Drake's Expedition: Preparing for Bloodsuckers

In January 1596, two ships of the famous privateer/pirate Sir Francis Drake, the Elizabeth and Delight, were lost off Portobelo, Panama. Somewhere they rest not far from their owner. And Pat Croce wants them found!

I just finished taking typhoid fever pills--a day on followed by a day off for the past week as directed during an unusual medical consultation.

At the suggestion of my personal doc, Brad Fenton, I made an appointment at University of Pennsylvania's Division of Travel Medicine to get the necessary inoculation required to travel to the harbor of Portobello in Panama. No one told me that I would end up being a Petri dish!

I got vaccination shots for yellow fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and tetanus. I also got a prescription for malaria pills that I had to take before, during, and after my latest adventure.

During the "voodoo" visit, the practitioner told me that the malaria pills would prevent infected mosquitoes from sharing their disease with me and that they only bite at night. During the day, other insects transmit some bone-crushing disease or something crazy like that.

OK, give me whatever you're selling.

She smiled, held up a bottle with a spray nozzle attached to the top, and told me to spray all my clothes with this repellant before I pack them in my suitcase. But do it outside because it stinks. Sounds serious!

After an hour of me imitating a pin cushion and her warning me of rabid dogs, snake bites, and the Central American version of Montezuma's Revenge, I went home, sharpened my scuba knife and drank a heaping helping of rum, the best pirate medicine!

More to come on my Drake Expedition.

The photo above is of an aedes aegytpi mosquito from la-ventana.com

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St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum rated "excellent" by travelers

Employed by the English as a privateer; John Hawkins was considered a pirate and a criminal by the Spanish.

Pirates had workman's comp! Each captain took care of the injured by compensating crewmen for being maimed or losing a limb. And each captain had his own "rates:" loss of right arm, 600 pieces; left arm, 500 pieces; right leg, 500, etc.
The Castillo de San Marcos was built immediately after Captain Robert Searles sacked St. Augustine, Florida in 1668. Sir Francis Drake razed the city 82 years earlier.
"Walking the Plank" is a Hollywood myth. Pirates were more likely to throw men overboard, hang them from the yardarms, or keelhaul them.
Every Pirate Captain established a set of rules called the "Articles." Every member of the crew signed articles of piracy over a boarding axe prior to setting sail - symbolic to the oath the pirate just promised his fellow sailors.

What's You Favorite Pirate Ship Name?

	Adventure Galley
	Queen Anne's Revenge
	Speedy Return
	Golden Hind
	Rising Sun
	Sea King
	Good Fortune

ARTILLERY - CANNON

Naval artillery in the 'age of sail' encompasses the period of roughly 1571-1863: then large, sail-powered wooden naval warships dominated the high seas, mounting a bewildering variety of different types and sizes of cannon as their main armament. By modern standards, these cannon were extremely inefficient, difficult to load, and short ranged. These characteristics, along with the handling and seamanship of the ships that mounted them, defined the environment in which the Naval tactics in the 'age of sail' developed.

ARTICLES OF PIRACY

Though no universal code of conduct was acknowledged by all, many pirate captains established a set of rules with which each crew member was expected to comply while on board.

Many of these social contracts were remarkably democratic for their time and place in the world. As pirates, sailors had an unprecedented level of control of their destiny. In an assault to the traditional command structure at sea, pirate captains allowed the crew to vote in a new captain if a dispute warranted it.

WHITE SHARK

* 2 oz Light Rum
* 1 oz Vodka
* 1 oz Sambuca
* 2 oz Cream of Coconut
* 1 Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
* Blend ingredients with ice until smooth
* Pour into a chilled hurricane glass
* Dust with coconut shavings

Some of the many names for rum are rumbullion, rumbustion, Barbados water, rumscullion, devil's death (or "Kill-Devil"), Nelson's blood, and rumbo. A version of rum from Newfoundland is referred to by the name screech, while some low-grade West Indies rums are called tafia.

Backstay [bak-stey] - A long rope that supports a mast and counters forward pull.

Deadlight [ded-lahyt] - A protective cover fitted over a porthole or window on a ship.

Lee [Lee] - The side of a ship, land mass, or rock that is sheltered from the wind.

Poop [poop] - A short, raised after deck found only on very large sailing ships.

Drake's Expedition: Preparing for Bloodsuckers

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