Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Sea fiction author Philip K Alan’s weblog is extraordinary, both for the effort and craft that goes into his posts, but also for the stories he tells. This one describes the chilling memoirs of Able Seaman William Davidson, a man with a secret pirate past. Just right for a little shiver during the midwinter break…
If you don’t know it, clock the story of Mary Read, who spent much of her life passing as a boy or a man – and had careers in soldiering and two spells of piracy, one of which was as crew with pirate captain John ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham. She became friendly with Calico Jack’s lover, pirate … Continue reading “The astonishing story of Mary Read, soldier and pirate”
The ballad Captain Ward sung by Gavin Atkin – who learned it from the singing of Roy Harris. This is a striking if historically inaccurate short ballad about an amazing character – a Faversham fisherman who became a pirate in the period following the Armada, then returned to fishing, was then pressed into the Navy, … Continue reading “Captain Ward – Faversham’s famous pirate who changed the course of history”