Broadside

from Pirate Plunder November 2021

Trading post

There are plans by Professional Pirates Ltd to build a matched pair of replica cutters based on the design of an 18th century vessel named ‘Endeavour’. Although unproven, it is most likely that the original ship was built for illicit purposes such as smuggling. At a little over 12 metres long on deck, she was a comfortable size for the crew to easily man the four three-pounder cannons without falling over each other!

She was seized by the Government in 1763 and ‘taken into service’ by the Admiralty, eventually being converted into a revenue cutter by raising the height of her bulwarks to enable gun ports to be added, whilst the hold was fitted with sleeping ‘boxes’ for the crew of 24. Finally, her rig was changed to improve performance, allowing her to catch more illegal freebooters.

The Cowes-based yard is offering 64 shares in each cutter, with investment secured through registered ownership of the vessel. In addition to the opportunity of experiencing life on the high seas, investors will also receive a bareboat charter fee. For investment queries, please contact: info@ professionalpirates.co.uk

Donations in the form of Professional Pirates’ £50 and £20 ‘vouchers’ can also be purchased now and then either redeemed to reserve tickets for one of the pirate events to be held on board a cutter once it has been launched or against items in the fabulous online shoppe. Please be aware that if the project cannot be realised, the money used to purchase vouchers against future events would be at risk. Despite the dismal forecast, we saw no rain at this year’s Matlock Bath Pirate Mutiny. Instead, the sun shone on Saturday, with a brisk wind that pulled hard at times on the rig of Sea Dragon 7, a large unmanned model towed by a rowing boat. However, she maintained her stability on the water all day, being afloat for several hours.

My crew, The Sea Dragons, had swelled from four pirates to 12 to attend the event and much appreciated the entertainment, which included a firebreather! We also took a hire boat out on the River

Alastair Hunter Cowes, Isle of Wight

Privateer and Ships Surgeon 17th & 18th Century Medical Re-enactment

Jeff Lippman Tel: 07796 145911 Protect the Crew Against Plagues from Far Cathay Buy ‘em Safe-Write Antimicrobial Pens that Incorporate a Substance to Sink 99% o’ Germs

A single pen costs £2.50 and extra pens are £1.50 each Send name and address, number o’ pens required and cheque made out to: Young Editorial Services 52 Rickman Hill, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 3DP

Derwent and exchanged pistol shots across the water with another craft.

Sunday was the longawaited ‘big day’ as the crew launched Sea Dragon 8 with me at the helm. I had concerns over a possible capsize or sinking as a previous test on still water cannot compare with the currents of a flowing river, but my worries proved to be unfounded as the boat, powered by its silent electric motor, performed well all day. My fellow Captain, Master Luke W. Hardy, also took a turn at the helm and the attractive ladies of The Sea Dragons joined me on the boat one at a time.

I felt that my navigation skills were satisfactory, although a tall-masted craft needs a sharp-eyed lookout for overhanging trees along the bank and I caught Sea Dragon 8s rigging on branches twice. On the second occasion, a stuffed parrot perched aloft was left marooned in the tree tops!

All in all, the event gave us an enjoyable and brilliantly funny weekend and no-one fell in the water.

Cap’n Frank Sharman Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts The Pirate Plunder magazine looks as good as ever and seems to go from strength-to-strength, so well done.

As for the new Madder Mill Molly side you’ve joined, the picture you sent me should be posted in every police station if you ask me! (Editor: ye just have no grasp of English culture.)

Ian Marriott, Southampton, Hampshire

The Pirate Shop in the North Wales town of Conwy is the UK market leader for swords, daggers, guns, clothing, flags and accessories. A global distributor for Red Dragon Armoury, we sell the products of major international manufacturers such as Deepeeka, Windlass, Art Gladius, Medio Evo and Marshal Historical in the UK. We also stock other well-known brands such as Hanwei, GDFB and SPES. On-site facilities at our 12,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution centre only five minutes from the centre of town include a trade showroom and a product development studio.

To arrange an appointment, please see our ‘Visit Us’ page at: www.thepirateshop.co.uk

Whipping up funds in Whitby

By Elaine Horton (AKA Purple Polly)*

The Whitby International Pirate Society, known as WHips, came into being when two of its founding members, Rosie Buttox and Nora Barnacles, met at Rosie’s birthday party in a local pub. They didn’t, of course, answer to their pirate names until after the Society was formed.

Nora had received a pair of boots from a nameless admirer, so the footwear was considered to be of magical origin even though they were the wrong size. She decided to take them to the party and – like Prince Charming in panto – challenged guests try them on. The boots were passed around and when they reached Rosie, she declared them to be a perfect fit! No-one challenged this claim or perhaps they didn’t dare, so became her property and as far as we know are still working their magic because WHips has since gone from strength to strength.

In 2004, the Society was officially launched with a party on board the ‘Grand Turk’ Tall Ship, which raised money for the Whitby lifeboat station of the RNLI. A further five well-attended ‘Rock The Boat’ events were organised by WHips, including an exciting sponsored rig climb.

The Society has supported many other charities such as Children In Need at Hartlepool Marina, Marie Curie, which provides care and support through terminal illness, at the Lidl store in Whitby and the Staithes and Runswick Bay rescue boats.

When Whitby’s Pannett Park opened a piratethemed play park, who’re are you going to call – it had to be WHips! Crew members in full pirate garb were also present at the opening of Mutiny Bay at Alton Towers.

The crew has given a sword salute for the Olympic torch and been asked to provide sword arches for various weddings. Nevertheless, support for the RNLI has been the charity that WHips has supported on a continuous basis, with the crew out collecting vital funds in all weathers.

Fund-raising for the RNLI has always been an important task at Whitby’s own Pirate Festival in September, which was sadly cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Festival is run entirely by volunteers and features live bands and stalls manned by pirates. Once it is able to be held again, all proceeds will be donated directly to Whitby’s branch of the RNLI.

The lifeboat crew do a fantastic job saving lives at sea and WHips is proud to support them with fund-raising wherever possible, so join the Society and help out whilst having a great deal of fun on the voyage!

Purple Polly (left) and Nora Barnacles, who was a founding member of WHips, are seen here collecting for the RNLI at the Whitby Pirate Festival.

Alternative Market for Alternative Market for STEAMPUNK PIRATES STEAMPUNK PIRATES

*Elaine is proprietor of Pandemonium in Whitby, a store that supplies clothing, accessories and jewellery to steampunk pirates, as well as the Goth community.

Gentleman pirate of The Flying Gang

As the War of the Spanish Succession came to an end at the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, many privateers, who had enjoyed rich pickings by preying on Spain’s New World treasure ships, found themselves at a loose end and turned to full-blown piracy. A group of these men and women were based in the Caribbean where they formed an organisation called ‘The Flying Gang’, which included several of history’s best-known pirates.

One of their number was Stede Bonnet (born 1688 and hung in 1718), an educated and wealthy plantation owner from Barbados, who became known as the ‘gentleman pirate’. Following a number of disagreements with his wife, he left her and their three children, and instead of going ‘down the pub’ like today’s husbands, he purchased a sloop named ‘Revenge’, added to his fashionable wardrobe and set out to become a pirate! Although lacking in the necessary seamanship skills, he was able to pay well and his generosity gained him the loyalty of his more competent crew.

Following a bruising encounter with a Spanish vessel in 1717, which damaged ‘Revenge’ and injured Bonnet, he reached Nassau in the Bahamas where he met another member of ‘The Flying Gang’, Edward Teach (Blackbeard), who made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. This involved a virtual takeover of Bonnet’s ship, which was then captained by one of the famous pirate’s men, whilst Bonnet joined Blackbeard’s ship as a kind of pirate tourist whilst continuing to convalesce.

This unusual collaboration was highly successful, with many ships being looted over several months during which time Blackbeard captured the French slave ship ’La Concorde’ that became his legendary flagship, ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge’. Deciding at last to part company, Bonnet went down to the hold of ‘Revenge’ to check on his treasure only to find nothing there. The wily Blackbeard had emptied it before sailing away.

The next time the two men met, Blackbeard offered him a berth on his flagship if he would cede command of ‘Revenge’. Bonnet had little option but to accept and sailed with Blackbeard for North Carolina where the Governor of the colony enabled him to secure a Letter of Marque to act as a privateer. However, on returning to ‘Revenge’, he found that Blackbeard had stripped her of supplies and marooned the crew.

In one last attempt to make his fortune, Bonnet re-equipped the ship at his own expense, changed her name to ‘Royal James’ and sailed out to try his luck. In August, 1718, he was anchored on an estuary of the Cape Fear River for careening when a naval expedition led by Colonel William Rhett arrived and after combat had raged for some hours, the outnumbered pirates surrendered and were brought toCharles Town for trial. In one final act of defiance, Bonnet escaped on 24October, but was recaptured, charged with two acts of piracy and hung on 10 December by then a broken man.