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Santa Maria Pirate Weekend, May 2012 - Columbus, OH
Photo: Mission
Cpt. Logsdon and 1st Mate Robertson
Chapter 9th: Of Sunday afternoon, featuring The Sunday battle - sea, shore and ship; The Sos Crew learning to fire black powder weapons and thus becoming forever enslaved to reenacting; Post-battle Crowds in record numbers; The Pirate Weekend's most popular demographic; and Of various other people including Master Shipley; Inductees into the Order of St. Barbara and DB and Anna Maria.
The afternoon started with the battle. OK, this is not specifically true; the afternoon started at noon and the battle started around 2, but for the purposes of this Journal I assume artistic license and make sweeping statements like, "The afternoon started with the battle" because previous to that, it was all about the displays and we already discussed them. So, now that we've got that all straightened out...
The afternoon started with the battle. Like the day before, we loaded the four boats and put to sea, with the three pirate boats scurrying off to the shade of the High Street bridge. Out of sight, out of mind, eh? There we loaded our weapons and waited for the appropriate hour to strike. This time, I started the battle with the firing of the deck gun and we emerged with the resounding 'Boom!'
 Photo: Michael Colosimo The |
 Photo: Mission Spooky pirate Shannon, waiting to strike |
As soon as we came out from under the bridge, the Persephone (perz-eph-own) was on us and the inter-ship gun battle began in earnest.
Before continuing, I just want to take a moment from the battle to say that that's a really nice photo of the four ships battling below left. It captures the sweep of the thing well. Plus it makes the Green Black Sheep look huge. (More forced perspective!)
 Photo: Sos Boss Ships engage! From left: HMS Scow, Firefly, |
 Photo: Mission Persephone attacks! |
Photo: Sos Boss
A wall of defenders fire upon the sneaky pirates with really big guns.
The Santa Maria's defenders weren't just sitting there picking their toenails. (At least I don't think they were. Well, maybe Priddy...) Most of them had once again had the foresight to preload their weapons and begin shooting at the interlopers attempting to take their ship. They lined the rail and fired willingly at will.
In the photos, I noticed a penchant for really long guns in amongst the defenders. I don't know what this means, but it seems vaguely Freudian to me.
In addition to the long-guns blazing away from the Quarter deck, the mortar was once again being used up on the Sterncastle. Sos Becci was among the mortar crew.
 Photo: Sos Boss Firing at his own ship? |
 Photo: DB Couper Bryan with a really long gun. Just like the Bugs Bunny cartoon. |
 Photo: Sos Boss Becci lights the mortar |
Photo: I ain't telling
"Ah seen what you did to mah cousin Brine, critter!"
The Santa Maria's defenders once again had assistance from Captain John Rieske's (pronounced 'risky') shore battery mortar. If you happened to be near by where the mortar was being fired, you could feel the shock waves from it.
Curiously, Captain John had a pirate flag over by his area. So maybe he was actually shooting at the Persephone. Someone should certainly have been shooting at the Persephone because we weren't having much luck. Then again, they weren't having much luck using their weapons against the pirate boats, either. Funny how it always seems to work out that way.
 Photo: DB CouperThe Rieske cannon enters the fray. (Looking for Mickey ears in the smoke?) |
 Photo: Sos Boss Captain John and his smoking gun |
Photo: Mission
Thomas Alleman, Terry Perkins and Jay Babcock of the HMS Scow prepare to board.Clearly it was time for the pirates to take some offensive action! Being naturally offensive (in many ways) they rose to the occasion. The boarders on Sunday were again in the HMS Scow, which was captained by newly arrived Jay Babcock. With him were Thomas Alleman and also newly arrived Terry Perkins of Things Jay Does fame.
They made their way over to the Santa Maria and craftily began their ascent. With the skill and dexterity of the type of insects who board large wooden ships (I have no idea what I'm talking about), they climbed the conveniently located rope ladder and made their way up to the Quarter deck.
Now, looking at these photos, if you are like me (which is doubtful), you may be wondering to yourself, 'What happened to their vessel, the much beloved HMS Scow?' Did they tie it off? Just leave it to drift with the current? Sink it? Alas, we will never know.
 Photo: DB Couper And they're off! Thomas first... |
 Photo: DB Couper ...then Terry in mustard and... |
 Photo: DB Couper ...Jay bringing up the rear. |
 Photo: Sos BossThomas boards! |
Once they got onto the ship without anyone molesting them, a sword battle was joined! Well... once Thomas came out of his reverie. If you look at the photo below left, Thomas seems to be sort of stunned, standing there looking at the crowd on the main deck. (We really have to break him of his fear of crowds.)
Still, there was a sword fight and something happened after it which your surgeon was not around to witness. Maybe they took the governor's daughter again. Maybe they decided that was old hat and took Lob instead. It's hard to say because we were still all out at sea, battling in the boats and nobody took photos of it. Something must have happened happened and someone must have won the day, but that's all I can say. For, like yesterday, I hadn't paid much attention to what was being said at the battle meeting. I'm like that.
 Photo: Sos BossTerry and Jay join a stunned Thomas on deck. |
 Photo: Sos Boss Another sword fight on the Quarter deck! Three desperate pirates... |
Photo: DB Couper
No wonder the kickback from that gun keeps burning holes in my coat!
Back out on the water, we were pretty much oblivious to the sword fighting action on the ship. Mark Gist had made more charges for my gun than Saturday, so I spent most of my time focusing on loading, firing and clearing the gun. I would occasionally alternate between firing the gun and taking photos for the Journal. This was to be the Green Black Sheep's downfall.
Part of the job of the gunner is to prick the load, which involves poking a piece of wire in the gun's touch hole to make a hole in the foil-wrapped black powder charge inside the gun barrel. If you don't prick the charge, it misfires or, worse, fires the foil-wrapped charge out of the cannon like a tinfoil cannon ball. We definitely didn't want that.
Alternating between the gun and the camera, I forgot if I had pricked the last cannon charge or not. I tried to clear the touchhole of the black powder inside it so I could fit the wire inside it and prick the load,
Photo: Michael Bay
Please remember to remember to prick your guns.
but the black powder in the touch hole was too well packed. I couldn't fire the gun safely, so I wasn't going to fire it at all. As all this was going on, the Persephone came up to as and announced they were taking the Green Black Sheep. Since we were out of powder and I had fouled our deck gun, we were captured.
For want of good photos, a memory was lost. For want of a memory, the pricking was lost. For want of the pricking, the gun was lost. For want of the gun, the boat was lost. For want of the boat, the battle was lost. For want of the battle, the war was lost. (Well, possibly. I really should have paid attention at the meeting to find out how the war was to go.) For want of the war, the national defense was lost. For want of the national defense, the aliens attacked Washington DC.
 Photo: MissionBumping into Firefly: OK. (Carla, Shannon, Jim Shipley and Michael Colosimo) |
 Photo: Sos Boss Bumping into Persephone: not OK. |
Photo: DB Couper
Pirates look with astonishment at the number of people packed on the Main deck.
Returning to shore, Mark Gist managed to get the load out of the deck gun safely, entirely without your author's help. (This was probably for the best.)
Returning sheepishly to shore, I discovered that there were even larger crowds milling about today than the day before! It was clearly going to be another busy afternoon on the ship, so I stopped being sheepish and hurried back to my surgeon's table to entertain folks.
Someone actually came to get me over to my table once I was on the ship because they said there were people asking about instruments and they didn't know what they were for.
We made $2000 on Sunday, more than Saturday, breaking our just-broken record and possibly the record for the most people paying to get on the Santa Maria since it had opened! (Ahem. Pirates rule.)
 Photo: MissionCrowding into the registration area, post-battle |
 Photo: Mission Another view of the crowds after the battle |
While all that was going on, Trish decided to give a lesson in how to fire a black powder weapon to the folks from Sos Boss. It's not really that difficult once you know how, but it's certainly more complex than firing a modern gun. After explaining how it was done, she let Becci, Carla and Dave try their hand at it.
That all sounds very nice and educational, doesn't it? Ha! This is actually a really sneaky way to get people hooked on doing pirate reenactments. For some reason a lot of people get really excited after their first weapon firing and keep coming back to events for more. Many of them spend hundreds of dollars on black powder weapons so that they can participate in battles and instruct more people on how to use them. It's viral. I'd like to say that I'm immune, but after my first event where I fired my first black powder weapon (a cannon), I decided to be the surgeon who always fires a black powder cannon at every event. (This lasted about a year or so after which I broke my oath and forgot about it. Until now, that is.)
 Photo: Sos Boss Trish explains black powder |
 Photo: DB Couper Sos Dave firing black powder from the Sterncastle |
 Photo: Sos Boss Carla firing |
Trish made the comment that we should all remember that "we do this for this kids." So this section is going to be about the kids... despite the fact that your surgeon, in fact, doesn't do this for the kids. In fact, kids at my display tend to nobble my presentation because the real reason I do this is to gross people out. Sometimes I don't know when I should dial it back and make the kids turn funny colors. I also like to collect stuff, to write and to present. So this whole thing really works on many levels for me. The kids are just another part of it. But I know a lot of other people do it for the kids, so we'll just go with that.
Photo: Mission
Pirate garb fusion
We start with a little girl who was dressed like a pirate. She had a pirate hat, a long billowy shirt with a belt cinched around the waist. She even had the breeches, although as tall and thin as she was, I wouldn't be half surprised to learn that they were actually last year's long pants. Now the white knee socks and ballet slippers were a custom addition. I liked her costume, to be quite honest. Quite in the spirit. I happened to be around when she was working the bilge pump, something that could only amuse a kid.
I wonder if anyone every explains the bilge water to these kids? When the men on the ship got up to relieve themselves at night and they didn't feel like going out on the deck to go over the side, they sometimes resorted to the bilge. In addition, I have an account that states that the French ship's surgeons often threw amputated body parts and even entire dead bodies into the bilge. Another account warns against going down into the bilge without a lighted candle to make sure it was safe. Jeremy Roch said in his journal from the late 17th century, "...lying still a long time, the bilge water corrupts and stinks, so that it is enough to poison the Devil, and all the little plate and silver I had hath been turned black with the vapours of our bilge water in a night’s time. Upon which I made the carpenter bore a plug-hole to let in water now and then to clense it, and so pump it out again which in a little time did the business.” Yep, I'd have told them that. (Did I mention that I am not always sure when to dial it back?)
 Photo: MissionGirl draws up the pump handle... |
 Photo: Sos Boss ...shoves it back down.... |
 Photo: Sos Boss ...and out comes bilge water. Yuck. |
I usually like to feature the kids in a section of the Journal for this event because there are so many of them and they often do funny things. (Well, funny to me.) There were actually a lot of photos of kids from this event so we'll stick a bunch of them in here.
 Photo: Mission Dan discussing philosophy with two kids. |
 Photo: Sos Boss Billie & the princess. |
 Photo: Sos Boss "Johnny, let me show you how pirates swam." |
Shannon had fun with the kids, probably because he can think like them. At least that's what his wife Trish said. He invented a unique form of tug-of-war in the process. (Below center.) A troop of girl scouts toured the ship on Sunday and they specifically wanted to pose for a photo with Jim Shipley. (Jim, in case you didn't know, that is about the highest honor you can get when you're playing pirate.)
 Photo: Mission Kids entertaining Shannon |
 Photo: Sos Boss A hook battle! A real movie pirate sport. |
 Photo: DB Couper Jim Shipley meets his match |
Now, I told you in a previous chapter that I would do a profile Jim Shipley. The time to do that has arrived.
This was actually Jim's first pirate reenactment, although he had been playing pirate for four or five years before he got here. It all started when he asked his wife to make him a frock coat for Halloween. (He'd have brought the frock coat because he said it was the crowning jewel of his garb, but it is black and thus hot when worn in the sun.)
Photo: Sos Boss
Jim was a fan of Jack Sparrow and the movies inspired him to take up the pirate mantle at Halloween. He had been in the Navy and always loved the sea. His Halloween pirate outfit evolved each year with the addition of new bits and pieces. Last year he started researching pirate reenacting and decided to get socks, pants and a hat from Tiger Lee's Pirate Fashions. Taking it to the next level and get interested in reenacting with the addition of a shirt from Trish and a waistcoat from Ivan Henry at this event. With the addition of these articles, he told me that "it finally felt correct for me."
I asked him what he liked best about the event and he said, "What I loved about my first event and what struck me as very cool was, until that moment in time, I felt as if I was marooned. For no one that I knew had a pirate appreciation like I did and would not "play" along with me. All of a sudden here I was thrust into a new world filled with like minded individuals and I really felt as if I had been rescued from my isolation...finally. I was fished from the ocean and joined along with my brethren. THAT was the thing that was most cool." Likewise, Jim.
This brings us to the last "formal" event I witnessed on the Santa Maria this weekend: the induction of new members into the Order of St. Barbara. Or, as I like to call it, The Application of the Stinky Sponge Ceremony. Whenever someone fires a large weapon such as a cannon or mortar for the first time, they have to be inducted into the Order by having the wet cannon swabbing sponge rubbed on them. It is a time-honored tradition, mostly because someone did it to the us and, by God, we are going to get our pound of flesh out of everyone who follows. That sponge smells awful. It's really a Ponzi scheme when you think about it.
Anyhow, there were two inductees that I was aware of. The first was Sos Becci, whom Trish inducted after Becci spent Sunday helping Trish with the mortar on the Sterncastle. I didn't actually see this one, but Trish appears to have been pretty nice about the whole thing.
The second inductee was a guy whose name I never found out that was working with Rieske (pronounced Pur-sah-fone). Mortar owner and captain John Rieske did the honors. He got him pretty good with that old stinky swabbing sponge as you see in the two photos below.
 Photo: Trish Gallatin Becci is way too happy for this to be right. |
 Photo: Mission John goes for the beard. Yuck. |
 Photo: Mission Note the other Rieske grinning behind him. |
Photo: Mission
Anna Maria and Don (DB)
The last unofficial thing I did on the ship was take DB Couper and his wife Anna Maria to the Columbus airport. Don told me this was their fourth consecutive weekend at an event. Their fourth! Myself, I usually try to space events about a month apart (mostly because these Journals take three weeks to do.) I guess they just love playing pirate.
And who wouldn't? It has a lot to do with the pirate family. Several folks commented this weekend on how great the people are at pirate reenactments compared to some other forms of the sport. Maybe it's because pirates had the sort of devil may care attitude.
I got DB and Anna Maria safely to the airport and then I got hopelessly lost using the patented Mission Dead Reckoning™ navigational system. See, I make this trip at least twice a year and have learned the route so well that I don't bring a GPS. However, I only know how to get to the ship and back. The airport is a whole different kettle of fish.
Fortunately, I kind of knew the general direction I needed to go and, after a 45 minute detour of the lovely outlying areas of Columbus, I managed to find the road I needed and get home safe, if a bit later than I'd hoped. Ah, well. It was such a great weekend that I didn't mind.