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Pirate Fest, June 2013 - Put-in-Bay, OH
Photo: Michael Colossimo - The Persephone at Sea on Sunday
Chapter 8th: The events of Sunday afternoon, including: The sinking of the Persephone (pronounced 'Purse-av-fown') and why this almost ruined a wedding; The Sunday battle which took place on land and at sea; Everything that's important to know about the giant plastic cannons (which is almost nothing); Riding the carousel; The easiest way to swing a Pip; Eating a Watermelon (very messily); What happened while waiting for the ferry and then What happened when we actually got on the ferry.
In preparation for the battle, Nathanael Logsdon and his crew of early 19th century Americans took the Persephone out to sea. They were planning to exchange shots with Mark Gist's two boats, the Green Black Sheep and the Firefly during the battle, but they wanted to get her out early to test the waters. (So to speak.)
Now, you may recall from a previous chapter that Nathan had discovered that she had a rotting beam the week before this event and had spent long days replacing this. Unfortunately, as we learned last year with the Firefly, when wood boats are left
Photo: Michael Colossimo - The Ill-Fated Voyage of the Persephone
out of the water too long, the wood dries and it shrinks or something, causing the boat not to be as watertight as it should be. I don't know if this was the actual problem or not, but I do know that the Persephone sank during her Sunday voyage when she was exploring the harbor at Put-in-Bay.
Kate Bagley put out the call for people to go and help rescue the boat. I have no idea what this entailed because I didn't go.
The boat had foundered near a place where they were holding a wedding ceremony. As Kate explained it, she ran through the middle of the ceremony and said, "Sorry! Congratulations! Our boat is sinking!" I asked her if anyone took photos of all this, but she said something about them all being too busy trying to rescue the boat. (I would have gone and taken photos, but would have been otherwise useless, which seemed a bit tacky. Yes, yes, I know being tacky isn't usually a problem for me.) So the Persephone was not in the battle.
Speaking of the battle, it had been decided to have a sea battle in combination with cannon firing from the area where we had held the land battle yesterday. (The cannons had to stay where they were, you see. If Bob Gilmour had been there, the cannon barge would have been in the fray, but he was off doing American Civil War as mentioned.) When news came that the Persephone was not joining us, Michael Bagley hastily arranged to have black powder battles between the Firefly and Green Black Sheep. I was stationed in the the front of the Sheep as the gunner. (I guess it's sort of my spot when the Green Black Sheep and I happen to be at an event together.)
 Photo: Jim Shipley Michael - Battle Planning |
 Photo: Mission Loading the |
 Photo: Jim Shipley A Very Crowded |
Both boats headed out into the harbor, weaving in and out of the various coves, shooting at each other. The shore-based cannon battery added to the fracas by firing their double- or treble-loaded cannons and it was just a lot of racket... for a while.
Photo: Jim Shipley - Mission, Gunner
I believe I got off three shots with the deck gun before disaster struck. The deck gun is mounted on a short piece of what looks like telephone pole with a hole in the middle of it. This is wedged in the prow of the Green Black Sheep, the whole of which is held in place by a couple of pieces of board. One of those pieces of board came unstuck on the third firing and the whole cannon assembly flipped back into my lap. The deck gun is heavy.
I propped it back up and started to load it. While I was doing that, it tipped back again. I now realized that the next shot would launch the whole mess backwards onto me with considerable force and decided to call it a day. The last thing I wanted was forty pounds of brass gun careening back into my solar plexus. So the battle was left to the folks with rifles and pistols while I did my best to keep the wobbling gun and telephone pole as upright as possible.
 Photo: Jim Shipley The Firefly Crew Rowing |
 Photo: Jim Shipley The Firefly Crew - Ed, Shannon and Michael C. |
 Photo: Jim Shipley Richard Conroy Firing at the Sheep |
When everyone ran out of powder, we headed back for the dock where I was greatly relieved to be able to stop fighting the deck gun that was aiming to topple over with every wave. Not our best battle at sea, but we made a lot of racket and that's why the crowds gather. (I think that's why they gather. Then again, they always cover their ears when we fire, so I really have no idea why the crowds gather when a battle is going on.) Thus endeth the battle.
 Dan Holding Back the Tourists. Or Something. |
 A Dock. Ha ha ha! Of course it's a dock! (I love that joke.) |
Matt & Shannon pose with a Fam on the Plastic Cannon
Tammi on the Plastic Cannon
Before
we leave the topic of guns and battle, I wanted to make note of the plastic cannons. I am guessing that the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce bought them. They looked neat from afar, but up close, it was pretty obvious that they were plastic cannons. Still, they made for nice props to pose with in photos.
What I wonder is... where do your store giant plastic cannons? If you scratch the paint job on the things, *bang*, you're done. They look like cheesy plastic cannons. (Er, that *bang* was not a cannon bang, because they don't do that. This is another problem with large plastic cannons - having them is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. So to speak.)
With the battle over, we went back to Site B and worked the booths for a little while. Well, some of us did. The Wrong Crowd, not having displays to work, went and rode on the carousel. M.A. d'Dogge told me he paid for ten people to ride and then the lot of them all climbed aboard. So that happened. (I'd make some silly comments about this, but the visuals seem to supply all the silliness required.)
 Photo: M.A. d'Dogge Now There Go Some Very Happy Pirates |
 Photo: Jim Shipley Ed, In Stripes, on a Zebra. (What else?) |
 Photo: M.A. d'Dogge's Camera M.A. d'Dogge on His Dog |
 Photo: M.A. d'Dogge Just TRY and Tell a Group of Pirates That They Can't Smoke on the Ride! |
 Photo: M.A. d'Dogge Billie on a Rooster? |
Speaking of unusual things, Pip announced that he wanted to go on the swings that were just behind the Site B encampment. (That's not the unusual thing.) So, like any good dad, Nathanael put Pip on the swings and proceeded to push him as you see in the first two images below. However, he decided this was too much work, so he tied a rope to Pip and then swung him that way. Now, the engineer in me doesn't see how this reduces the amount of work expended to swing a Pip, but it seemed to make both of them happy.
 Nathanael Dramatically Pulling Pip on the Swing |
 Giving Pip a Nice High Swing |
 Here, Using a Rope. This is Easier? |
Lob was still sitting on his watermelon, despite his insistence in the previous chapter that he was going to sit in the car. This wouldn't do, so it was decided to cut up the watermelon for the crew. "Lob knew there was conspiracy against him! Lob is innocent! Lob flings poop at you to prove it." So Lob was forcibly stowed in the car like he said he wanted to be and the watermelon was led to the slaughter. Dan volunteered to slice it up, primarily so he could use his swords, I suspect.
 Photo: Michael Colossimo Lob Sitting on the Watermelon |
 Photo: Michael Colossimo The First Cut is the Deeoest... |
 Photo: Michael Colossimo Dan Handing Out Slices |
Soon everyone wandering around Site B eating giant slices of watermelon. Watermelon is difficult to eat at the best of time without getting slime all over you, but when the slices are large, it is particularly so. Add an untamed beard and... well, you see the results below. It brought to mind that story of Francois L'Olonnois who cut out the heart of one Spaniard and fed it to another. I'm sure that heart slime is just like watermelon slime.
 Photo: Michael Colossimo Michael Eating Watermelon |
 Photo: Michael Colossimo There's Just No Good Way for Him to Do It |
 Image: From The Buccaneers of America I Wonder How He'd Have Handled Watermelon? |
Photo: Sos Boss - Waving to Passers By from the Sheep
Around 5pm, we broke the camp so that we didn't miss the last Miller Ferry which left at 6. It's amazing how much faster breaking camp goes than putting it up. I got to ride in the Green Black Sheep on the way back to the ferry dock, which always leads to people hollering and waving at you. (Mostly because you're in costume, I imagine. I doubt passers by wave at regular people riding in the back of a boat. Then again, I doubt regular people do this in the first place.)
We missed the next ferry, of course. (I have yet to see us just catch the next ferry, even when it's not leaving for another 20 minutes.) Everyone got out of the vehicles and went down to the beach near the ferry dock. Some people decided to get into the water while dressed in their period garb. They do this every year and it always makes me wonder what they smell like when they get back home.
 Photo: Michael Colossimo Pirates Splashing in Their Bath (Lake Erie Serving as the Bathtub) |
 Photo: Michael Colossimo M.A. d'Dogge Dunks Jay |
 Photo: Mission A Wet Vince |
Some of us were a bit more sane and stayed out of Lake Erie in our garb. Since they also had time to kill between ferries, some of the guys who worked at the the Miller Put-in-Bay Terminal asked if we would pose for a photo with them by the water. I asked them if they hung out in town at all and they said, "Never. We avoid that place."
 Photo: Mission We Always Miss the Next Ferry! |
 Photo: Jim Shipley Nathan and Pip Support the Flag |
 Photo: Mission's Camera Two of the Ferry Crew Guys Posing With the Pirates |
The ferry showed up and we all had stop fooling around at the beach and get aboard. Once there, inspired perhaps by Nathanael raising the American flag while we were waiting in the parking lot, M.A. d'Dogge and Billie raised their pirate flag. They happened to be parked at the very front of the ferry, so it was quite the statement. Not to be outdone, Nathanael once again got Pip to hold the American flag atop the back of the Persephone (pronounced per-zapf-honn). I can't say who won that, but the ferry had its own American flag, so I guess the USA trumped the pirates based on number of flags if nothing else.
 MD and Billie Hoist the Jolly Roger |
 Pip With the American Flag |
 Battle of the Two Flags on the Ferry! |
Of course, losing the flag battle didn't prevent an act of piracy. The ferry was filled with pirates, after all. Like last year, M.A. d'Dogge got everyone to put their hands up so that he could take photos of the ferry being held up. (It's amazing how willing people are to do that.)
 The Ferry Hold Up - Left Side of the Ship |
 The Ferry Hold Up - Right Side of the Ship |
M.A. d'Dogge also turned his Jeep radio up as loud as he could to play high energy sea shanties. I think he was trying to set the mood so that everyone would be willing to be held up. Or maybe it was just exuberance; Put-in-Bay is that kind of event. You want it to last as long as possible. If it was exuberance, it was infectious because several people decided to dance. This is actually a time honored tradition on sailing ships. Men would often play instruments and dance jigs while the ship was in motion, so it was all to the good.
 Stephen Priddy Dancing |
 Ed Rembert |
 Jay Babcock Busts a Move |
 Kate and Michael Doing a Minuet |
Vince had (wisely) changed clothes after taking that dip in Lake Erie, but he wanted to be a part of the dancing process. For some reason - perhaps because he didn't know any jigs or possibly because he was wearing the wrong clothes - he decided to do Russian dances. I commented on how amazing his form was (especially given the motion of the ferry) and he said it wasn't really that hard. (Maybe when you're in your 20s it isn't that hard...)
 Da da, da da, da da... |
 Dah, da da, da da, Dah! |
 Da da, da da, da da |
 Dah, da da, da da, Dah! HEY! |
Michael Bagley also did a solo dance. For some unknown reason, he decided to put on a dress first. Next he posed with Vince, probably in recognition of his being able to perform such a fine Russian dance. After that, he decided to go to the upper deck of the ferry and do the Queen of the World pose... er, the King of the World pose. Hm. Well, you be the judge.
 Michael Dancing... in a Dress |
 NOT American Gothic |
 See Nathan and Andrea? See how far away from Michael they are? |
Now M.A. d'Dogge was sitting on top of his Jeep roof for most of these festivities, but don't let that fool you. He actually has some dance moves of his own as a series of photos from the Saturday battle prove. While this step isn't quite jig material, it does look pret-ty jazzy. He just needs the right music. Imagine it with the steps in between while playing the Rolling Stones' song Harlem Shuffle. In fact, we should hereafter refer to this as the M.A. d'Dogge Shuffle. (Yeah, yeah, yeahhhhh - Do the M.A. d'Dogge Shuf-fle!)
 Photo: Terry Smith The First Step of the MD Shuffle |
 Photo: Terry Smith The Second Step of the MD Shuffle |
 Photo: Terry Smith And the Final Step. Viola! |
The Group Photo - Rear, From Left - Dave & Carla of Sos Boss, Jennie & Mark Gist, Adam
&
Sarah Mudd, Stephen Priddy, Michael & Kate Bagley, Dan Curtis, Marcus Cain, Richard
Conroy, Nathanael & Andrea Logsdon and Mary Diamond. Front, from Left: M.A. d'Dogge, Becci
of Sos Boss, Harrison Pease, Jim Shipley, Cheeky Actress (seated), George/Ken, Mission,
Michael Colossimo, Vince Giacalone (seated), Trish & Shannon Gallatin and Billie (seated).
The ferry docked and we proceeded back to our cars to unload the boats and disperse.
It had been a long weekend and, although a lot of people didn't want it to end on some level, many of use were eager to get home. It gets bigger every year. I'd say it's more fun, but it's always a lot of fun. While the things that happen each year change, it still has that same feeling about it..
You can see the people who were there for the group photo at left. This isn't everyone, of course. Several folks had to leave early and some were just busy doing other things when the shot was taken, but it at least gives you an idea of who was there.