Trade Winds

By Becky Shamen

 Long before becoming a SL Newser Reporter, we had already developed the skill of finding new areas to explore, by scanning the World Map. Our previous article, about Antiquity, turned out so well, we decided to test it again, this time a bit closer to our home in Sunweaver Bay. Zooming out, we located an area of interest, about 7.16 miles West from home. The first thing we notice about the area is that there are over 20 small islands, scattered around the 12 sims, which are arranged in the shape of a cross. It was a safe bet that some type of boat would be needed to explore this area. Zooming in closer on the map, we find the centrally located Trade Winds sim has docks for large ships, all along it's West side. Starting our adventure here will tell us what kinds of ships are used by the local residents and there will probably be merchants of ships. This is also a good place to learn the local rules that must be followed.

 We set a target on the dock and TP, landing, you guessed it, right in front of a shop that sells ships. Before we can get our "land legs" working, several notecards are given, stating the rules and which ships are allowed. The rules inform us that these 12 sims are dedicated to 18th century sailing and warfare RP. While here, your clothing, speech and means of transportation must fit the 18th century. Of important note, your avatar cannot fly here. If your boat sinks, you will either walk out or TP to a dryer location. Since this area is dedicated to 18th century RP, your appearance must fit the period. Gorean and Fury is not appropriate here.


 If you are going to get involved in sea battles here, you must use one of the ships that has the latest SPD damage meters. A list is provided giving all the approved ships.

> SPD Corsair III (on SPD2 mode only) > SSS Sloop > SSS Polacre > SSS Goelette > SSS Junk

> SSS Norfolk > SSS Gunboat > SSS Frigate > SSS Grand Galleon > SSS Sampan > SSS Hercules > AT Colossus > AT Xebec > AT East Indiaman > AT Shu'ai > AT Wicked Wench > AT Gunboat > AT Revenge > BRS Avventura > BRS Fortuna > BRS Dorey > BRS Pinace > RSS Alert > RSS Requin > RSS Lorcha > RSS Philadelphia > RSS Mystique > RSS Mercury > Terrada > MTM Xebec > MTM Statenjacht

 

Non approved ships can be used, but not in battles, as long as they are 18th century wooden ships. If you are thinking of buying one of the approved ships, there are some rezzers, on the dock, that let you see the full ship. We found an open slip and rezzed our own, non approved Armed Merchant ship and headed out to sea to see where the winds will take us. Keep in mind, ships used here actually use SL winds to sail. Often, the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. It can only be done by tacking a zig-zag route. We enjoyed getting in some sailing practice and will likely return for more. On the other side, it was hard to pilot and sight-see at the same time and we had to kedge our way out of a few tight spots. At the North end of the docks, you can find a rowboat rezzer. This is a fun way to get from island to island and it stays rezzed as long as you stay on it. Hint: you can also get around by using the World Map to TP to other islands, but good luck on where you land.

 The islands are dotted with towering rock spires and, by now, we all know that Sha loves getting into higher perspectives [double entendre]. If zooming the cam to the peaks reveals man made structures, we would find a way to blaze a trail to the top. 

 Oddly enough, 18th century churches also seem to like these lofty locations. Our favorite was the Goth church on Cayo Hueso. The long and winding road to the top is very enjoyable and best done in "mouselook". We have a passion for architectural wonders and climbed every stair and opened any doors that were not locked. 

Below the goth church, we find an older, simpler fortified church. Wishing for a view from the watch tower, we find a rope that lets the user do an animated climb to the roof top. After taking in the view, we set course for the interior of the church. Belay them plans, matey. All the church doors inform us that we don't have a key to this sacred place. A parting zoom look through the upper Celtic cross window reveals that this be a secret hang out of a pirate gang.

 While it is true that the pirates are friendly, keep in mind their interpretations may vary widely from yours. In one pirate pub there is a metal grating in the floor, where the gang can drop you down to cages below, where they keep the guest that they will be extra-friendly with. Sha managed to get herself in a cage, in a room full of BDSM furniture. The cage door won't open, unless we enter a code that picks the lock. That would take too long to guess and, there were no guards, seeking x-rated entertainment, so she takes out her notebook, for clues on how to escape. Remembering having already made LMs in other islands, she becomes enlightened that "the Poof will set you free."

Free again, Sha heads for the nearest church, to increase her share of good luck. Spotting a confessional box, she goes in to get a clean slate.

Sha: Bless me Father for I have sinned. I have plundered a fortune by shaking my booty around a pole, at club Cutlass.

Priest: The church forgives you my child. Now, for your penitence say three OMGs and put a sack of 10% of your booty in the door by your knees.

 

We begin to sense a mystery to unravel here. Pirates and priests, how are they connected? Is it even possible to imagine a congregation made up of pirates and wenches? If they're into the 10 commandments, do they have their own interpretation of the rules to a good life?  

In an open book, we spotted "The Pirate Code".  It seems they have done the 10 commandments one better. The Code has 11 articles. Remind you of the rock band that had custom amplifiers, with volume knobs that go all the way up to 11? In fact, article 11 states that all musicians have the Sabbath off, by right and any other days, by favre only.

  During our adventures at Trade Winds, we talked with and befriended a high ranking region manager, called Matisse. Learning that we were there preparing a story for the Newser, we were invited to join the local group, with the title of "Rogue Photographer". That would protect me from those that would hinder my progress. Hopefully, that would also stop stray cannon balls from taking seat in my row boat.

   Now, pay no attention to the 15 port side cannons, pointed in your direction. Just be takin' our word on it, there be plenty of adventure here. Come set yer keel in the water and thrust the sails to the skies. There's magic in the air and the Pirates Code entitles you to a fair share.

 "Sha"

Trade Winds

By Joshua Xaxier

Back from Davey Jones' locker, Josh was feeling keelhauled by his search for a new adventure, until he decided to weigh anchor and search for new seas to sail.

Praise Neptune! We found "the Sea Serpent mk5" and it was free. Surely, this was the perfect, "one of a kind", mode of transportation for a showman that would be hidden beneath the waves. Returning home, he thought it wise to take it for a test run in Sunweaver Bay, before heading for open waters. As luck would have it, Rita had just drained the bay, to locate property lines for the placement of the new Club Infinity, the reincarnation of Little Dove. Albert, the captain of the bay's fire department, was in a panic, because his beach was now high and dry. We assured him that work was being done and the water level would return on the next day. We opened the world map, to see if there were any nearby water sims, that might have space and allow us to rez the submarine for a test drive. About seven and a half miles West of Sunweaver Bay, there is a group of water sims, dotted with small islands. Zooming in, we noticed one of the isles was named Cartagena. Long before becoming a reporter, Sha had visited an island by that name and had made friends with a pirate there. The pirate took her for a ride on his ship and planted the seed that would, one day, lead her to sailing the Blake Sea. She had forgotten where Cartagena was located and hoped to re-discover it.

 If this was the same, lost island, it would surely make Josh's adventure a double hitter. If it was the same island, we knew that the area's administrators had set rules that would need to be followed, including only using ships from the 17th and 18th centuries, dressing in period clothing and talking like a pirate. Knowing there were no submarines back then, we hoped that, being beneath the waves, would keep us below the administration's radar.
Knowing that Sha had spent a week exploring the Blake Sea and reported finding interesting places on the sea floor, he goes to the Marketplace to see if they had any unique underwater vessels that could be purchased with his limited budget.

We selected the Sabres Edge sim to begin a zig-zag course that would take us through all 11 sims. Ultimately, we found that rezzing ships is allowed on all the sims, but within the first 300 meters of the stealth voyage, we received an IM from Amber Murfin, one of the Estate Administrators. Somehow, she knew I was an outsider and piloting a forbidden vessel. I explained that I was a reporter for the Newser and researching for an article. I said, if required, I could switch to my HMS Phoenix, an 18th century frigate, with 18 cannons, or, with her permission, stay beneath the waves for this one time to finish my research. She granted permission and provided me a notecard with rules of the estate and the web site that listed approved ships http://flotsamnjetsam.net/index.php?topic=500.msg713#msg713

I covered the majority of the sims, using the mk5 sub, but then had it returned to my lost and found, when I lost my connection and got knocked off SL. On returning, I TPd to each of the remaining sims, to confirm that all of them allowed rezzing objects. I enjoyed sailing the estates and will likely return using my frigate.

When going to RP sims, it is polite to follow rules regarding staying in character, based on known history. Keep in mind though, history, like all sciences, is not completely known. If only humans are allowed on these sims, that does not mean there were no furry pirates. It only means the historians didn't write about them or the readers skiped those chapters. After all, how many pirate fans know that the skull and crossbones was used on ships in the Americas, before Columbus got here or that, before they were called pirates, they were Knights of the Temple?

Josh X 

Editor's Note: It looks like officially the rules state "humans (and mers) only," but it seems this rule is seldom enforced. I had gone about the Trade Winds grounds myself as an anthro mouse in a buccaneer outfit ("I be a pie rat") without complaint. That is until Monday March 4 when the place was being filmed for "Designing Worlds" when exactly one resident IMed me saying my avatar was a problem. This could be an issue to some furs, whom would rather take their avatars, and money, somewhere else where their presence is no problem. On the plus side, Trade Winds group chat is full of lively chatter and jokes with playful banter and not an ounce of drama.

Pirates at Snug Harbor Maratime Museum

 By Grey Lupindo

        While I was sailing a few days ago, I found an interesting pirate exhibit on a pier in Snug Harbor.   I quickly learned that the exhibit is part of a larger museum being constructed at Snug Harbor Maratime Museum, SH 2 (92, 188, 22).   The landmark describes the site as "A mini course in boating history and real life facts about boats."   

         The exhibit is a huge outdoor museum that is still under construction.  However, there is already a wealth of material about every aspect of ships, from the mechanics of engines and anchors to the people and how they lived aboard these ships.   There’s even a 16^th century Galleon that you can board and explore.  

         I found the pirate exhibit to be the most interesting.   This exhibit has drawings and notecards with information about many different pirates, both male and female, from many different countries.  Some of the names were familiar, but there were many pirates that were new to me.   Sometimes one country’s “pirate” is often another country’s hero.    

        The museum gives an interesting explanation as to why a person would turn to piracy as a career.   A sign explains that "In the 1700s for many sailors the prospects of sharing in a big haul was overwhelming.  When a man could be a pick pocket and be hanged for stealing a shilling, why not be a pirate and steal a fortune?"   Sometimes, it seems, crime did pay.

          One of the famous women pirates was Lo Hon-Cho, a Chinese woman who is said to be the inspiration for the Dragon Lady pirate in the comic strip "Terry and The Pirates."   In 1921 she became a pirate when her husband died and she took command of his pirate ship.   She was very successful and grew the business into a fleet of 60 pirate ships.  She was also very ruthless and took women and girls as prisoners to sell as slaves. 

          An American woman pirate from an earlier era was Rachael Wall.  She went into the pirate business with her husband, George Wall.  Her skills are detailed in the notecard available at the site.  In 1782 her career as a pirate ended when their ship sank in a storm.  Later, after being arrested for robbery, she admitted she had once been a pirate.  As a result of her confession, she was the last woman to be hanged in Boston.

       Piet Hein was a Dutch hero but considered a pirate by other countries.  In his early 20s he had been captured by the Spanish and held as a slave for four years.  After his release he became a privateer for the Dutch West India Company and captured many ships.  Later he became an Admiral and captured a Spanish treasure fleet loaded with silver from the American colonies and the Philippines without any loss of life.  Following the Dutch policy, Hein gave the Spanish crews enough supplies to reach Havana and released them. The treasure Hein captured was the company's greatest victory in the Caribbean.

        The Maratime Museum has informational notecards about all of the pirates, including Englishmen Sir Thomas Cavendish and Sir Francis Drake, Indian Kanhoji Angre, and many others.  The notecard about Jean Lafitte offers an interesting look at a man who was a pirate, a hero, and a savvy businessman who chose piracy even when other options were open to him. 

        There are exhibits on modern day pirates, too, and the U.S. Navy’s reaction to it.

         When you visit the museum, be sure to turn on your music.   The site plays shanties and sea sounds.  I heard "Whiskey Johnny", "Wild Goose", "Blood Red Roses", and "Hilo Jonny Brown".  There’s even a notecard that explains the different types of shanties and why they were sung.

        Of course no pirate exhibit would be complete without rum.   Located on the pier is Barnacle Ben's, the place for you to “rest your timbers” after a hard day of sailing.  

          For sailors, Snug Harbor can be reached by water.  The dock at Snug Harbor also allows you to moor your boat for an hour or so while you visit the museum. 

Grey Lupind

The USS Helena (CA-75)

When people on Second Life construct a build, it’s generally something such as a simple home, or maybe a store. Henry Borgnine, Dave Brouchoud in real-life, chose to do something different and much grander. He set out to recreate the heavy cruiser he served on during the Korean War - the USS Helena (CA-75).

Dave Brouchoud had joined the US Navy at age 17, in September 1951. After Navy Boot camp, he was assigned to the Helena. In 1952, he was stationed in one of the 5” gun mounts. When he was released in May 1955, he had been doing duty as a Radar Operator. He would later serve in the US Army, and his avatar wears an Army uniform.

Henry had been talked into Second Life by his nephew, “I soon realized that ANYTHING is possible in SL. I talked about ‘my dream,’ to once again walk the decks of my ship - and here she is.” Behind him in the water was the Helena, “Much work needs to be done, but I am pleased with what has already happened.”

“A point,” Henry stated, “I am NOT the builder. At first it was my nephew Keystone Brouchard. But he told me about a great builder named RJ Kikuchiyo. He worked on the ship for some time.” Unfortunately, Henry was having trouble staying in the grid, “Second Life kept crashing on me, (there were) hardware problems on my four year old computer.” Reluctantly, he eventually had to stop logging on.

But after some time, he got a new computer, “About a month ago, the computer went south and we now have a nice new Dell with a high end video card. I couldn’t wait to again try SL and bingo. It now works perfectly. I contacted RJ and learned that a new builder was taking over (the building), Bobcatt Nielson.”

The ship isn’t quite complete yet. After seeing the HMS Titanic in Second Life with it’s interior rooms, he hoped to do the same with the Helena, a walk-on bridge, an engine room, and more, “be able to see many of the compartments below decks.” He also hoped to get other features, such as “guns that will turn, radios that will work.” The ship will also be enlarged a little for a more realistic size, “In real life, this ship is a little over 700 feet long.” He was also getting a little help besides from Bobcat, “the owner of this sim is also helping with the build. At the moment I know he is working ... on the ship’s anchors.”


The Helena’s most prominent feature are her cannons, “the big guns you see are 8" the smaller are 5" the real ship also had 3" guns in 7 gun tubs. The 3" are not yet available.”

As the interview was conducted, the ship was getting visitors. Henry politely excused himself for a minute to greet one looking around, then returned, “I like to be here often to meet visitors and answer questions.”

Henry has heard about the Veterans’ groups in Second Life, “(I) was a member of one group. They now know about this ship and have been most helpful in passing the word.” Every comment everyone’s made, Henry told me, “has been positive.”

He’s also heard a little about other military in Second Life, such as the battleship Yamato, and historical combat RP groups, such as the Flying Tigers, “I have visited many military sites with many historical aircraft in display, including one of the B29 Super Fortresses that dropped the atomic bomb.”

When I dropped by the next day, builder Bobcatt Neilson was there. He and Henry talked about using blueprints and images from cruisebooks to help with further building. Bobcat also talked some with me, saying building the ship was a pleasure, “something cool in Second Life that’s not involved with sex or gambling.” He had seen other warships in SL, such as a recreation of the Yamato built by members of the real-life Japanese Defense Force.

Bobcatt had been in the US Army, serving in the first Gulf War, Kuwait, The invasion of Panama, and Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, “still kinda recovering from Afghanistan’s offroad extravaganzas. ... on canes, but still in rehabilitation, and very stubborn.”

Bobcatt pointed out the region had plenty to see besides the cruiser., such as art galleries and a Jazz club. There’s also the Balsa Regional Airport and the Grayling Army Airfield, “There’s a vet center in Balsa, but it’s just getting built back up. A lot of folks from these regions are vets on deployment.” West Memorial Park is dedicated to former real life residents who have passed away, which recently had a chapel installed. Grayling Army Airfield has a huge variety of aircraft, warplanes and others, but most aren’t flyable to visitors. One that is is the shuttle rocket ride, which will take a visitor up in the air.

Henry also needs some donations for the area the ship is berthed, so a sign next to the ship is available for those wanting to chip in a few Lindens, “In order for the ship to continue to be here, contributions need to keep coming in.”

Henry/Dave Brouchoud also maintains a website for the Helena, at http://www.usshelena.org/

The Helena is at the Trees sim at (77, 233, 29)

“The ship has a fine history and served her country well.”

Bixyl Shuftan