Click on the book covers below to learn more about each book!
Flying the Black Flag: A Brief History of Piracy
By Alfred Bradford
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
By Howard Pyle
Below are the first 2 stanzas and a music video of a famous pirate shanty:
Come all ye young fellows that follows the sea
To me, way hey, blow the man down
Now please pay attention and listen to me
Give me some time to blow the man down
I'm a deep water sailor just come from Hong Kong
You give me some whiskey, I'll sing you a song
When a trim Black Ball liner's preparing for sea
On a trim Black Ball liner I wasted me prime
Here's a fun pirate-themed game a lass or buccaneer of any age can enjoy, argh!
Yohoho.io - Pirate Battle Royale
In this WASD keyboard game, move your pirate forward, aft, port and starboard, scoop up treasure, and cut down competing pirates until only one swashbuckler remains.
*Jolly Roger Flag. Image provided by Google Creative Commons.
All aboard for a pirate-themed vacation unlike anything ye have dared dream!
This three day adventure begins in the United Kingdom where we tour the most renowned swashbuckling strongholds of Ireland and England.
After casting off from Cornwall, it's across the Pond we go, stopping in North Carolina. From there we round Florida, travel northward through the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans, then set sail for our final destinations in the Caribbean Sea.
*Pirate ship in the Caribbean. Image provided by Google Creative Commons.
Before we hoist anchor, ye best be familiar with yer directions. Nothing will get a landlubber marooned quicker than saying "left" and "right."
Port - (Formerly larboard) Left side of the boat where on and offboarding always takes place
Starboard - Right side of the boat, or the oceanside when at port
Forward - In front of, to the bow of the boat
Aft - Behind, to the stern of the boat
*Diagram of ship directions. Image provided by https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/beginner.htm
Another aid to your travels is this handy pirate lingo dictionary. If you encounter a term you don't recognize, consult it like ye would a treasure map, savvy?
Now that ye know yer directions, ye must know the rules also. Lest ye wish to walk the plank and become shark chum, aye?
Pirates may not abide the laws of their native lands, but order must be kept amongst a crew, and a captain stern with his mates, and the mates with their swabs.
Here's an example from the Wikipedia page, Pirate Code:
Articles of Bartholomew Roberts
I. Every man has a vote in affairs of moment; has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity (not an uncommon thing among them) makes it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment.
II. Every man to be called fairly in turn, by list, on board of prizes because, (over and above their proper share) they were on these occasions allowed a shift of clothes: but if they defrauded the company to the value of a dollar in plate, jewels, or money, marooning was their punishment. If the robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves with slitting the ears and nose of him that was guilty, and set him on shore, not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter hardships.
III. No person to game at cards or dice for money.
IV. The lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they were to do it on the open deck.
V. To keep their piece, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service.
VI. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death; (so that when any fell into their hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a sentinel immediately over her to prevent ill consequences from so dangerous an instrument of division and quarrel; but then here lies the roguery; they contend who shall be sentinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest bullies, who, to secure the lady's virtue, will let none lie with her but himself.)
VII. To desert the ship or their quarters in battle, was punished with death or marooning.
VIII. No striking one another on board, but every man's quarrels to be ended on shore, at sword and pistol. (The quarter-master of the ship, when the parties will not come to any reconciliation, accompanies them on shore with what assistance he thinks proper, and turns the disputant back to back, at so many paces distance; at the word of command, they turn and fire immediately (or else the piece is knocked out of their hands). If both miss, they come to their cutlasses, and then he is declared the victor who draws the first blood.)
IX. No man to talk of breaking up their way of living, till each had shared one thousand pounds. If in order to this, any man should lose a limb, or become a cripple in their service, he was to have eight hundred dollars, out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts, proportionately.
X. The Captain and Quartermaster to receive two shares of a prize: the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a half, and other officers one and quarter.
XI. The musicians to have rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six days and nights, none without special favour.
Yo Ho! Direct yer attention upon the captain, me hearties. On the left hand side of each page will be some recommended reading. Any good pirate needs a good book for the long voyage across the seven seas. Below that will be the featured pirate song of the day. Finally, there will be a fun online pirate game you may play to your heart's content.
In the middle of the page, we will be taking a closer look at three legendary pirate havens for each broad location we cast anchor at. You'll encounter a blend of history, lore, and modern entertainment to be had at each! After this, there will be an authentic pirate recipe for each of our three main days, and each page has a featured pirate movie embedded from YouTube.
Now that introductions are out of the way, buff up on your pirate history with the video below. Be quick as lightning about it, for soon we cast the main sail, tighten the halyards, bind the stays, strike the colors, and hoist the Jolly Roger! We're off on an adventure.
The galley is the place on a ship where meals are prepared. Throughout our short vacation, you'll encounter the following dessert and 3 meals any sailor in the 17th and 18th centuries ate regularly.
Can you imagine trying to satisfy your sweet tooth hundreds, or even thousands of miles away from shore? Somehow, the scurvy seadogs managed, thanks to today's dessert.
Click on the name of the recipe to view it online and learn more. Enjoy today's selection!
From "The Pirate Empire" Blog:
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil
2 cups of fine breadcrumbs
1 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar
Zest of one lemon
Two cups of grated suet.
(If you can’t get grated suet near you, as most people in America cannot, you can buy it online here, or substitute 2 sticks of very cold grated butter)
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, then beat together 5 eggs
Add to the mix. Form the dough into egg-sized balls, and roll each ball in flour. Drop balls into the boiling water, stirring just enough to keep them from sticking together. Boil for 15-20 minutes, then scoop out and let drain. Serve with sauce.
Sauce:
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup sherry wine (The pirates called this “sack”.)
Mix together in a saucepan over low heat and pour, warm, over hasty pudding balls.
"The Pirates of Penzance" (1983)
