On arrrrr way back from Beaufort Pirate Invasion, I decided to visit Dolly Parton's Pirate Voyage in Myrtle Beach.  They ordered a number of pirate tricorn hats from us when it they be opening up.  They had two shows on Sunday day, 6pm & 8:30pm.  We made it to the later one.  It cost $50 per person for the regular seats on the end, and $5 more the the seats in the middle, which Dead Red N Tiger Lee chose.  Overall the place was huge n' well decorated.

You had to get there an hour earlier than the show to get the pre-show.  This allows you to be entertained, but mostly so you had time to buy stuff from the bar (expensive), gift shop (nothing really good) or face painting section (mostly for the kids).  

The outfits were OK, very color coordinated for the two sides, the men's blue team and the women's red team.  Each side of the place cheered for their side, so as to get more audience participation. The outfit were mostly out of spandex, due to the fact that most of them ended up in the water at the end of each act. It was similar to other dinner shows like Medieval Times, but it contained much more acrobatics, similar to Cirque du Soleil in its coordinated performance. Overall I was pleasantly entertained.  My main disappointment was the food, very insitutional, like you would get in a military mess hall.

It be way better than the Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Orlando, which I was not impressed at all with, arrrrgh!  In think since Dolly Parton owns it n' has a background in entertainment, that she truly wanted to provide a good show instead of setting up a tourist trap to collect money. 

 

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We be rolling out arrrrrr new Treasure Rewards Program.  Just click on the red tab on the left bottom of the page.  You will get 100 points just fer signing up, as well as for any purchases you make in the future.   If you refer a friend, they will get 100 point as well as you, when they make their first purchase.  We will be added new features as we go along.

The reward program works for both on-line as well as in store purchased, yarrrrr!  I know ye be wonder about all yar past orders?  Fer on-line order, just ask us in the shopping cart note section of yar next order, "Please add points for my past purchases!".  Fer in store customer, bring in yar old receipts or just wear yar outfit to the store n' we will give you credit fer it!  No other store in the new world will do this fer it's fine customers, but we arrrrrr pirate who don't follow the rules.

 

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Early this year in the old town of Alexandria, when clearing the site fer a new hotel, they discovered a 250 year old sailing ship.  It would be a revolutionary War era ship, but we don't know if be a American Privateer Ship or a British Merchant or Navy Man of War, yet. 200 the city decided to develop this waterfront property themselves and backfilled the Potomac River to make way for more commercial waterfront.

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Well Black Sails has finished it's 3rd season n' be signed up fer another voyage.  Overall I have enjoyed the entire series, but I really think it has hit its strive this season.  They are finally battling the British instead of themselves.  They added some new characters such as Black Beard n' Woods Rogers.  They showcase run away slaves as a community of maroon, that is based on a real live woman called Queen Nanny, who lead a resistance group in Jamaica, that the English could not subdue.  I like that Long John Silver has stopped being a wimp, n' has stepped up to stronger leader.  The interaction between Charles Vane and Edward Teach proved to be quite interesting.  Black Sail be an interesting blend of fictional characters from Treasure Island, such as Billy Bones, Long John Silver n' Captain Flint with real live characters such Calico Jack Rackham, Hornigold, Anne Bonnie, Woods Rogers n' Black Beard.  There be a lot less sex this season, but the store line is so much better, arrrrrgh!

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After Gasparilla, I like to reward my hard working krewe with a field trip to somewhere full of treasure, arrrrgh!  So we decided on Universal Studios in Orlando.  We dressed up in arrrr pirate garb with a bit of the Wizarding magic of Harry Potter.  It seem that all the theme parks are now outlawing costume fer adults.    After a lengthy discussion with the constable we persuaded him to let us in.

Here we be with Swabby Squarepants, who be wearing my pirate tricorn hat.  We have a bit of history together, as we provided Antonio Banderas, who plays a pirate in Sponge Bob 2 the Movie, with his sword n'baldric.

 

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Most of the wooden tallships we currently see today are US make from around the war of 1812.  Rarely do we see one of an earlier time era of a non-British country.  So it be a delight to see a Spanish Galleons Andalusia or treasure ship that us pirates would love to plunder.  It be used in one of the episodes in the first season of Black Sails.

So when ever a new tall ship be visiting arrrr home port of Tampa Bay, I like to bring some of my newest krewe members to visit.  Some of the black powder weapons seen on Black Sails come from arrrrr shop.

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Ali n' Chris be in search of killer pirate outfit, when they discovered Pirate Fashions.  This here video be a log of their visit n' their transformation from lubber to pirate.

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Phil Johnson host a podcast about pirate culture.  He interviewed Tiger Lee about how Pirate Fashions come to be.  He has interviewed my other interesting characters of the modern pirate world. Continue reading

Secrets of How to Dress Like a Pirate

Article 1

I’d be a cursed by Davy Jones, but out of the thousands of books about pyrates, but not a single book be penned about pyratical fashions. Thar be no articles written over two pages about the subject. The only thing that can be found on YouTube be a number of video that show how with a handy pair of scissor n’ stuff found around the house, ye too can become a true pirate (Not). How can this be?

Three major reasons fer this calamity:
1. There arrrrr no survivin’ examples of pirate clothin’.
2. Pyrates didn’t write many books about the subject. Most of what be written arrrr court trials, which focus on what they did, not how they be dressed.
3. Pyrates didn’t have skilled artists paint thar portraits. Aye, there be many old illustrations of pyrates but most be created by artists fer newspapers, where the artist did not actually see the pirates, they just created an image that would help sell more books n’ papers.

So how does one write a series of articles without these conventional sources of information? We make these assumptions: 

1. Generally, pyrates wore what everyone else wore at that time period n’ location.
2. Pyrates wore what sailors wore (not an easy task of finding out either), which allows them to climb the rigging n’ keep warm.
3. Pirates wore some of what they stole, means they wore a wider range of clothing, to include clothing of many nations n’ of richer as well as average or poor styles, cuts n’ textiles.
4. What we think of as real pirate clothing be heavily influenced by movies, books n’ pop culture.

 

Different Types of Pirate Costuming

So take this journey with me to transform yarself from a lubber to a real pyrate. Cause I know everyone want’s to be a PYRATE! But thar not be only one pyrate look. Let’s start by dividin’ how pirate dress into 6 distinct types. This helps clarify what I be focusin’ this article series on.

 

The focus be not on the first two, the Halloween Costume Pirate n’ the Thrift Store Pirate as they be the best-covered portion of the market. I NOT be coverin’ the Historic Accurate Pirate, as the Stich Nazi’s want proof of everything (the reason why my book be never finished). What’s the fun of dress up, if no one recognizes you as a pirate. Some historic facts will find there way in these articles.

I wish to share the secrets of my knowledge about the middle three types (with the Real Pirate Look being my true love) fer those adventure soul who wish to be part of the brotherhood, arrrrgh!

 

 

Mark my words, fer the next article be about the most hotly debated pyrate accessories, the Bandana n’ Sash.

XXX

 

About the Writer: Tiger Lee of the South China Sea started shootin’ pyrates with a Canon camera in 2007. He produced the Hot Pirate Babe Calendar series fer 6 years. Tiger also wrote a regular column in Pirates Magazine. He moved to St Augustine to start up Pirate Portraits N Treasures. The store dropped the old time photo studio, changed the name to Pirate Fashions n’ moved to Tampa, FL. The focus now be on creatin’ pyrate garb, accouterments n’ weapons.

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International Talk Like a Pirate Day be a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) n' Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon.  They proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pyrate.   The holiday, n' its observance, springs from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy.

According to Summers, the day is the only holiday to come into being as a result of a sports injury. He has stated that during a racquetball game between Summers n' Baur, one of them reacted to the pain with an outburst of "Aaarrr!", n' the idea was born. 

At first an inside joke between two friends, the holiday gained exposure when John Baur n' Mark Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to the American writer Dave Barry in 2002.  As the entire universe knows, Dave Barry is a syndicated columnist n' the author of 4,000 books n' the 2nd funniest man in the universe.  Dave would be able to bring attention to Talk Like A Pirate Day in a way that Mark n' John couldn't. 

The first e-mail introduced us, told him about our great idea, Talk Like a Pirate Day. We knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Then we offered him the only thing we had, the chance to be official national spokesman fer the event. 

It's a great idea, Dave Berry said, but then he asked the fatal question. "Have you guys actually DONE anything about this? Or are you counting on me to carry the ball here?" Very perceptive of him. The way we answered would be crucial in bringing Barry aboard. We decided on the truth, with a lot of ass kissing thrown in. 

"Well, we've talked like pirates every Sept. 19, and we've encouraged our several friends to," John wrote in reply. And Mark put it in perspective when he wrote, "We are dinghy-sized-talk-like-a-pirate kinda guys, but you, Dave ... you are like a frigate-huge-sized-talk-like-a-pirate kinda guy."

Growing media coverage of the holiday after Barry's column has ensured that this event is now celebrated internationally. Part of the success for the international spread of the holiday has been attributed to non-restriction of the idea or trademarking, in effect opening the holiday for creativity n' "viral" growth.

Baur n' Summers found new fame in the 2006 season premiere episode of ABC's Wife Swap, first aired September 18, 2006. They starred in the role of "a family of pirates" along with Baur's wife, Tori. Baur also appeared on the June 26, 2008 episode of Jeopardy, where he was introduced as a "writer and pirate from Albany, Oregon.

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