This month we get a little Furry
fOR THE pIRATE OF THE MONTH
Thee Bluebeard adventures
Siren of the Month
October 2015
Star~Dust
Editor, Motivator
Timber Gray Wolf
Editor Chief, Designer, photographer
Issue #4 Great Lake Pirates is published monthly freelying through ISSUU. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted into any form by any means without written consent from the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All letters sent to Great Lake Pirates will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication, copyright purposes and use are subject to Great Lake Pirates unrestricted right to edit and comment.
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Contents 04) Michigan Renaissance Festival 08) Tails of Anne Bonny 11) The Bluebeard Adventures 18) Pirate of the Month 22) Siren of the Month
Off getting in trouble with the crews merchants
This year was our first time going to an over the top festival of this level. Part of the crew and I traveled across the state to partake in the High Sea Adventure theme weekend. After stocking the armory/hail of weapons and food, the five of us crammed into my Cavalier and set sail for Holly, Michigan.
Wrote by: Timber Gray Wolf Getting to the gate is a fun walk and the first of many lines. A hint to help get through the lines faster if you are carrying metal, have them already peace tied. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you are in a group it helps to get everyone through faster and not hold up the line for others. A small heads up, quick release ties are not aloud, you may be thinking it is a way to reuse ties later, but they don’t except them. As breath taking as stepping into this new world, do take some steps out of the way of traffic to allow people to get through then take all the photo you please.
We had an idea that this event was huge, but we had no idea what we were walking into. When we thought we were about to the end of venders on the main strip, we peered down an opening, on the other side of the road to see that lead to many more. As I mentioned the place is huge so be ready to walk a lot and have comfy shoes. Be careful where your walk; there be children, tails, long dresses, uneven ground, and fairies.
When walking around be sure to check times for the performances and try to stay for the whole thing. We enjoyed each of the shows we sat down for. We missed many that would have been great to watch. I can’t stress this enough, tip the performers. Each one we saw we tipped at least $5, from each of us. If they can make me laugh till my side hurt or move me with their music, or even just go “daaaamn that’s cool”, they deserve the money.
As we wondered the vendors along the main stretch we saw such a great range of products. From great cloths, leather and hand crafted weapons. We tried on plenty of outfits, almost dished out well over $400 on somethings, some self-control is good. I may not have spent that much money on products as I might have on food thou, great delicious food. Hint: on that one, expect to spent more money on food than anything else if anything. Do respect the do not take photo signs, they are everywhere, sometimes not posted in clear sight, we were slight a victim to that one. After taking a photo of an outfit that one of our merchants where planning on buying when trying it on. We at least got told politely “We are supposed to stop people from taking photos”. He seemed not too worried as she was drooling over the outfits and was talking of getting it that day. While other venders don’t mind photos as it will make the person look back on the photo and think “yes I do look awesome in that.” Hint: Ask to take photo if not sure.
Some vendors can be pushy, but don’t be rude. It is part of the character to draw people in. One had pointed out that I need some new better pants. I use old pair of Tripp pants that are baggy, has plenty of pockets and metal everywhere on it. Rather than getting mad I let them humor me and see what they had in mind. The showed me some rat-pants and other pants that would fit my style. They at least did compliment me on how my pants did go with my style. Many of the vendors noticed that I liked dark reds and metal, yeah I could have spent plenty. (The Perarls Revenge was not the one it happened at , but they did like my butt)
When the day was coming to an end all of us where about drained of energy. We came to the realization that this was not a one day event. To really take it all in, one really has to do it in at least two days. So that way we would not feel rush or try to remember what venders we wanted to hit up before leaving.
Over all the event was worth going and paying what we thought at first was a hefty price to get in. Before setting off on our journey home, we took a moment to rest and take some energy potions (5hour shots) to stay alive for the most part.
Hint: Always take plenty of Photos, even with DeadPool
Anne Bonny Women pirates were a rare and fleeting thing. They are only a handful of female pirates notable enough to mention. Among these pirates, you’ll find ladies such as Sayyida al Hurra, Teuta of Illyria, Jeanne de Clisson, Ching Shih, Jacquotte Delahaye and a few other pirates. Anne Bonny is one of the most infamous and ferocious female pirates in history. She was a plunderer, cutthroat, sailor, ransomer, raider, and a general menace to commerce in the Caribbean. Pirates of that day and age would have considered her a valuable asset to their trade. The Irish American pirate was born Anne Cormac sometime around 1700 in Cork, Ireland. Anne was born to the lawyer William Cormac and his housemaid. The affair with his housemaid was a scandal. To escape the gossip floating around about it, William moved both Anne and her mother to America where he then married the housemaid. The three settled on a plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. When Anne was 13, her mother died of typhoid fever. Anne found rural comforts rather dull. She despised life on the plantation and spent her time listening to stories of pirates at the nearby port of Charleston. While lurking around and listening to the stories, Anne meet small-time pirate, James Bonny.
William made arrangements and betrothed Anne to a local man, Woodes Rogers. Anne was against these plans and in 1718, she married a sailor named James Bonny. Upon their marriage, her father was so enraged that he disowned his daughter. The two traveled to New Providence in the Bahamas where James became an informant for the government there. Anne became bored with their marriage. Anne became involved with pirate John Rackham (Calico Jack). Calico even offered to buy Anne from her husband, James. But he refused as he wanted her family estate. In 1720, Anne walked away from her husband and joined Calico, commandeering the sloop William from Nassau. The two began pirating vessels on the coast of Jamaica. When Calico invited Anne to join his crew, which was extremely unusual in this time era. Crews and captains believed that women were bad luck to have on board. Anne’s history may have swayed Calico into inviting her to the crew. She was a fierce and loyal woman. Stories from her past indicate that she beat off an attempted rapist. The beating left the man hospitalized. Anne tried to hide her gender from the crew. She fought and worked beside them as a man. Before long, however, she was discovered. According to one legend, the first and last shipmate to express any kind of anger at having her aboard paid for the remarks he made. Anne ended his life with a blade through his heart. After being found out amongst the crew, Anne stopped dressing as a man when she was alone with the crew. She would only disguise herself after that when they were in combat or shored somewhere.
Anne found herself a friend in Mary Read. Mary was just as famous and fierce as Anne. The crew of the William, however, didn’t know Mary Read was a woman as she felt safer disguising herself as a male. Mary shared her secret with only Anne and Calico. The three happily pirated throughout the Caribbean for nearly a year before Anne fell pregnant. As the crew hadn’t yet found out about Anne’s true gender, Calico made sure to drop Anne off in Cuba to give birth to the child. Afterwards, Calico allowed her to rejoin the crew. No one actually knows what happened to the child. Some believe Calico had family there that they left the child with. Others feel that Anne and Calico simply abandoned the child all together. Another story says that Calico returned to the island to pick Anne up and found that the child had died and Anne was not well. In an attempt to improve her health, Calico took Anne and sailed back to Providence where he obtained a pardon for the crimes they had committed. Unknown to them, James Bonny was still there and still very much angry that Anne had left. James started stirring up trouble rather quickly for the two, forcing them to return to the sea and back to their pirate lives. The crews exploits didn’t go unnoticed. Woodes Rogers followed their trail closely. Before long, he sent privateer Captain Jonathan Barnet after the shit. On November 15, 1720, Barnet caught up with the crew at Negril Point in Jamaica. Aside from Anne and Mary, the rest of the crew was too inebriated to fight the privateers’ crew. Another story explains that Calico and the rest of the crew cowered in fear as the women fought off the attack. While Anne and Mary fought the attack, it wasn’t enough. The entire crew was captured and brought to Spanish Town, Jamaica for sentencing. Calico Jack and all of the male members of the crew were instantly found guilty and hung. Before the hanging, Anne looked to Calico and told him, “I’m sorry to see you here, Jack, but if you’d have fought like a man you needn’t hang like a dog.” Mary and Anne were tried and found guilty on November 28. They were sentenced to death, but both were pregnant and received stays of execution. Mary Read was to be hung after she gave birth to her child. The next year, while still awaiting her execution, Mary died of a fever in jail. Anne was released with a little assistance from her father. Anne returned to Charleston where she gave birth to Calico’s child. She then remarried a man named Joseph Burleigh. The two had eight children together. Anne died there in Charleston with her family on April 25, 1782.
Wrote by: Sea Blue Jay
This month’s contest had a great turn out and a fight to the finish. 220 votes come in total across the ballets. If you would want to get in on November’s Pirate of the month, Fallow and Like us at /GreatLakePiratesMagazine
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Q
How long have you been into the pirate life?
A: Around four years. It has taken me almost three of those to find the costume I liked, which is based on the Blackbeard design from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag with some modifications. I have enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean movies which is what really got me interested in the Pirate life. The Pirates of Dark Water was also one of the cartoons shows I watched often as a kid.
Q
What made you want to add pirate to your Fursona?
A: I attribute Pirates of the Caribbean movies to this as they had mythical creatures in them, so why not an anthropomorphic snow leopard? I also love mixing genres with being a Furry, my most popular genre mix is with my complete Ghostbusters costume, as well as I have a 10th Doctor one.
Q
Does your pirate Fursona have a back story?
A: That’s still a work in progress. Right now Captain Martog Snowpaw is the pirate of the Winter’s Fury, a heavy frigate with a hull reinforced with iron to help protect the ship and for navigation throughout polar regions which the Captain favored to go on piracy as ships traveling the regions were not as well protected plus it meant able to make hideouts do most other ships not being able to follow easily through the ice.
Q
May of us know how warm it can get with as many layers a top notch pirate garb gets. How warm does it get with the extra fur lay and how do you ventilate so you don’t over heat?
A: It gets very hot once the head goes on as it traps the heat inside as it can reach over 110 degrees fairly quickly. I’ve learned that even in public, if I am at risk and cannot get out, I need to pop the head and cool down. I mostly breath through the mouth and see from my tear ducts. Though here are some tips that help me that can help anyone with costumes. I wear Columbus Omnifreeze Zero gear which is heat gear, it wicks away the sweat, plus when it gets wet, it has a chemical that slightly decreases the fabric temperature. If you can, get something like a CamelBak, they can be easily hidden under frock coats. Lastly, the best piece, and pricey, is a phase change material vest that has inserts for PCM to help keep you cool. EZCooldown.net has these for sale anyone, they can help and regenerate fast in icy cold water!
Q
What do you like the most about going to the events and what is one of your favorite so far?
A: I just love seeing people’s reactions, it makes me happy when I am in costume and I make someone’s day. I also love seeing other people’s creativity, people come up with pretty awesome costume ideas. Outside of conventions, I really enjoy going to the Ohio Renaissance Festival as I have been going there for a few years now.
Q
Do you have any comment on the neck and neck vote race that went on between you and Greg “Captain Hector Barbossa”
A: I am glad it was not a straight shoot win, it shows how much both of us both into amazing pirate costumes and I hope to see him back up again for consideration for Pirate of the Month as he deserves to have it sometime!
72% We here at Great Lake Pirates Support our fresh water merpeople. Show your support by voting for your favorites for future Issues and even enter yourself to get in on the fun. /GreatLakePiratesMagazine
28%
Q
What drew you to the dawn the fins?
A: I dawned the fins because ever since I was a child I was obsessed with the water and being in it. For the longest time all I wanted to do was grow up and be a marine biologist and study orca or Dolphins. When the TV series H2O came out and I saw the tails the girls were wearing I started doing research and that’s how I found out about becoming a real mermaid. Needless to say it was something I just had to do.
Q
What style of mermaid tail is your favorite to use and how many do you have?
A: At the moment the tail I have now is the only one I have. I borrowed another once but it didn’t fit me properly. Then due to money and some personal issues with money theft this is the only one I have been able to obtain,but I’d love to have a silicone tail with a larger fluke. I like it to look more realistic though so the kids feel they are looking at the real thing
Q
Which of the Great Lakes might we find you a swimming?
A: I actually get around to a few of them lately so I can be found in Lake Michigan primarily specifically south haven and Muskegon, Muskegon lake, and occasionally when I’m up north Lake Huron under the mackinaw bridge.
Q
What might be our “day job” when walking upon draw land?
A: My day jobs and land are bit odd I work as a model at a local college half the time in the mermaid tail and some of the time not. Usually for the figure drawing art class (( not nude)) and when I’m not there I work as a game advisor at game stop, Because hey mermaids are nerds too.
Q
Do you belong to a waterclan or a lone swimmer
A: Technically I am a lone swimmer but I occasionally swim with Twin mermaids and collaborate with Freshwater Merfolk.
Q
Is there anything you would like to share with our readers?
A: Honestly I would like to share that anyone with a true passion for the sea and for just believing in magic can be a mermaid. I would love to see the mermaid community reach out to each other more and for us to really start taking more of a “fin” to help preserve our oceans I think it’s something all of us could learn a little bit more about
Q
: What do you like the most about going to the events and what is one of your favorite so far?
A: The smiles from the kids knowing that I could put just a little bit of magic back into the world. Getting to watch everybody remember what it was like to believe in magic and mermaids I love that I also love when I get the opportunity to teach people about marine life and more things about the ocean to help feel like I’m really preserving it. I honestly do not have a favorite event all of them are quite precious to me in different ways for I gain something different from each of them.
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Sometimes we’re bound for Liverpool, sometimes we’re Bound for Spain Heave away, me jollies, heave away But now we’re bound for old St. John’s where all the Girls are dancing Heave away me jolly boys, we’re all bound away