three hour tour

Yesterday I sailed the seven seas – or at least a couple of square miles on San Francisco Bay – on a reasonable facsimile of a realio-trulio Pirate Ship. Ok, so it was a school field trip with my fourth-grade daughter’s class. There was no rum, no pillage, precious little mayhem. But terms like avast […]

Yesterday I sailed the seven seas – or at least a couple of square miles on San Francisco Bay – on a reasonable facsimile of a realio-trulio Pirate Ship.


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Ok, so it was a school field trip with my fourth-grade daughter’s class. There was no rum, no pillage, precious little mayhem. But terms like avast and belay were heard without a trace of irony.

The boat in question (the hawaiian chieftain) is one of a pair of historically accurate reproduction of 18th century sailing ships run by Gray’s Harbor Historical Seaport; they spend the year sailing the west coast and doing various educational and training cruises, wintering in southern CA, and spending summers someplace in washington.

I was, from the moment we boarded, green with envy. These people – mostly college students, with a few crusty old salts – work long hours, get payed little, and live full time on the ships, if in considerably more comfort than we’d have seen two hundred years ago (flush toilets, and food without so many maggots and weevils; the good things about modern technology). They do this ’cause they love the sailing, I guess, and because how else in this day can you call yourself a pirate and actually put in on your curriculum vitae?

I was all for joining up with then and there. I could hang with a year sailing; forget all this fucking high tech.

Alas, my three hour tour was just that, and I had at the end of the day to collect my truck-load of kids and return them to school. Yet I’ve spent the last 24 hours thinking about jibs and spars, about working aloft in the rigging, about what it’d be like to have land feel odd under my feet. Even if it’s play, I wanted to go do it. Call it my version of the old run off and join the circus fantasy.

So of course I looked at the crew openings page. Because the world needs more sailors and fewer engineers, sez I.

Pirates 2 – ‘slimy’

Elizabeth Swann: There will come a moment when you have the chance to do the right thing. Jack Sparrow: I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by. I asked a friend who’d seen a pre-release screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest how it was. “Slimy,” she […]

Elizabeth Swann: There will come a moment when you have the chance to do the right thing.
Jack Sparrow: I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.

I asked a friend who’d seen a pre-release screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest how it was.

Slimy,” she said.

And so it is. Very very slimy.

I’m not gonna post a whole review right now – actually I might go see it again before I do that. But the short version.

Nowhere near as good as the first (as one would expect). But better than I’d expected.

It’s too long, for a film that’s really thin on plot. But it retains the charm of the original, has some amazing, stunning design, some excellent CGI and makeup effects, and it still has the cast of Depp, Bloom and Knightley, all of who are stunningly sexy. Knightley just gets hotter and hotter; she’s going to start burning movie screens if this continues.

This ain’t a movie that’s gonna win – or really deserve – oscars, other than for technical merit. But it’s highly entertaining, and will trand for several watchings, even if it doesn’t joint the first on the heavy-rotation shelf.

I’m ready to set sail – even more than usual.

P of the C redux – I’m scared.

Via BoingBoing, Inside the Magic has a first look at the Florida WDW version of re-made Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m scared.

Via BoingBoing, Inside the Magic has a first look at the Florida WDW version of re-made Pirates of the Caribbean.

I’m scared.

Read more “P of the C redux – I’m scared.”

Mad Jack Kidd

Hey, I like it. My pirate name is: Mad Jack Kidd Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you’re not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr! Get your own pirate name from fidius.org. A […]

Hey, I like it.

Pirate Name-2

My pirate name is:

Mad Jack Kidd

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you’re not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

A hearty lift ‘o the grog-flask to me fine wench Metis for sending’ it my way — ARRRRRRrrrrrrr!

A Pirate’s Wishlist

From time to time people ask me if I have a wishlist. I have several as a matter of fact. Some of you are on that list if you know what I’m saying. But you could pretty much see this as my wishlist. I’ll take one of each shirt. Size xxl.

From time to time people ask me if I have a wishlist.

I have several as a matter of fact. Some of you are on that list if you know what I’m saying.

But you could pretty much see this as my wishlist.

I’ll take one of each shirt. Size xxl.