Author Archives: vwages

My pyrate crew recently invaded…erm…took an extended visit to Mexico Beach, Florida. Great times were had (with minimal aggressive negotiations), and while there, I managed to locate and seize what is now my favorite tunic…erm…t shirt. Sidenote: I really am excited and in love with my Sea Dog t shirt, but I feel obligated toContinue reading “Sea Dogs”

Treasure! ARRR! When I began plunderin’ for the Fenwick Pyrate it was in pursuit of an alleged pyrate ghost, pyrate treasure, and a secret pyrate tunnel. Alas, the plunderin’ did not reveal any of those things. Well, there’s a tunnel and maybe a pyrate. In 1692, British privateer Robert Fenwick arrived in Charles Town onContinue reading “The Fenwick Pyrate”

Yer probably familiar with the ship names of some of the more (in)famous pyrates from the 17th and 18th centuries:  Henry Avery’s The Fancy, Bartholomew Roberts’ Revenge, Sam Bellamy’s Whydah Galley, William Kidd’s Adventure Galley, and Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge.  Intriguing names, to be sure, but when I stumbled upon a pyrate ship that hadContinue reading “The Fiery Dragon”

Whence on the sea’s horizon comes that roar? Can it be Barbarossa now returning From Tunis or Algiers or from the Isles? Two hundred vessels ride upon the waves, Coming from lands the rising Crescent lights: O blessed ships, from what seas are ye come? (part of a poem by Turkish poet Yahya Kemal BeyathContinue reading “Redbeard, King of the Sea”

I was wunderin’ the other day if pyrates kept captain’s logs? Journals? Did pyrates actually write anything about their adventures? I have heard rumours that some pyrates DID keep journals and logs, and while I was plunderin’ that subject, I stumbled across a Smithsonian Magazine article about a 300-year-old book that was found aboard Blackbeard’sContinue reading “Blackbeard’s 300-Year-Old Book”

Ever get a wee bit curious (or confused) with all of the different pyrate monikers? Corsair, buccaneer, kingpin, freebooter, raider, marauder…what, if any, is the difference between them? Well, I went to plunderin’ and did myself an educate on this very topic! ARRR! So, a “pyrate” seems to be a generic term for all ofContinue reading “Corsairs, Buccaneers, and Pyrates…Oh My!”

So, I was wonderin’ the other day about Italian pyrates. How come I haven’t read (more) about Italian pyrates? I was genuinely puzzled, but then felt like a wee bit of an idiot when I read and subsequently realized that Italy didn’t have colonies in the New World and seemingly, not much interest in theContinue reading “Ali Bitchin”

I’ve been plunderin’ and pillagin’ my way through the East Indies ala the Ubisoft video game, Skull and Bones, and part of that experience is ship cosmetics. Aye, outfitting your ship with guns, mortars, and oil barrels is essential to your success, but the look of your ship is (apparently) JUST as important. I don’tContinue reading “Pyrate Ship Figureheads”