Thoroughly enjoyed my time speaking on the Enchanted Princess as we cruised across the Atlantic Ocean from Fort Lauderdale to the Azores; a group of islands off the coast of Portugal.
I am forever grateful for the Solos (not SINGLES!) Group for their dinnertime company. I now have about 5 million more places that I’ve added to my “Need to Visit” list. These ladies know how to travel!
On the Enchanted I spoke about a different pirate or pirate group every day including:
- Sayyida al-Hurra
- The Barbary Corsairs
- Grace O’Malley
- Queen Elizabeth II & Her Sea Dogs
- Anne Bonny & Mary Read
- Anne Dieu-le-Veut, Rachel Wall, & Zheng Yi Sao
- The Japanese Sea Lords
I enjoyed the gusto with which my demonstration volunteers displayed their pirate-fighting skills. I would not recommend getting in a fight with either of these ladies. They are sly.
There were also so many Excellent Questions from the audience that it became a part of the show. Anything that I could not answer, I researched in the evening and provided an answer the next day to the audience.
One of my favorite discoveries during this process was the origin of the term “Son of a Gun.” Originally, it referred to a baby born on a ship. Usually the space between the cannons (as long as they were not in use) was the safest and one of the most private places on a ship. Therefore, if a woman found herself giving birth while at sea, a logical place would be between the cannons. Thus, her baby was a “Son of a Gun.” Tibbod, the youngest son of Grace O’Malley, was therefore a Son of a Gun as he was born on a ship right before Grace went into battle with the Barbary Corsairs.
Another thing I learned about was the 14th century pirate, Jeanne de Belleville. She was a French woman who swore revenge on the French King after he executed her husband over a minor slight. She went to England after his death, became a privateer for the British crown, and then spent the next 16 years trying to avenge her husband’s death by sticking it to the French. You can better believe that as I learn more about this incredible lady that she’ll show up in a future presentation.
This voyage proved that there is no end to being a student, even when you become a teacher… or, in my case… an Enrichment Speaker.