St Mary's Island, off Madagascar was an important place where pirates used to get their ships repaired. When a ship was beached, this was when pirates were most at risk of attack.

Black Powder, Gun Powder, Lift Powder, Grain Powder, and Meal Powder are basically the same material, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate or saltpeter. Because it burns rapidly producing lots of hot solids and gases, that can be used as a propellant, it is ideal for the cannons. But it won’t burn effectively if it is wet, moist, or damp.

The English term for a pirate flag is the Jolly Roger. It is thought the name comes the french joli rouge meaning pretty red. This was as the early pirate flags, which were hoisted before a battle, were blood red. They signified there would be no survivors. Later pirate captains designed their own flags, they were usually white on red or black backgrounds. Around the 17th century the white on black pirate flags come to be nicknamed Blackjacks and the skull and crossbones emblem was nicknamed the Jolly Roger. The flag was then used to warn victims to surrender without a fight. This tactic was very effective, lots of booty was gained without blood being shed.

The term Pirate was first used about when Jesus was born by the Greeks. It means 'attacker' and is used to describe any sailor who attacks ships or raids the coast.

A Cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy (in the sense of low-ranking employee, not always a minor) who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain.

From "Going to sea as a cabin boy". What were your duties aboard?
Well, looking after the quartermasters, getting their food, clean their cabin out and do all sorts of things, and we used to have to go up on the bridge, you know, and quartermaster was off duty he used to teach us boys knots and splices and how to steer the ship and box the compass and all that sort of business, which was all new to me.  I knew everything by the time I got back.

Can you remember how much a cabin boy got paid then?
Yes, £1 a month.  That's all we got paid.  So that wasn't much was it?  (Laughs)  After three months.

The gunner was one of five standing officers on board ship, the others were the boatswain, purser, carpenter and cook. The gunner was responsible for the ship's  guns and  ammunition. Gunners were assisted by, and usually recruited from, gunners' mates, and their subordinates also included the armourer, the yeoman of the powder room, and one quarter gunner, or seaman layer, for each group of four great guns.

I have found a wonderful site that has what surnames mean (http://www.rootsweb.com/~illogan/jobs.htm). These might help for character surnames.

• Apprentice - person bound to a skilled worker to learn the trade
• Archiator - physician
• Barber - barber; local dentist
• Bladesmith - swordmaker or knife maker
• Boardwright - carpenter
• Boatswain - ship's officer in charge of rigging and sails
• Bummer - army deserter
• Cafender - carpenter
• Cartographer - map maker
• Caulker - person who fills up cracks in ships to make them watertight using tar or oakum-hemp fiber from old ropes
• Cooper - one who makes or repairs vessels formed of staves and hoops, such as casks, barrels, tubs, etc.
• Coxwain - ship or boat helmsman
• Joiner/Joyner - skilled carpenter
• Kedger - fisherman
• Lagger - sailor
• Leech - physician
• Manciple - steward
• Peregrinator - itinerant wanderer
• Piller - thief; robber
• Pilot - person who steers ships
• Prentis - apprentice
• Puggard - thief
• Purser - ship's officer in charge of provisions and accounts
• Roper - maker of rope or nets
• Runner - smuggler
• Sawbones - physician
• Sawyer - carpenter who saws
• Ship Husband - repairer of ships while they were in harbour
• Wakeman - night watchman
• Waterman - boatman for hire

Here is a piece of information to keep everyone going. Scurvy is a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the diet. Signs of scurvy include tiredness, muscle weakness, joint and muscle aches, a rash on the legs, and bleeding gums. In the past, scurvy was common among sailors and other people deprived of fresh fruits and vegetables for long periods of time.

The quote below is from Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper.
"What's that smell?"
"Extract of Limes," Bart said, smiling.
"Trying to ward off scurvy?" she said, with a grin.

My son and his best mate have been working hard to add to this website, so here is a list of jobs they believe should be in our crew. They also found a list of famous pirates and buccaneers.

Carpenter - A carpenter can make hull repairs at sea.
Cook - A cook can prepare tasty meals at sea.
Cooper - A cooper can preserve food in sturdy barrels.
Gunner - A gunner can train the crew in rapid firing of the cannons.
Surgeon - A surgeon can heal wounded crewmen.
Navigator - A navigator can increase the ship/fleets speed.
Quartermaster (QM) - A quartermaster can enforce discipline at sea.
Sailmaker - A sailmaker can make sail repairs at sea.

Famous , bounty hunters and pirates:
Henry Morgan, Jean Lafitte, Edward Teach (Black Beard), Anne Bonny, Sir Francis Drake, Jack Rackham, Klaus Störtebeker, Captain William Kidd, Christopher Condent, Bartholomew Roberts, Henry Avery, Charles Vane, Francois Lolonois, Stede Bonnet, William Dampier, Godecke Michels, Samuel Bellamy, Woodes Rogers, George Lowther.

I have just discovered September 19th (every year) is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. So button down the hatches for some terrible one liners, as my kids deliver various pirate-esk orders while changing my bed into a pirate ship.