Chad Hunter's Blog, page 3

Creative quotes – “If you don’t see the book…”

Pirate Fact #15 -Breaking Bread

Life at sea was hard and without refrigeration.  Pirates often turned to hard tack as their meal for the day.  Hard tack was a type of flat, hard biscuit that was basically only made from flour, salt and water.  It was not for taste but it was cheap and long-lasting.

Pirate Fact #14 – “I’ll have the grog, please.”

Pirates were known to drink “grog,” a mixture of rum and other ingredients certain to help a sailor get through his day.  A variation of the recipe includes lime juice, brown sugar, dark rum and water.

Pirate Fact #13 -A life on the beach = Punishment?

One of the worst fates for a pirate was to be marooned.  He would be left on a small jut of beach with possibly a day’s rations or only rum and a pistol with one shot.  While it may sound like a vacation, this was considered one of the most horrid ends of a pirate’s life.  If the heat and exposure to the elements did not kill him, he would starve, could fall prey to animals if the land was large enough or go mad.  The one shot in the pistol was the last act of mercy by his fellow crew.

Pirate Fact #12 -Workman’s comp?

Many pirate ships had rates of compensation should a crewman lose a limb or other body part in the course of his duties or battle.

Pirate Fact #11 – Captain Alphabet

In the novel “Of a Great Deep,” Bo is actually short for Captain Travis’ full first name – Nabopolassar.

Pirate Fact #10 – Old school

Pirates date back to ancient Rome and beyond.  There are numerous accounts of pirates in early history as far back as mankind has been on the sea.

Pirate Fact #9 – Def. Requiem (n)

The word requiem means a mass for the dead or a portion of funeral

Pirate Fact #8 -The South won’t rise this again

Blackboard’s ship, the mighty Queen Anne’s Revenge was discovered along the North Carolina coast.  She rests submerged but accessible by scientists studying her hull and long-lost objects.

Pirate Fact #7 – A lot in the trunk?

While many of the ships during the age of piracy were classed as frigates, man-o-wars or galleons, Chinese pirate ships were called “junks.”