Battle of Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY - Battle of 1812 Commemoration is happening September 10th & 11th, 2011. Being a War of 1812 event its a later time period than most of our events. The Dark & Stormy crew turn out in full force to participate in the two battles and the Bateau race which is a highlight of the season.

The first year we were in the race, The Dark & Stormy crew had never really all paddled together. Our primary focus was not being last. After a few struggles, we got it under control and actually came in 5th. We've improved since then; last year we came in third.  You can see the very start of the race here with in the middle right. The only rules are... well there aren't really any rules, just you follow the race track and whomever comes in first wins. As a result, blocking other boats and tangling their oars is just as important as rowing like madmen all the way.

This year events will be happening all over town, and in some cases in outlying areas as well according to the schedule. In the back of the Encampment at the Kent-Delord house is the Naval Camp. However we stay pretty busy at this event. Not only the race and battles, but we go to the Israel Green Tavern, we travel through downtown Plattsburgh, we visit the other camps, we're down sailing the boat, we're basically all over the place. A couple of us went to college at SUNY Plattsburgh, so we usually hit the Monopole on Friday (our old watering hole) to have pizza and wings, same as we did back then. Come out and see the show(s).

August 20-21 2011 in Vergennes

Coming up next- the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's Colonial Trades and Crafts Weekend. I'll be doing my Sailor impression this weekend there. The Dark & Stormy needs a bit of repair as she hit a rock coming in at Ogdensburg, so our boat willl not be in Vergennes. However there will be other boats, as well as many different 18th century talents being shown, so there's plenty to see.

Captain said "Bring out your Tar!" and we did.

Not only tar, but also varnish, paint, caulking, mother’s polish, hot water and elbow grease… all necessary ingredients in getting the Dark & Stormy ready for another season on the water.

 Most of the boat crew spent a Saturday at the captain’s home with all the above and more to do just that, ready the boat for the 2011 season.
Jen Parillo took some pictures to share of the day.

Starting with pieces removable from the boat, the duckboards, rudder and dagger board all were refreshed with varnish and paint. Luckily we had a nice sunny day in the 60s which helped all the pieces dry in record time. Cleats were removed, repaired and reattached.

Some customized nooks and crannies to help our gunner were repaired and replaced. Aftercleaning and vacuuming up debris we painted the inside of the Dark & Stormy so she’s looking good for the summer.

A short break for lunch and we were back for the next tasks at Hand. We had to lift the boat up to work on the hull. We’ve learned a few things over the years, so this time it was much easier. We had braces ready and used some modern equipment for the lifting. Out came the tar & paint. Since we all wouldn’t all be able to work on the boat bottom together, we split up to work on other projects.

A new set of sweeps needed to be done to replace the ones we broke last year. So it was at this point Tim began sanding and then drawing the oar pattern on the boards we had readied the night before. The gunnels got a new coat of varnish and the sides of the boat bottom got some freshening up as well.

Brendan and I started by cleaning the swivel gun, a one inch bore that really should have been cleaned up before the winter started.. I decided to put a little Mother’s polish on the gun, to clean it up a tad… and while talking for a hour or two, managed to get Precious bright and shiny. Jp and Jamie also whipped a new anchor line in place.

Kathy, Jen and Sue gathered the goods to put on a great feast for us all. It was a lovely way to end a hardworking day. While we accomplished much, the Caulking of the sides, oar-making and a few little tasks still need some attention. However the Dark & Stormy is well on its way to being ready for our summer. I believe we’ll have the boat at The Fort at Number 4 the first weekend of June for some  fun. Come out and see us.

The remainder of the reenacting season

July 30-Aug 1 Galway Lake, NY
The crew of the Dark & Stormy along with other naval units will be setting up on a private beach and sailing on the lake.

Aug 14-15 Crown Point, NY
27th Inniskilling.
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/historic-sites/34/details.aspx

Aug 21-22 Rabble in Arms at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT.
The crew of the Dark & Stormy
http://www.lcmm.org/museum_info/visit.htm

Sept 11- 12 Battle of Plattsburgh (War of 1812)
Plattsburgh, NY
The crew of the Dark & Stormy.
http://www.battleofplattsburgh.org/blog/?page_id=5

Sept 25 - 26 Rogers Island
Ft Edward NY
27th Inniskilling
http://www.rogersisland.org/

The Burning of Kingston, NY

October 17 & 18 - Revolutionary War - Crew of the HMS Dark & Stormy - The Burning of Kingston, at Kingston, NY.

The Royal Welch Fusiliers will be at this event in force, however the HMS Dark & Stormy is involved in the naval battle. So although I may wander from the one camp to the other, look for me with the boats as I'm doing my naval impression here.

Weekend details: (feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested) There is a Revolutionary War event happening this weekend at Kingston (rain or shine) and I'll be there playing a sailor on HMS Dark & Stormy. If you've ever wanted to see 'one of those things i do' this is about as close to Pawling as I get. We'll be camping at Kingston Point Park.

Saturday, 10-12 AM the boats will bombard the shore and then there will be British troops landing & fighting the Americans Around 1:30, someplace uptown, there will be a small squirmish and the brits will round up some refugees & capture them. There is also going to be some sort of Boat action at the same time; i should be on the boat. that evening there will be a ball at City Hall, but i do not expect I'll be there. I have a formal dinner to go to, and then I will be at the Pillaged Tavern in camp, or can be found singing in the Naval Camp. Its one of those sailor things we do.

Sunday Boats lauch at 10, bombardment of the shore starts at 11, troops will land and then there is a land battle then a boat battle at 1ish. Battles should end before 2. Once Battles end and folks get back to camp, everything starts coming down in a hurry. A lot of folks like myself have traveled many hours to get there, and have to work the next day, so getting home becomes pretty important. I figure what with stopping to eat, I'll get home after 10 if I'm lucky, probably closer to midnight.

Typically you can observe the camps and wander through during the day. See the different folks and ask them about what they are doing. Also there will be Sutlers there (Merchants) selling different things you might use or keep as souveiners. (shoppings good no matter what the century.) If you wander through the camps, check the boat camp after the battle, see if the crew of the dark & stormy are around; thats who I'm with. I go by "Beck" in my sailor impression in case you're asking for me by name. Hope to see you there.

The final weeks of the Reenacting Season

- Sept 12-13 - War of 1812 - The crew of the HMS Dark & Stormy - Plattsburgh, NY.
This event has both land and naval troops in the battles. Also Saturday there is a period boat race. Last year the HMS Dark & Stormy came in 5th, this year we actually know what we're doing so the hope is we'll do much better. http://www.battleofplattsburgh.org/index.html

- Sept 19 & 20 - Revolutionary War - 23rd Royal Welch Fusilers - Gelston Castle in Warren, NY.
This is a new site for the company, but we are looking forward to the event, which is sponserod by both the British Brigade& the Continental Line organizations.

- Sept 26-27 - French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Rogers Island, Fort Edward, NY.
A smaller location than most, this event gives guests a chance to visit with the troops and you'll be just yards away from the battle action. Several boat crews will be on the river here, depending on the plan you may see them in action during the battle. This event some of us will portray the 27th troops, some of us will be crewing on the HMS Dark & Stormy. http://www.rogersisland.org/Rogers%20Island.html-

October 17 & 18 - Revolutionary War - Crew of the HMS Dark & Stormy - The Burning of Kingston, at Kingston, NY.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers will be at this event in force, however the HMS Dark & Stormy is involved in the naval battle. So although I may wander from the one camp to the other, look for me with the boats as I'm doing my naval impression here.

August 8 & 9 at Crown Point, NY

August 8 & 9 - French and Indian War - 27th Inniskilling - Crown Point, NY.


This weekend is the annual French & Indian War encampment at Crown Point, NY. At this site you get to see the ruins of not just one but two forts. The French Fort Frederick is the older of the two - and the French blew it up in 1759 when the British approached it, as they knew they couldn’t hold it and didn’t want it used against them. Once the Brisitish arrived, they decided to build their own fort…not on the ruins of the first, but in a slightly different spot. The British fort was never formally named and is known as "His majesty’s fort at Crown Point". This much larger fort has the walls of two of the barracks buildings still standing, and a small narrow path at the top of the earthen walls, so you could indeed walk around on the tope edge of the fort in most places.

The French forces are typically encamped over by Fort Frederick, and the British are usually parked out near the water’s edge. Originally this was a "maybe attending" event for our group; however it seems we have several folks interested in coming out to play, so there should be more than just one or two Grenadiers to be seen. Bring comfy shoes, a cooler, and plenty of sunscreen to spend the day exploring the site and checking out the encampments. Originally there was no battle here but tactical demonstrations will be held mid-day for folks to see how it might have happened, as well as some naval interaction with period boats.

Quadricentennial Family History and Heritage Day

This weekend's event - June 7 - French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Crew of the HMS Dark & Stormy - Saratoga Springs, NY.

Quadricentennial Family History and Heritage Day in Congress Park - A free, fun event will have something for everyone including children's games, historical lectures, and period demonstrations. Reenactors from the French and Indian War(this is us!), Native Americans, the War of 1812 and the Civil War will bring history to life. There will be games, face painting, crafters, demonstrations of period domestic crafts and more. Local museums and non-profit organizations will be present to talk about their missions and how they have been a part of Saratoga history.

http://www.saratogahistory.org/programs.cfm

~UPDATE~

We had a fine group of us show for the Family fun day. The new location definitely was bigger and so was the crowd. Many folks took an interest in the HMS Dark & Stormy. Johanna often had a crowd around her as she spun. Eddie was our sole 27th soldier, he was showing folks the types of things a soldier might have had with him on the campaign. Folks seemed to enjoy talking with all of us, and we had fun getting out and chatting with folks.

The Season Schedule

The re-enacting season is almost here, and I for one am getting antsy. Our annual meeting was held a while ago - there's bound to be a few changes to the schedule, but I thought I'd post the current plan here so folks can see where I'll be when. Mind you this is liable to change, so if there's an event happening that you think you might want to see, drop me an email so I confirm the details for you.

- May 16-17 - Revolutionary War - 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers - Jerusalem Mill Village, Maryland HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to Flooding.

- May 16-17 - 1745 - Culloden in North America - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - We're going to try to get to this event as Jerusalem Mill Village is flooded out. We've done one Culloden event years ago; We play Goverment Troops (the bad guys) here so we'll be vastly outnumber by men in kilts everywhere. Details at http://www.fortplainmuseum.com/eventdetails/2009culloden.html

- June 27 & 28 - French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Fort Ticonderoga, NY. This is a nice event that usually has lots to see. This year the event will be smaller than last year but still a fun time. Some details can be found at http://www.fort-ticonderoga250th.org/french-indian-war-encampment/index.htm%20as well as pictures of last year.

- July 3, 4 & 5 -French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Fort Niagara, NY. About 8 years ago I went to this fort with a different group and was amazed at all there was to see. We are right on the lake, and the falls are close enough to visit in the same weekend. Details to be found at http://tiny.cc/8lwhP. We're planning on having a large group at this event so we should be easy to find, Just look for the fellows in the pointy hats.

- July 11-12 - Revolutionary War - 23rd Royal Welch Fusilers - We'll be participating in the Battle of Hubbardton, in Hubbardton, VT. This is one of the least disturbed revolutionary war battlegrounds and has a visitors center with a lovely setup explaining exactly what happened there. A great place to talk with the reenactors and see things up close.

- July 18-19 -French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Fort la Presentation in Ogdensburg, NY. Here you can find not only land battles, but also a strong naval presence. if you've never seen an 18th century boat up close this is a great place to do so. Currently we're portraying land troops at this battle, its too long a haul to bring the Dark & Stormy (our boat.) http://www.fortlapresentation.net/foundersday.htm

- August 1 & 2 - French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Battle on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec - this event HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to threats of violence by Quebec separatists.

- August 1 & 2 - The crew of the Dark & Stormy - Lake Galway, NY. We'll be camping on a small private beach for a naval event on the lake. Depending on how fast our Captain Darling can sew, we may be under sail at this event. It seems fitting that we test our sailing skills for the first time at the site where we first discovered the boat does indeed float.

- Sept 12-13 - War of 1812 - The crew of the Dark & Stormy - Plattsburgh, NY. This event has both land and naval troops in the battles. Also Saturday there is a period boat race. Last year the Dark & Stormy came in 5th, this year we actually know what we're doing so the hope is we'll do much better. http://www.battleofplattsburgh.org/index.html

- Sept 19 & 20 - Revolutionary War - 23rd Royal Welch Fusilers - Gelston Castle in Warren, NY. This is a new site for the company, but we are looking forward to the event, which is sponserod by both the British Brigade& the Continental Line organizations.

- Sept 26-27 - French & Indian War - 27th Inniskilling Regiment - Rogers Island, Fort Edward, NY. A smaller location than most, this event gives guests a chance to visit with the troops and you'll be just yards away from the battle action. Several boat crews will be on the river here, depending on the plan you may see them in action during the battle. This event some of us will portray the 27th troops, some of us will be crewing on the Dark & Stormy. http://www.rogersisland.org/Rogers%20Island.htm

- October 17 & 18 - Revolutionary War - Crew of the Dark & Stormy - The Burning of Kingston, at Kingston, NY. The Royal Welch Fusiliers will be at this event in force, however the Dark & Stormy is involved in the naval battle. So although I may wander from the one camp to the other, look for me with the boats as I'm doing my naval impression here.

There's other events happening this season; this isn't all of them. However this is the basic schedule, as events get added I will update the blog so folks know where I'll be when. I'm always happy to see folks when i'm out & about, so come check out the fun!

Dark & Stormy Crew

2 Sailors about to go out on the town
Originally uploaded by bartnnick

We took the Dark & Stormy out to her first event - Battle of Plattsburgh, War of 1812. This is also where a few of us went to college, so Friday after setting up camp we put on our new duds and went to see which of our old haunts were still around.

Originally this event wasn't on our schedule, so It required some fast work to get our clothes in order. Jamie whipped out 6 hats and 5 jackets in less than 2 weeks. Jp had the pleasure or Tarring said hats, and as we quickly discovered they weren't quite dry. however we did have them to wear. I borrowed a friends slops and a shirt, made up a neckercheif, and got to wear the new purple socks I got at Hubbardton. (Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that.)

This is Chris (Our Gunner) and I Friday before heading out. we had a fine time wandering around town and making a small spectacle downtown. We had a couple of folks fascinated with the clothes, others our mugs but pretty much smiles everywhere we went.

Saturday we had a bateau Race to participate in. Since we hadn't practiced rowing together much nor taken the boat out on a choppy lake, we were hoping to not be last. Jamie kept telling us it was "only another 200 yards" to row (about the third time we ceased to believe his measurements) and we took a wide turn around the buoy. However we ended up 2nd in our class in the race and 5th boat (out of 12) overall. not bad for our first run.

Saturday afternoon was the first of 2 battles we participated in, and we were constantly moving for the entire thing. It was an enjoyable day and the Plattsburgh 1812 association treated the reenactors all to a dinner. Evening activities included singing sea shanties with the rest of the naval crowd, going to the period tavern in town, and of course, wings at Monopole. We went from about 3 of us to a total takeover of the bar about Midnight when a large part of the naval crowd and a few soldiers joined us. Apparently there was a huge fooz-ball playoff that I missed as I went off to bed early (before 1 or so)and the remanider of the crowd stayed for last call.

Sunday brought Rain, which really was not a surprise. Seems most every event we had rain at some point this year. It didn't stop us from having a great day, complete with socializing, wandering through the camp, and of course another battle in the afternoon. We all enjoyed our first outing as Boat trash - and are looking forward to the next time.

Becoming "boat trash"

This summer we finally got the boat in the water. What boat? why, the "Dark and Stormy", the 18th century boat friends of mine have been working on for the last four years. We were very excited to discover the boat does indeed float. Now we just have to figure out how to operate the dang thing. Above, 'Beck' and 'Scotty' help the D&S push off on one of it first few voyages at Lake Galway, NY.

Our crew has worked a long time to get the boat in the water and soon will be taking it to events. We're hoping to have it in the water for Plattsburgh (War of 1812) that will be taking place the second weekend in September. There is talk also of perhaps having the Dark & Stormy at Roger's Island (French & Indian War) in Fort Edward, NY the third weekend in September.

If you decide to come visit us, you'll need to look for us where the Naval camps are, or some tourists are known to refer to us en masse as the "boat people". A pleasant enough phrase, but somewhere along the way reenactors have turned that phrase into "boat trash". Not that they'd expect the public to recognize the term, or even use it when speaking to a tourist, but amongst themselves, the "boat people" are called "boat trash".

What does boat trash look like? We're reenactors, and we look like sailors of the day - and despite the pretty pictures you may have in your head, sailors wore the same clothes day in and out, so they were pretty scruffy. You'll see fellas with britches, also some with "slops" which look somewhat like a split skirt. Most sailors run around in a waistcoat or hunting frock over their shirts, and a variety of caps can be found on any vessel.

Sailors of the day were male - So a couple of us ladies have developed an alter ego so we can become period sailors and part of the crew on the Dark & Stormy. Miz Rebecky has been banished, in her place you find "Beck" a short pleasant fella with white britches and a rough shirt, no shoes with only a scarf protecting his head. Susan has dissapeared as well, but "Scotty" is just as good company. Scotty's got slops to run around in and usually a working mans cap, and it seems like this sailor is also shoeless.

Rumor has it some other new fellas will be found in our camp; the more the merrier. After all, The Dark & Stormy is still being finished - We have no mast nor sail yet. Therefore the more sailors, the faster we can row that bateau along to line up our cannon and take a shot at the enemy. Below, the Dark & Stormy's first trip out with full crew

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