This is a pretty neat tale. Matt Arthur has also provided some great reference maps and pictures. Click on for Those Who Are Born to be Hang’d

Click on for the one-shot interlude “Storms in the Age of Sail”. This post was inspired by the severe hurricane Harvey; and since the posting, Irma as well.

I will second Matt Arthur’s request for everyone to find a way to assist those affected by these storms. I have encountered several refugees and their pets in the DC area and encountered more people heading down to Texas and Florida with non-profits. The devastation is pretty real and both storms hit within only a week of each other.

Click through to donate to the American Red Cross to aid in relief for victims of both storms.

The 4th and final season of Black Sails is out on DVD and Blu-Ray as of August 29, so if you don’t have Starz (like me) and never got to see it (like me), head out and pick up your copy. As soon as I’ve binge-watched the season, I’ll post a review. And remember, there is some speculation about a sequel to the series, so this might not be the last we see of these great characters.

In a back and forth contest with rival Hastings, the town of Penzance in Cornwall at the southern tip of England failed in their second attempt to take back the Guinness Book of World Records title for most people dressed as pirates at one place and time. In 2014, Penzance (yes, like the play The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan) was reportedly short by 77 pirates. Apparently, this was due to too many pirate patrons remaining in local pubs at the proper time and thus not being included in the count. This year, even with pubs planning to usher patrons out at the right time, the narrow shortage is still reportedly for the same reason. Just can’t keep those pirates out of the bar! But still, the effort is pretty awesome. Click through here for the article, direct from Cornwall.

In “Assistance”, learn more about the Dutch pirate Roche Braziliano (pictured above), among a couple others. Get listening!