1781

This image represents a portion of the French fleet under Admiral De Grasse off the coast of Virginia. In September of 1781 the French fleet decisively defeat the British fleet and prevented them from reinforcing Cornwallis' at Yorktown. This after landing an additional 3000 French troops.

Grimstock and his daughter whilst piliging portland

The Portland Pirate Festival is a lovely way to spend a late September day.

1690's fashion part duex

Suzie Hemphill produced both the coat and the waistcoat. However since I am always trying to adjust things.

First I added larger bell-cuffs with braid and buttons. On the waistcoat I added extra braid and put faux buttons on it and then a hidden zipper. I know that people in 1690 must have loved spending all that time buttoning and unbuttoning but not me.

The shirt is from Dress Like a Pirate. The cravat is my own creation. The breeches are from Sword of Honor with metal buttons repurposed from Suzies coat. I have socks from Jas Townsend. I also have leather garters also from Jas Townsend.

The shoes are double buckle shoes from a who-knows-where. The cane is hand made from a man at the Portland Saturday Market. Each cane he makes is unique.

The hat is a customized Elope Gov'na hat. The red feathers were added along with a better class of braiding. There is a cock-aid on the other side that is a clan badge for the clan Mac Gregor, my family clan.

The wig is from Mo-town wigs.

Continental Drift 3.0

We have been working up the cartagraphical wonders to create the world. So here is an Island that does not exist, yet does.

My new ship

I gave up the old Frigate for something more my style

The Nemisis I gave up. Tis too much a ship for my crew. I have no need to for such a monster. So on the way back from France I took a Dutch Pinnace and renamed her Nemisis II. She is a fast, bluff, and manuverable ship of 24 guns. With 40 hands we can sail her true to any course. And she draws only 10 feet so that we can take her to many'a port and stream that would wreak a larger craft.

Of course we had to take her and that was a nasty business. She was headed to the Texel Roadstead but we had the weather gauge and had a sloop of 8 guns. We over took her and tired to put her crew ashore in terrible winds. They foundered in sight of the headlands and all were lost. Twas a terrible thing to behold, all those men crying out, and we with our stern to them.

Their ship is a fine vessal indeed. Stout and of high quality. The Dutch shipbuilders are have a well deserved reputation as master craftsman. We spent the crossing, with mostly good weather, taking down the bulkheads and streamlinging her as best we could.

I hope Captain Fyre has fair winds with the old Nemisis. She is a fine grand battle boat. But this little Pinnace is a crafty, fearsome, and quick sea bird. There is something about each vessel I have stood upon. From the old Providence to this ship. Each has a spirit, as it were, and each a personality. A captain's hands upon the wheel of any ship need to love her lest he lose her. And like all women, each is unique.

My new hat

I was tired of my old hat. So I took a knife to it and removed the old braid and feathers. Then I added new more luxuriant braid of a far superior quality. I kept the Ostrich plumes and my clan badge.

Currently the hat is at the limit of what would have been available in the 1690's. Its rear is not turned up like the sides. It also has a black and gold hat band. I got in a big trouble doing this. For it was late one night and I marked up the marble floor in the rotunda and Vaux le Vicomte with my knife while adjusting said hat. Luckily Madame Fouqet was most aggreable to forgiving me once I educated her in the finer ars le Amour. (This is appocryphal. In truth I was in danger of losing my hat to the steward. The requiste bribe did the trick.)