Happy Columbus Day!
Happy Columbus Day! Back in the late 15th century an Italian by the name of Christopher Columbus wanted to find a supporter who would pay for an expedition to find another route to the Orient. He had this crazy idea of, basically, heading west until he ran into Japan, then navigating his way to Ind...
St. Elmo's Fire
St Elmo's Fire patron saint of sailors is due to an account that tells of when a bolt of lightning struck the ground while he was preaching the gospel, he continued preaching even after the strike. Sailors, who were used to the occurance of sudden storms and lightning, to claim his prayers. But w...
Barbary Pirates, Are They Really?
Barbary Pirates, Are They Really? First it is important to distinguish the difference between a Pirate and a Privateer. A Pirate is a completely independent individual who participates in activities such as attacking merchent vessels, fishing vessels, or coastal cities for the purpose of obtaining...
Calico Jack!
Calico Jack The flag featured here, which has to be one of the most popular pirate flags, belongs to the one and only John Rackham. Otherwise known as "Calico Jack" who was active (1717-1720) during the latter part of the "Golden Age of Piracy" (1690-1730). A little bit of interesting trivia shows...
Edward Teach
Edward Teach This rambunctious rascal was born in the year 1680 somewhere in or around Bristol, England. We couldn't find a more specific record of his birth as some people back then were not exactly as prolific about their personal records as others. And, it is not like they were issueing birth ce...
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Happy Columbus Day!
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St. Elmo's Fire
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Barbary Pirates, Are They Really?
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Calico Jack!
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Edward Teach
Announcements
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Product Updates
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Keychains
Our keychains are made using thin strips of black or brown leather. Each one is made with a monkey's fist at the end with a marble placed in their center to give their shape.Written on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 23:11 in Products Be the first to comment! Read 164 timesAdd new comment -
Bottles
Written on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 23:03 in Products Be the first to comment! Read 255 times
Our bottles are wrapped in natural, or jute, rope. Each one comes with a handle that is incorporated into the whole piece as it is part of the single piece of rope that is used for each bottle. The bottom of the bottle has a turks' head knot that is used to protect it. Also, over the entire bottle half hitch knots are employed to give the whole bottle a rigging look. -
Crosses
Written on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 08:50 in Products Be the first to comment! Read 344 times
Our handmade crosses are crafted with white nylon or cotton rope and done in a variety of styles. We also place a variety of colored marbles in the center that really sets it off. We braid them in both the spiral and square styles, and each cross includes authentic knots that have been used extensively on naval vessels. Each cross includes diamond knots both on the top and each end of the cross piece. They also include a star knot at the bottom that gives it some stability, as well as a lanyard loop which makes it suitable for hanging as an ornament.
Nautical History
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Happy Columbus Day!
Back in the late 15th century an Italian by the name of Christopher Columbus wanted to find a supporter who would pay for an expedition to find another route to the Orient. He had this crazy idea of, basically, heading west until he ran into Japan, then navigating his way to India from there. He figured the distance from the Canary Islands to Japan taking this route would be about 2,400 miles. He was just slightly off by about 8,800 miles. But hey, what are a few thousand miles when the prospect of finding another route to Japan is within your grasp?Written on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 06:46 in Nautical HistoryTags: christopher columbus amerigo vespucci america leif ericson newfoundland navigation explorationBe the first to comment! Read 329 times Read more... -
St. Elmo's Fire
What does this have to do with nautical history? Well, I will tell you. St. Elmo, which is a mispronounciation of St. Ermo (short for St. Erasmus), is the patron saint of sailors. You can of course read up on the purported atrocities this individual had to endure here, but the reason he is considered the
patron saint of sailors is due to an account that tells of when a bolt of lightning struck the ground while he was preaching the gospel, he continued preaching even after the strike. Sailors, who were used to the occurance of sudden storms and lightning, to claim his prayers.But what does this have to do with little blue "flames?" Well, I will tell you. The phenomenon of St. Elmo's Fire is really an
electrical discharge, somewhat akin to a lightning strike. Both occur during a thunderstorm, or electrical storm, but the difference is that lightning orginates in clouds, where St Elmo's Fire occurs on the end of a spar, masthead, plane wing, or even a church steeple. Pretty much anything that is tapered to a point and could act as a lightning rod. What occurs has to do with a build up of electricity in the atmosphere and a continuous discharge develops at the end of a tapered object. It generally glows blue due to the combination of gasses in the atmosphere (mostly oxygen and nitrogen).Written on Tuesday, 25 September 2012 13:47 in Nautical History Be the first to comment! Read 406 times Read more... -
Barbary Pirates, Are They Really?
Barbary Pirates, Are They Really?
First it is important to distinguish the difference between a Pirate and a Privateer.A Pirate is a completely independent individual who participates in activities such as attacking merchent vessels, fishing vessels, or coastal cities for the purpose of obtaining plunder and treasure.
A Privateer is very similar to a Pirate; however, the distinct difference is that they have the backing of a certain political power. Throughout history countries such as England, France, etc..., have employed Privateers to disrupt the trade of an enemy.
Written on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 07:52 in Nautical History Be the first to comment! Read 390 times Read more... -
Calico Jack!
The flag featured here, which has to be one of the most popular pirate flags, belongs to the one and only John Rackham. Otherwise known as "Calico Jack" who was active (1717-1720) during the latter part of the "Golden Age of Piracy" (1690-1730).A little bit of interesting trivia shows the skeletal remains of
Calico Jack hanging outside of Port Royal in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The Black Pearl interestingly enough flew his flag. And, the character "Red Rackham" from the Tintin series was based on Calico Jack.Written on Monday, 20 August 2012 08:09 in Nautical History Be the first to comment! Read 456 times Read more... -
Edward Teach
This rambunctious rascal was born in the year 1680 somewhere in or around Bristol, England. We couldn't find a more specific record of his birth as some people back then were not exactly as prolific about their personal records as others. And, it is not like they were issueing birth certificates at that time either. Another reason for the obscuraty is that "Teach" may or may not be his actual surname. It is believed it could have also been any of the following: Thatch, Thach, Thache, Thack, Tack, Thatche and Theach. One early source references his surname as Drummond, but there is not much support for this claim. Of course men of his chosen profession were notorious for giving false aliases.His first known profession was a privateer during the war of Spanish Succession. He was part of crews that were under the loose employ of England. Their task was to disrupt the shipping operations of the Spanish and French. This was basically legally sanctioned piracy.
Written on Thursday, 09 August 2012 01:45 in Nautical HistoryTags: edward teach blackbeard pirate piracy privateer Wars of Spanish Succession Caribbean North Carolina Ocracoke InletBe the first to comment! Read 614 times Read more...