Today’s post, from Doug Hayes of Richmond, VA, has H. sapiens piratensis as its wildlife. Doug explains (indented), and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. ARRRR!
The annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival was held May 31 – June 2 at Hampton, Virginia’s Mill Point Park. Each year, the city’s waterfront is overrun with dozens of pirate re-enactors costumed in everything from historically accurate garb to pure Hollywood fantasy – and even a mermaid or two! Demonstrations of 18th century life, live music, fireworks, vendors arts and crafts and more.
A group of well-dressed pirates pose for pictures:
My good friend Ed Franz who portrays the ship’s surgeon for the Leviathan Nautical History crew. He lectures on 18th century medical practices aided by his collection of truly horrifying-looking period medical instruments and herbal concoctions. Many of the surgical techniques and remedies are still in use today, the biggest differences being the knowledge of germ theory and anesthesia, which were still about a hundred years after the golden age of piracy:
David Gobel of the Leviathan crew gives a demonstration of navigation instruments used by 18th century sailors:
William Brocker, another Leviathan crew member, demonstrates the weapons and techniques used in boarding enemy vessels:
A nautical cooking demonstration. The “ship’s biscuits” on the table are eight years old and still edible!:
The comedy singing group “Chaste Treasure” who describe themselves as, “truly a treasure, but questionably chaste” and “a badass group of a cappella comedienne feminists”:
Almost every pirate carried a mug filled with a refreshing beverage. It came in handy as temperatures were in the high 80s Saturday:
A trio of steam punks arrive from the 19th century to observe the festivities. The annual “Steampunk: Visions of Futures Past” show was held a few blocks from the pirate festival June 1 – 2 at the Hampton History Museum. Steam punk is a science fiction genre set in an alternate Victorian era and an imagined Wild West frontier in which airships are common and steam power rules the world:
Some pirates were more authentic looking than others:
A blacksmith demonstrates his craft for the attendees:
A dapper pirate captain poses for a picture:
Another well-dressed pirate:
Patching up the colors after a battle:
Watching the crowds go by:
Camera info: Sony A1 mirrorless camera body, Tamron 35-150 zoom lens. Auto ISO, 250 – 500th of a second shutter speed, f/8.
Fun variation on the theme!
Those costumes look really good – but to make that work is not easy.
[ applause ]
These are super cool.
😊
Thanks!
Makes me want to be there!
Thanks Doug. People visiting the annual pirate festival might also walk a few blocks up the street to the Virginia Air and Space Center, the official visitors center/museum for nearby NASA Langley Research Center. Exhibits include aircraft, spacecraft, and simulators drawn from the over 100-year history of computational, wind tunnel, and flight test at NACA/NASA’s first aeronautical and aerospace lab.
David Gobel looks a bit like Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid 🙂
Cool event!
These are really fun to see. Must be a hoot to attend. Thanks!
Love it! – definitely fits the definition of “wildlife” photos
Humans are the doofiest creatures!
Splendid wildlife.
That looks like a lot of fun!
Even though I have no particular interest in pirates, it does look like something quite fun and educational to visit!
I don’t grok the romanticization of pirates. It’s like celebrating carjackers or mafiosi.
The same thing with outlaws like Jesse James. The writer Joseph Sobran once said that most of us follow the rules–not out of morality, but out of fear of the consequences. We therefore have an admiration for those who do what they want. They’re badasses. They’re rebels.
Ironically, criminal organizations usually have stricter rules than mainstream society. Violating one of those rules can result in a beating or death.
Great portraits! Thanks!
Very entertaining. Great costumes, but no parrots.
Maybe I’m a perv but I always think there’s a sexual motivation for these things. Which is fine – go for it.
Or maybe I just don’t get out (HA! or laid) enough! 🙂
Carry on ladies and gents – let your freaky history flag fly.
PLUS… maybe it’ll spark SOME sense of history/curiosity in a public who seems to know almost nothing about it. So a double win!
🙂
D.A.
NYC
Well, there were a lot of low-cut blouses and corsets and more bare legs showing than 18th century fashion permitted! The real pervs were the pack of furries who showed up to the festival and just stood around being creepy. Pirate festivals, Renaissance fairs, and Halloween parties have become an opportunity to let your freak flag fly!
Looks like fun! Thanks for the pics.
Steampunk is fun, Jeunet’s “City of Lost Children,” is probably the best steampunk film I’ve seen. Lots of cool lit. and esp. comic books/graphic novels. Fun photos you took. Very charismatic participants…reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert, but with different costumes.
Cherie Priest’s “Clockwork Century” novel series is fun. They are set in the 1880s where the Civil War still rages, with the US split into the Union, Confederacy, Texas and Indian nations. Throw in airships, steam-powered mechs, death rays, and a highly addictive drug with a horrific side effect.