "Avast, ye bilge-sucking wagtail!"

Right, that last one be a bit complex. But follow some or any of these rules, and ye will be well on yer way to a life of adventure and plunder! May fortune smile on yer voyages!

P.S. There's a new comic coming out in April called Cursed Pirate Girl. We're not sure how much actual piracy is in it, but it sounds mighty interesting and the art is made to look old-timey. Read an interview with the artist and see some pages here.

Pirate Haunt of the Day: The Spanish Main

2009-02-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Spanish Main consisted of the Carribbean coasts of Florida, Mexico, northern South America, and the waterways that served their ports. The riches of the Spanish Empire were concentrated in this area and drew the attention of many a hopeful scallywag.

The Spanish Empire in the Americas largely consisted of Florida, Mexico, Central America and northern South America. From these regions the Spanish reaped mind-blowingly vast amounts of wealth in the form of gold, silver, precious jewels, New World spices and hardwoods, tobacco, and other goods. These riches would be hauled to the Caribbean coast, loaded onto galleons, and shipped back to the motherland. Goods from Asia were also brought in from the east to Acapulco, brought overland to Veracruz, and added to the treasure fleet for transport to Spain.

This is the major reason why the Caribbean was so rife with pirates. A Spanish treasure fleet was not easy to capture, but perhaps trailing the fleet you could pick off a straggler and immediately retire! This did not happen often, but the presence of such vast riches was enough to attract the hopes and aspirations of many an outlaw, who would then wise up and pick easier targets.

There's also a film entitled "The Spanish Main," and there are pirates in it. It is an adventure film from 1945. Check it out if you're so inclined:

What's That in Yer Cannon?

2009-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

Cannons were the mainstay of sea battles in the eighteenth century, using gunpowder to launch iron balls at about nine hundred miles an hour. A cannonball could be anywhere from two to six inches in diameter, depending on the bore of the cannon. But there were other things besides mere balls a pirate could shoot at another ship.

Yes, you can dump a bunch of silverware, nails, and whatever else is expendable into a cannon and shoot it. This is known as a blunderbuss shot, and while not at all effective in breeching the hull, it would be downright nasty if it hit a person on deck.

They also used bomb shots-- a hollowed out cannonball full of gunpowder, with a fuse. The fuse is lit just before putting the bomb in the cannon. If you time it right, the bomb explodes just as it is hitting the opposing ship. If you time it wrong, it could land on deck and blow up later; or it could blow up in the air and be wasted. If you time it drastically wrong, or if your flash pan doesn't light, it could blow up your cannon and kill you.

What do you get when you attach two cannonballs to a length of chain? You get chain shot. A chain shot spins in the air, and if you shoot it at the rigging, it can wrap around ropes, tear sails and break off the spars, to prevent your prey from sailing away.

Happy Birthday, Black Sam

2009-02-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the 320th anniversary of the birth of "Black Sam" Bellamy, nicknamed the "Prince of Pirates."

Bellamy was born in England, became a sailor, and sailed to Cape Cod. There he met a girl so fair: Maria Hallett. She was so fair that he decided to scour the coast of Florida looking for shipwrecks to bring her treasure. When he couldn't find any, he turned pirate.

He first joined Benjamin Hornigold's crew on the Mary Anne. In 1716, Bellamy took command of the Mary Anne. He later captured a better ship, the Sultana. Bellamy was known for his mercy and generosity. When he captured the 300-ton slaving ship, the Whydah Galley, he gave its captain the Sultana. The Whydah Galley was laden with ivory, gold, and silver. Evidently he had finally captured enough for his lady love, for he sailed back to Cape Cod.

Tragically, he never saw Maria again. The Whydah Galley was caught in a storm off the cape, wrecked, and went under the tide. Nine men from Bellamy's fleet made it ashore, and all but two were captured.

Bellamy himself went down with the Whydah Galley. The ship and some of its treasure were recovered by treasure hunters in 1984. Many of the artifacts are on display at the Expedition Whydah Sea Lab & Learning Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. There is also currently a travelling exhibit with Whydah artifacts called Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship. It just moved to The Field Museum in Chicago & the show opens on Wednesday.

Best. Teacharrr. Evarrr.

2009-02-21T07:27:00.001-08:00

A brilliant Utah teacher has found a way to interest 16-year-olds in history. Ronald Hansen teaches pirates "rather than do[ing] Columbus." His course culminates in a three-day treasure hunt, complete with cryptographic clues. Principal's only concern: it's hard to figure out all that pirate lingo. Bravo, Mr. Hansen! May yer sails be round and yer rum casks full. Read the full story.

The Colour of Beards

2009-02-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

Seafaring folk of the eighteenth century, like most folk of the eighteenth century, were a superstitious lot. Sailors would only sing songs that mention home when they were on the return leg of their journey. Since whistling was thought to encourage wind, a sailor would never whistle during a storm, for fear of turning a squall into a hurricanoe! And it was generally thought to be very bad luck to cut hair or nails while at sea.

Hair and nail clippings were sacred to Persephone, a Greek demigoddess. So it was considered bad form to make them while your fate rested in the hands of Poseidon, god of the sea. Consequently, many pirates ended up with noticeable beards. Some beards were so noteworthy that the name of the beard is more well known than the name of the man.

Especially Blackbeard. His beard, in addition to being black, was long and wild, and he was known to braid it and weave burning pieces of rope into it-- to terrify opponents.

Bluebeard was not a pirate. Bluebeard is a European folk tale about a character who serially marries and murders women. But this tale is outside the scope of this blogge.

Redbeard was not a pirate, technically. Redbeard was two pirates, probably the most famous of the Barbary corsairs. Baba Aruj and Hayreddin Barbarossa were Ottoman Turks born on the isle of Lesbos (then called Midilli). They and their other two brothers were all seamen in the Mediterranean. Aruj was given a small fleet by an Ottoman Prince in order to fight the Knights of St. John who were interfering with Ottoman trade and shipping. He was later given authorization to raid Italy and other Christian nations on the northern mediterranean coast. When he was killed in battle with Spain, his brother Hayreddin took over his mission. Hayreddin eventually grew wealthy and ultimately became Pasha of Algiers.

Yellowbeard is a pirate-themed comedy film by Graham Chapman of Monty Python. It is an example of a film that was probably ruined by development hell, but the finished product is still quirkily entertaining. Ah, but what might have been, if it had starred Keith Moon and Adam Ant as originally planned...

Check it out for yourself:

Pirate Flags, or Why is Roger so Jolly?

2009-02-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

The black flag with skull and crossbones is universally understood as a sign of pirates. But there were a wide variety of different flags flown by pirates to engender fear in their opponents. Many pirates simply flew an unadorned black flag, or a red one, to indicate that they were outlaws, not bound to the rules of engagement, and that they would torture and kill everyone on board unless an immediate surrender was tendered. Pirates would also keep a number of flags of various nations on hand, to fool other ships into thinking they were friendly. When they got close, the black flag would come up, and often the victim ship's hands would jump overboard in terror. If the ship refused to surrender, a red flag would mean the ship would be taken mercilessly, and all hands killed.

In the early eighteenth century, the skull and crossbones motif became popular among pirates. The flags were handmade, and many different variations existed.

The Jolly Roger of Edward England

Richard Worley

Christopher Condent

Calico Jack Rackham

Some pirates used a different device entirely, such as an hourglass with wings to indicate "time is running out," or the Devil stabbing a heart.

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach

Edward Low

Black Bart Roberts

Thomas Tew

This only serves to indicate the endless ingenuity and creative expression that pirates of the Golden Age represent!

Pillage of the Village

2009-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you're in Florida, or have a way to get there, you may want to check out the 17th annual Florida Renaissance Festival which is underway, weekends through March 8. It's at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, on the east coast near Boca Raton. The weather forecast for this weekend is partly cloudy mid-70's.

This particular weekend, the 21st and 22nd, is the pirate-themed weekend. They call it the Pillage of the Village. While you're in town, be sure to scour the coast for buried treasure. Both Blackbeard and Sir Henry Morgan deposited loot in the area.

This Day in Pirate History

2009-02-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the 290th anniversary of the death of Richard Worley, an English pirate of note for being one of the first to fly a skull and crossbones flag.

Worley set out from New York in a small boat with a skeleton crew of eight men, scored some loot along the east coast, picked up a few more crew members, and headed for the Bahamas.

It was about this time that King George I issued a proclamation ordering the execution of any pirate who refused his generous offer of royal pardons, a threat backed up by the departure of the 24-gun HMS Phoenix, sent to the Caribbean to hunt pirates.

Worley and his crew managed to evade the Phoenix, and signed a set of articles that included a pledge to fight to the death if captured. Worley decided to head back to the colonial waters that were proving so lucrative for the likes of Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. The governor of North Carolina got wind of his plans, and sent out two warships to intercept him.

Unfortunately, Worley mistook the two warships for merchant ships and tried to block their entry to Jamestown harbor, effectively removing his avenue of escape. All hands were killed in the battle, save Worley and one other crewman. Worley was injured, and the authorities wanted to be sure his sentence was carried out before he died of his wounds. He was sentenced to be hanged the following day, February 17, 1719. Let us remember our fallen brother on this day!

Fly your own skull and crossbones in his honor:

Way, Hey, Blog the Man Down!

2009-02-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

This be a blog devoted to the romantic ideal of piracy, especially the Golden Age thereof. We will discuss infamous historical pirates, pirates in literature and film, pirate events, nautical archaeology, and perhaps the occasional news story about modern pirates-- but only to lambaste them for their lack of panache and cutlasses.

So why is piracy romantical? Freedom, me hearties. Pirates represent the eschewing of authority and making one's own way with courage and a rejection of the domination of the spirit. The ideal of rational anarchy is perhaps best expressed by Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: "The only law that matters is what a man can do, and what a man can't do." Blow "the Man" down, maties!