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Pirates in Paradise

November 23rd through December 4th, 2000

Key West, Florida

(all photos taken by Christine Markel Lampe, except where noted)

Page 2 (Musical Pirates) -- Page 3 (Pirate Portraits) -- Page 4 (The Festival)

See many more photos & learn about the event at the official Pirates in Paradise website.
And even more photos from Frank Hui. 

On Wednesday, November 29, many of the authors and special symposium guests took the ferry Yankee Freedom II for a 2 1/2 hour voyage out to Fort Jefferson, on the Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles west of Key West. 

A beautiful sunrise over Key West, 
at Turtle Kraals, while we wait for our ferry to the Dry Tortugas.

Approaching Fort Jefferson, ... the docks are just a little to the right of the beach.  The beach on the right was the main place to sun, or go snorkeling. Most of the rest of the island was taken up by the fort.

View from the fort walls ... looking across the channel to the neighboring key.

 This never-completed fort was used as a prison by the north during the Civil War - the American version of Devils Island.

 Dr. Cordingly (author of "Under the Black Flag) gazes through a cannon port in Fort Jefferson. We marvelled at the numerous ship-loads it had taken to bring the massive amounts of bricks and other materials needed to build this fort. An historian from our ship led a tour of the fort. While pteradactyl-like frigate birds soared slowly by overhead, we wandered the tops of the fort walls, inspected the powder magazine, and saw the cell of the fort’s most famous prisoner, Dr. Mudd, the physician who treated John Wilkes Booth, and was convicted of being a co-conspirator.

The trial of Anne Bonny & Mary Read
 was presented on Thursday night, Nov. 30, in the Custom House art gallery, to a standing room only crowd. The script had been written by Tamara Eastman, author of "The Tryals of Bonny and Read", who also portrayed Anne Bonny. While our presentation stuck rather close to the original trial transcripts (mixing a few elements from the trial transcripts of John Rackham and his crew) gaps were filled and embellishments added to help bring it to life.

LEFT:  Anne Bonny, in shackles, invites the public to her tryal.
(Tamara Eastman as Anne Bonny)
RIGHT:  Historical background to the re-enactment of the tryal of Anne Bonny & Mary Read is presented by the Narrator.  
  (Cynthia Millhorn as narrator, with B.J. Hudson of the Corsairs, Michael Lampe, and Robbie Cook of the Corsairs, from left to right.  Notice how a modern painting is cleverly disguised with a period British flag).

Officials, and prisoners:  Bailiff, Admiralty Court Judge, Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes, Admiralty Court Judge, Mary Read, Anne Bonny & jailer.
(Scott Goeringer, B.J. Hudson, Michael Lampe, Robbie Cooks, Ravan McElderry, Tamara Eastman, and Frasier Rogers).

A more bedraggled looking pair would be hard to find.   Mary Read (left) and Anne Bonny (right) at the prisoner's dock during the re-enactment of their trial. 
(Mary is portrayed by Ravan McElderry and Anne by Tamara Eastman.) (Mary is portrayed by Ravan McElderry and Anne by Tamara Eastman.)
Photo by Frank Hui 

The charges were read, and then Mrs. Dorothy Thomas was called as first witness. As she said her famous line ("I knew they were women by the very largeness of their breasts, M’Lord"), the prisoners jeered, jiggled their breasts, made rude comments, and Mary Read even flashed the judge (unfortunately this was not caught on tape). Flustered, Gov. Lawes regained his composure and brought the court back to order. (The flashing incident became legendary over the course of the weekend.)
(Yours truly, NQG editor Christine Lampe, portrayed Mrs. Dorothy Thomas, with Scott Goeringer as Bailiff)
Photo by Frank Hui 

The next witness was Mr. Hosea Tisdale. owner of "Tizzy’s Tavern". Arthur Whittam stole the show, with his comic portrayal of Tisdale, with the constant plugging of his tavern, and the numerous flasks he kept producing from about his person to take a swig (each one would be quickly confiscated by the bailiff, who then would finish off the flask when the judge wasn’t looking).  He was an enthusiastic witness during the trial of Bonny and Read, and was reluctant to leave the courtroom.
(Arthur Whittam portrayed Tisdale.  Scott Goeringer, aka Alexander Morgan of the Corsairs, was our wonderful bailiff.)

The last witness, Capt. Barnett, was the captain of the vessel that captured Rackham’s ship.  He testified how the men cowered below decks, and how the women pirates refused to be taken quietly. He said that it took at least a dozen of his men to subdue each of these women.  With them dressed in men's clothing, and fighting like they were demons out of hell, it took a while before they even realized they were women, and this only after their clothing became dissarrayed. 
(Bill Millhorn is Capt. Barnett)
Photo by Frank Hui 

The judges deliberate over the charges.  It didn't taken them long to come to a verdict, guilty of course. The sentences were read, and court was adjourned.  It was then that the women interjected with their claim of "pleading their bellies". The flustered and angry judge then ordered a medical examination of the prisoners, and a reconvening of the court in three weeks. The narrator then wound up the presentation with a summary of what followed historically.
(B.J. Hudson, Michael Lampe, & Robbie Cook)
Photo by Frank Hui 

Artist Don Maitz, in very fancy colonial garb, entered the coutroom at the beginning of the proceedings, set up his easel in the corner, and began to make sketches of the scene (a very early version of a courtroom sketch artist).  Here he is shown with his sketches of the prisoners and Governor Lawes.  If only Capt. Johnson had had access to such sketches to illustrate his "General History of the Pirates".
  (Don Maitz)

       After the trial, we were ready to relax and enjoy ourselves at the artists’ and authors’ reception, also held in the Custom House. Throngs of viewers admired Don Maitz originals, including pieces used in the May ’99 National Geographic magazine article about the "Whydah". In fact, several of the models Don used were in attendance at the reception, or at least were at the festival over the weekend. Don autographed labels from "Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum" (he painted the original artwork) for his fans. The other featured artist was Michael Noles, an artist director for Disney. He displayed several pirate figurines and sketches of scurvy rogues. And it was his art that graced the cover of the newspaper pullout program for the pirate festival. Though in civvies this night, later over the weekend we ran across him in his imposing portrayal as Capt. Red Ned Lynch.

LEFT:  Dr. Cordingly signs a copy of "Under the Black Flag" for Don Maitz
RIGHT:  Don signs a Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum label for Dr. Cordingly

As the rum flowed, the singing began. Not many art galleries can boast being treated to such a raucous, bawdy concert such as we heard that night. It was our first exposure to some of the wonderful singers we would enjoy throughout the weekend ... many of the Pyrates of Tortuga, some of the Corsairs, and many others. ‘Tis when I first heard Bawdy BE (Brandy Etheridge). She may be small, but with a twinkle in her eye, and a smile that was a cross between innocent and lascivious, she had ‘em all in her pockets when she teamed up with Mark Miller for rather untamed versions of "Barnacle Bill" and "Roll Your Leg Over". After the reception, many of us headed to the Conch Republic Seafood Co. Bar to sing for a couple more hours, then over to the Schooner Wharf Bar to wind up the night.

See much more of the Pirates in Paradise festival ...
Page 2 (Musical Pirates) -- Page 3 (Pirate Portraits) -- Page 4 (The Festival)

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Modified January 21, 2001
Web page design by Michael & Christine Markel Lampe.
© 2001 "No Quarter Given" . All rights reserved.
No don't you go piratin' any written material, graphics or photos from the "NO QUARTER GIVEN" website without permission, or we'll have to hunt you down, hand ya over to the crew, and let them have their way with ya. WARNIN': they've been a long time at sea.
Besides. . . , it ain't nice ta steal!