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Join Us Does the smell of black powder give you a thrill? Would you like to let out the swashbuckler in you? Are you amazed and distracted by shiny things? You may just be a pirate in plain clothes. Get out of those old duds, slip into an eye patch, and come over to the fun side (driving carefully, of course - mind the patch). Yarrr… so ye want to be a Pirate and sail the seven seas plunderin’ n pillagin’ to yer hearts content, and til yer pockets be full of gold n silver… Well ye have come to the right place me bucko. As Captain of this motley crew of cutthroats and ner` do wells, the question most offen posed me is what does it take to become a Pirate / Privateer? Well me answer is always a resounding “A LOT of hard work, a great attitude and a willingness to have fun.” Read on, if ye have the skills or have some read it to ye to find out how!
The individuals we are looking for to join our crew of merry and somewhat odd miscreants and scallywags have to meet certain criteria especially since we perform with real black powder weapons and swords and have to entertain and be knowledgeable about history as well as interested in working with and entertaining people. First you need to be 21 years old or older and a mature and responsible adult. You need to own and provide your own flintlock weapon (pistol, blunderbuss, musketoon or musket) or cannon (swivel gun or carriage gun), and the necessary accessories to load and fire the weapon as well as swords, daggers, boarding axes or other similar weapons. (We NEVER fire shot. EVER! We only use black powder and oasis wadding for visual and sound effects). Each individual needs to provide their own garb which must meet certain criteria for historical accuracy (No obvious modern day items such as zippers, pockets or cloth made of polyester or spandex). And each individual needs to go through two training programs; the first is for using black powder/weapons in public shows (minimum age 21), and the second one is to learn to sword fight with real steel swords in public shows (minimum age 18). Additional training classes are held for the Living History Display, for joining in our singing and sea shanty's, for running the Pirate Games and finally for doing Street Faire. These are all areas that everyone is expected and required to participate and perform in. Each area of specialization requires a good deal of study to acquire and remember the historical facts, application and use of these items, as well as being able to run the Pirate Games smoothly, and remember and know the words to the songs we sing to entertain others. Some people sing very well, others are a bit tone deaf, but when we all sing as a group, we sound fantastic and everyone is expected and required to participate.
Any individual who desires to fire black powder weapons of any kind, be it pistols, blunderbusses, musketoons, muskets, swivel guns or cannon, must undergo and successfully complete the training program first. Training consists of classroom instruction, hands-on training with flintlocks weapons or cannon on the range, a final written exam and a hands-on performance evaluation firing your weapon and various cannon on the range. All training is conducted and supervised by the Master Gunner and Gun Captains.
Training is only offered twice a year, and consists of an eight hour period of classroom instruction, a four hour period of hands-on practice at the range, additional range practice as necessary and when scheduled, and a final four hour period of range fire where the individual will be tested on their ability to safely fire the weapon in a performance. Training is ONLY offered once in the spring and once in the fall. Our next training class is in the spring, Saturday, February 7, 2009 and again in the fall, Saturday, October 10, 2009.
If ye are interested in joining our merry band of brigands, cutthroats, scallywags, pirates and privateers send us a message in a bottle, (or an email… 'tis quicker that way) and we’ll provide ye with additional information!!! Email Puget Sound Pirates at membership@addmoreblackpowder.com. Our code of conduct strictly outlines our guidelines which may be sidelined. We are a fun group, but we take safety seriously. If you want to see our code of conduct, take a look at the Activities page. Puget Sound Pirates: Pacific Northwest Privateers |
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