Avast!

[Anglo-Irishman]

Though this picture does suggest that sailors have, at some point, had concertinas on board with them. Not the greatest picture, but you can kind of see the 'tina.

 

Nice pic, Fern!

From the flare of the bow, I'd date your ship to well within the concertina era, however, so you look authentic enough

 

BTW, do any of you "dress up" for gigs? Like navy-blue ganseys for sea songs, kilts for Scottish music, etc?

 

I notice, Fern, that you have at least one authentic nautical dress feature - bare feet!

 

There's a story of an old admiral who was interviewed on his retirement after a glorious career, and was asked why he had joined the Navy in the first place. He told how, as a very young boy around 1900, his father took him to see a warship on an open day. He had new shoes on that day, and they were stiff and uncomfortable, and his feet were "killing him." So when he saw the Jack Tars running about the deck barefoot, he decided on the spot that he would become a sailor.

 

Nothing to do with pirates, of course - quite the contrary. I think I'll just go and play "Admiral Benbow" (in C) and "Tom Bowling" (in G, two of my favourites on C/G Anglo). With my shoes on. And my RNLI sweatshirt.

 

Then I'll clew up my bellows and get back to work.

 

Cheers,

John

 

(Edited for typo)

Edited September 21, 2009 by Anglo-Irishman

[Fiddlehead Fern]

Though this picture does suggest that sailors have, at some point, had concertinas on board with them. Not the greatest picture, but you can kind of see the 'tina.

 

Nice pic, Fern!

From the flare of the bow, I'd date your ship to well within the concertina era, however, so you look authentic enough

 

BTW, do any of you "dress up" for gigs? Like navy-blue ganseys for sea songs, kilts for Scottish music, etc?

 

I notice, Fern, that you have at least one authentic nautical dress feature - bare feet!

 

There's a story of an old admiral who was interviewed on his retirement after a glorious career, and was asked why he had joined the Navy in the first place. He told how, as a very young boy around 1900, his father took him to see a warship on an open day. He had new shoes on that day, and they were stiff and uncomfortable, and his feet were "killing him." So when he saw the Jack Tars running about the deck barefoot, he decided on the spot that he would become a sailor.

 

Nothing to do with pirates, of course - quite the contrary. I think I'll just go and play "Admiral Benbow" (in C) and "Tom Bowling" (in G, two of my favourites on C/G Anglo). With my shoes on. And my RNLI sweatshirt.

 

Then I'll clew up my bellows and get back to work.

 

Cheers,

John

 

(Edited for typo)

 

The ship in question is the US Brig Niagara, she fought in the Battle of Lake Erie as Admiral Perry's relief flagship during the War of 1812. The year is 1813, so a bit earlier than concertina, but close enough for jazz. Or old-time.

Actually, regarding the bare feet, I was off-watch, otherwise I would have been wearing shoes; splinters aren't looked upon kindly and shoes are required while working.

 

As far as dressing up goes, I've been involved in living history since I was about 5, so to me period dress (mainly 18th century) feels just as comfortable a jeans and a t-shirt. I'd like to get involved in War of 1812 period, and perhaps do a sailor's impression. Again, too early for the concertina, sadly.

I have, however, performed in costume upon occasion. Most recently with a shanty-singing group, I was willingly shanghaied in, payed for my dinner ticket and was a great time to boot, what more can one ask?

 

RE: Grog: Grog is rum mixed with water. One way I've heard the story was that Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" was the first to standardize the ratio of water to spirits, and the sailors called it grog after him. A similar, but not quite exactly the same story is on the Contemplator's site: http://www.contemplator.com/history/grog.html In any case, if you haven't heard of the site before, by all means look it up. Fascinating resource for songs, tunes and lore.