The Pirate Shack

Venue needed for 3rd Annual Long Island Pirate Festival

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:36:00 +0000

Ye Pyrate Brotherhood has put out a plea to help find a venue for the 3rd Annual Long Island Pirate Festival (2010, this year).

From their email:

We regret to announce that as of this date, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining a venue for the 3rd Annual Long Island Pirate Festival. We have searched and contacted numerous venues, to no gain. The venue would have to be grassy, have the ability to be fenced, have parking and of course be a reasonable price. 2 venues we were working on are most likely going to be closed by June, a third has never gotten back to us. We don't want to settle or compromise just for the sake of having the festival this year.

We appreciate everyone's kind words, support and encouragement.

WE SHALL PREVAIL TO RAID ANOTHER SHORE....

www.yepyratebrotherhood.org

Pirates Of The Caribben 4: On Stranger Tides

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:15:00 +0000

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has been officially given the name Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The film is set for a summer, 2011 release and there is already some controversy surrounding it.

One point is that Johnny Depp may be wavering in his commitment to the film, possibly because of the departure of Dick Cook, now former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Cook had been instrumental in encouraging Depp's interpretation of Captain Jack Sparrow - a portrayal which no doubt was a key element in the success of the franchise.

Another point of controversy (at least, its controversial to some) is the film's title, which is the same as a novel by Tim Powers. In fact, the plot of that book and the upcoming film also bear similarities and it was revealed that Disney had optioned it.

Some good POTC 4 news, actor Geoffrey Rush is on board to bring Captain Barbossa to life once again. See more on that here.

Y'know what day it be? It be Talk Like A Pirate Day!

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:12:00 +0000

T'day be Talk Like a Pirate Day me hearties! So put on your best Robert Newton voice and keep the wind at yer backs!

And don't ye forget, the Second annual Long Island Pirate Festival is going on today and tomorrow, Sept. 19th and 20th.

2009 Long Island Pirate Festival

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:16:00 +0000

The 2nd Annual Long Island Pirate Festival is scheduled for September 19th and 20th, just in time for Talk Like A Pirate Day! Here Is the info:

SEPTEMBER 19TH & 20TH, 2009
Bald Hill, Farmingville NY
Details are coming, times are Sept 19th 10am-8pm
Sept 20th 10am-6 pm
$10.00 at gate, children under 5 free
(get $1.00 off gate fee with canned good for Island Harvest Food Bank)
$3.00 parking fee to benefit need based scholarship
for vendor info contact email: longislandpiratefestival@yahoo.com
www.longislandpiratefestival.org
www.yepyratebrotherhood.org

[thanks Lucky Lacey]

Yarrrrrrd sale!

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Yarrrrrrd sale, originally uploaded by chocosaur.

Review of Porto Bello Gold, a prequel to Treasure Island

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:24:00 +0000

My review of Porto Bello Gold, by A. D. Howden Smith

Porto Bello Gold an alright story in its own right, but it is not very satisfying for the dedicated Treasure Island fan. I have read Treasure Island over and over since I was a young child, both abridged and unabridged as I got older. I can honestly say Treasure Island is my favorite book. Porto Bello Gold, while ok on its own, does not really do justice to the characters created by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Without revealing too much of either book, I'll say that in this book, Flint is not the character that Stevenson built him up to be. Ben Gunn and Darby McGraw are also not characterized in a satisfying way. Israel Hands is completely absent.

In some respects it seems as if the author took some of the locations and ideas from Treasure Island and worked backwards, and the result is sometimes too convenient. As vividly as he wrote, Stevenson left much of the past to the readers imagination, feeding and fueling it as only he could. Smith on the other hand seems to have felt to need to explain the origin of every unexplored detail. Some things are best left to the imagination (for example, how the stockade came to be or the identity of Darby McGraw). If anything, I would say the original Treasure Island should be read first.

Long John Silver

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Long John Silver, originally uploaded by Dunechaser.

June 5th - 7th: the Blackbeard Pirate Festival in Hampton, Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:44:00 +0000

More festival news, if you are going to be near Hampton, VA on June 5th, 6th, or 7th, the 2009 Blackbeard Pirate Festival is going down on the downtown Hampton waterfront.

In addition to a sprawling encampment of authentically decked-out buccaneers, the big dockside party features a constant schedule of living history skits played out in the downtown taverns and streets as well as on the decks of the ships moored in the Hampton River. Turn topage 6 for event information, plus a look at some of the attractions the festival has recently introduced to win the hearts of families blessed with little kid pirates.

from dailypress.com

Visit the Blackbeard Pirate Festival site for more details including directions and scehdules.

Royal Navy Frees Pirates After Disarming Them

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Apparently, the Royal Navy can only arrest suspected pirates if they are caught in an act of piracy. 10 heavily armed suspected pirates in skiffs we disarmed before being released:

“Clearly, with all the weaponry in the skiffs, there was an intent to commit piracy, but we hadn’t actually caught them in the middle of an attack so we had to release them.”

All the weapons and ammunition were confiscated and the ten men were piled into the larger of the two skiffs, provided with enough fuel to get them to the Somali coast and told to go home. Some of the fuel was then put into the other skiff and set on fire.

2009 John Levique Pirate Days, June 12-14

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:10:00 +0000

The 2009 John Levique Pirate Days festival is coming to John's Pass, Florida (Near st. Petersburg / Tampa) on June 12, 13, 14, of 2009. There will be all kinds of events for kids, grown-ups and families including a pirate ball, costume contests, a Sea Traders Market, stage entertainment, a pirate ship invasion and sea battle and much more (check their schedule for times and details).

Click here for more info

Tank Riot Podcast: Pirate History

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Another link I found on boing boing is to this podcast. I had never listened to this podcast before, but they cover a wide variety of topics and this [nearly] two hour episode is all about pirates. They cover pretty much all the basics from the very first pirates all the way to to the Maersk Alabama (the American freighter recently captured by Somali pirates and freed by the US Navy). They even spend the last 20 minutes or so talking about music and movie piracy, which, as they point out, isn't really piracy, its just called that. But over all they do a really good job covering everything you might read in a pirate history book (and some things you wouldn't). [One correction though: I think they mention Blackbeard's Tower as being on St. Thomas, its actually in The Bahamas (unless there are two in which case I am mistaken).] They also talk about pirate movies, but no mention of Against All Flags, which they should see if they haven't. In any event, its well worth a listen.

[Please note: there are a few PG-13 moments so keep that in mind if young, impressionable ears might be listening.]

Click here to download the podcast directly from itunes (its FREE!)

visit the Tank Riot episode page.

and of course, found via boing boing

[(I'll try to use less parenthetical marks in future posts!)]

Update: Viktor from Tank Riot emailed me back and there is, in fact, a Blackbeard's Tower on St. Thomas. Click here to read more about it.

All About Pirate Economics, A Book Review Online

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

The magazine Reason has an review online about The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates. The book looks pretty interesting and the article has quite a bit of information in itself (and I confess to not having read much of it so far, but I will!). From the review:

But a pirate’s life had less publicized qualities as well: Ships were known among sailors for their relatively decent living conditions, profitsharing opportunities, democratic practices, and racially integrated crews. Life “on the account,” as pirating was known, was often far more civilized than legitimate seamanship.

Read the review/article here

Found via boing boing

Pirates of the Caribbean RPG Set For 2010 Release

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:48:00 +0000

According to CVG, Disney and Propaganda Games are set to release a Pirates of the Caribbean RPG (Role Playing Game) for the PC and gaming consoles in 2010.

Read more at CVG

Have You Been Impressed Against Your Will?

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Have You Been Impressed Against Your Will?, originally uploaded by sehmuzb.

Best if viewed large (you can do so from the flickr page)

Jeff A. Menges: Oceans Of Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Artist and Pirate Shack friend Jeff A. Menges has a show of his work on display at the Northport Public Library. His work will be up all this month. He gave a lecture tonight (sorry I didn't post before the lecture), hitting on such points as his influences and how his works progress. His work is great and there are a few portrait paintings of ships in the show that have never been published, so this is your chance to see them. If your near Northport its a fantastic opportunity to see these works.

The library address is: 151 Laurel Ave, Northport, NY 11768

Previously on The Pirate Shack: The Art and Work of Jeff Menges

Behold, the R (as in Arrrrr) Shirt

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:08:00 +0000

R-Shirt, heather grey 2.0, originally uploaded by cubiccavepearls.

Available for sale: The R-shirt.

Happy Valentine's Day From The Pirate Shack

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:06:00 +0000

GC_dont_kidd_valentine, originally uploaded by PopKulture.

Found on flickr

The 2009 Gasparilla Pirate Festival(s)

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:33:00 +0000

If you're reading this, you might have missed the 2009 Gasparilla Pirate Festival. More accurately, you missed the Gasparilla Extravaganza on January 24th, but fear not, The Gasparilla Pirate Fest actually occurs on February 7th, which promises to be more fun considering that it will have a pirate invasion, it is also not nearly as alcohol-free as the previous Extravaganza. So if you're near Tampa on the 7th, go on the account and stop by!

Santa King of Pirate // Père Noël Roi des Pirates

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Santa King of Pirate // Père Noël Roi des Pirates, originally uploaded by Stéfan.

flickr user Stéfan has posted a set of photos titled Santa of the Carribean.

It's a Pirate Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:57:00 +0000

I found out about It's A Pirate Christmas a bit after the fact. Oh well, there's always next year...

Happy Holidays, from The Pirate Shack

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:36:00 +0000

140/365 Toast to the Christmas Pirates, originally uploaded by stuartpilbrow.

link to last year's holiday post

Happy Thanksgiving From The Pirate Shack

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:52:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by sakraft1.

based on The Flag of Edward England by Wikimedia community member WarX.

The Sand Bar

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:26:00 +0000

07, originally uploaded by "Big Daddy" Nelson.

flickr user "Big Daddy" Nelson makes good use of the new Lego pirate island base by putting two of them back to back and building a bar! Click on the image to see more photos.

via Brothers Brick

Being A Pirate Is All Fun And Games, Til...

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:19:00 +0000

Song by by Don Freed. The Pirate Shack is not responsible for images used in this video :)

Found on flickr: Pirate toy is popular with the wenches

noreply@blogger.com (scott) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:05:00 +0000

Hugs and smooches, originally uploaded by Tony….