The following article and accompanying artwork was completed in May 2015 to be included in a June / July magazine issue that (due to unforeseen circumstances) never went to print. This article covers both Pirates on Second Life and the History of Sailing on Second Life. I feel that I owe this publication (on my blog) to everyone that helped me. I wish to acknowledge and thank: Mark Twain White, who provided information on the history on sailing on Second Life and who reviewed my article for accuracy, The Owners and Admins of Pirates Keep, Morgan Straits for allowing me to build a set upon their docks for The Wharf, and Kurt Jiagu, who was available to answer my many questions on Pirates and Pirate SIMs on Second Life.
Aye,
There Be Pirates Here!
Article and Artwork by Ilyra Chardin
Those
who love sailing, role play, races and battles can find that on one of the
numerous Pirate SIM groupings available on Second Life. Predominantly water with land masses
featuring forts, taverns, shops and private homes, and of course docks and
piers aplenty, there is ample space to maneuver Frigates, Clippers, and
Galleons.
There
are pirate communities that set their time period to the Golden Age of Piracy:
1650s to 1730. This era featured some of
history’s most famous pirates, including: Henry Morgan, Blackbeard (Edward
Teach), and William “Captain” Kidd.
While other communities set their role play in a later time period,
which allows for increased interaction and battle opportunities. The Golden Age began its decline due to the
increased presence of naval forces, and this is reflected on SIMS where naval
ships flying British and American colors can be readily seen.
Beautifully
constructed, the communities (groupings of SIMs) strike a balance between
historical accuracy and the fantasy that Second Life offers. There are SIMs that feature mermaid undersea
grottos, while others set their time period to the late 1800s and feature Jules
Verne’s Nautilus and Steampunk airships.
Pirate
communities on Second Life include:
Morgan Straits
Welcome
to Morgan Straits, a role play community set in the Golden Age of Piracy.
Ravage the waters as pirates, naval officers, Mer, natives, gypsies, corsairs,
marauders, fisherman, thieves or wenches. Join Morgan's crew in a high seas
adventure of sea battles, wild taverns, treachery and mayhem!
This
is a well-built group of SIMs offering home, shop, and static ship rentals,
seven seas fishing, community life and open water space for sailing.
Freeport Township of
Flotsam
On the Blake Sea, Diego
Point
Tons
of fun and fantastic builds in a pirate environment. Don't miss the incredible
undersea grotto, the best Nemo's Nautilus in SL and all the funky funny shops.
Set aside a couple of hours just to get acquainted with the Freeport of
Flotsom.
With
shops to visit, such as: Stan’s Previously Owned Coffins and Palace of
Prosthetics, the imaginative, whimsical build by Aley is a must-see.
Flotsam
is a gateway to the Blake Sea Pirate SIMs, the heart of which is Blake Diego
Navy / Pirate Seaport.
Blake Diego
On the Blake Sea
Blake
Diego is the home of the Blake Sea Pirate Battle Group, which runs events every
day. Blake Diego has a lot of
information on the Blake Sea Pirate and MerFolk Community SIMs, including events,
a group joiner sign, rentals, pirate clothing (some free), and small craft
freebies.
More
on the Blake Sea can be found in the History of Sailing on Second Life section
of this article.
Trade Winds
Trade
Winds, formally Fair Winds, is a residential pirate role-play community set in
the
1700s
(18th Century) Caribbean that consists of a large group of sailable
regions. They hold events daily, including naval battles using the spd combat
system, sword fighting, belly dancing, LIVE music, DJs, dances and much more.
So fill your mug with grog and come live the pirate life!
Like
many of the pirate communities on Second Life, Trade Winds supports Mer Role
Play and has a beautiful Mer Grotto beneath their waves.
BLACKSPOT Shipyard
Like
pirates? Visit the Black Spot Shipyard to investigate or even purchase your
very own tall ship, pirate vessel, or boat. This nautical-themed set of islands
should delight both seafarers and landlubbers alike. Home of the Pirate ships Black Sparrow, the
Crow, and other old style tall ships and boats in various sizes.
Antiquity
Antiquity
is a sixteen sim island grouping with plenty of room to sail. The theme is predominantly 1800s, with one or
two set in the 1700s. With an emphasis
on sailing, history, and battles, each area within Antiquity has its own unique
style and theme. These range from
Caribbean Island, to Britannia, Oceania, Spain, Texas, the French Kingdom in
Antiquity, to name a few. A number of
the SIMs have museums and historical information pertinent to their
setting. For example, one SIM’s
description reads, “Welcome to Port Austen Seaport and the delightful spa and
social scene of Bath. The Year is 1813, The Prince-Regent, George the IV, Duke
of Wales, Sets on the Throne for his ill Father, a Lady novelist has just
published Pride and Prejudice.”
Recommended
for history, sailing and pirate battle enthusiasts.
Praia do Forte
Santo Domingo – 1700s
Port
of Santo Domingo, in the 1700`S, abandoned by the Spanish, now the port of
Pirates. Santo Domingo is intended to be
a place for people to be able to role play and have fun. The single SIM has a small central island and
plenty of open water space to sail around.
A fort is placed high on one end of the island and a main wharf on the
other.
The
main wharf is a quaint collection of role play shops with houses and huts
stacked three stories high. They have a
nice display of tall ships docked at the wharf and a friendly sim owner, who is
always about to answer questions.
The History of Sailing
on Second Life
It
would be unfair to speak of Pirate SIMs with their Tall Ships without providing
the history of wind-powered sailing on Second Life.
Sailing
on Second Life began in June 2005 on the SIM of Gray, where Kanker Greenacre
built the first real SL Sailboat, the Flying Tako. What made it real was that it relied upon SL
Wind. Prior to that, sailboats in second
life operated with vehicle scripts similar to those used in cars.
Kanker
formed the SLSF (Second Life Sailing Federation.) In August of 2005, Mark Twain White founded
the Starboards Yacht Club with Nber Medici.
Kanker Greenacre became a charter member.
"Announcing
STARBOARDS YACHT CLUB. SLSF Skippers and
friends are invited to check out the new Starboards Yacht Club on the Hollywood
sim. Starboards Y.C. and the adjoining pub and marina will be a gathering place
for SLSF skippers and all in SL who love sailing.”
What
began as the Starboards Yacht Club on the Hollywood SIM soon because a
collection of SIMs known as United Sailing SIMs. [Note: other Yacht clubs and sailing groups
began to form across the grid, following SYC’s opening.]
In
June of 2007, Mark Twain White reported on Treet TV that United Sailing SIMs
numbered 47 SIMs. In April of 2010,
Douglas Green reported in an interview with Mark Twain White that United
Sailing SIMs numbered 140, with White and his partner, Nber Medici, owning 37
of them. The article went on to explain
that White is the principle liaison between Linden Labs and United Sailing
SIMs.
The
Blake Sea was established in early 2009 as the first private – public
partnership between the residents and Linden labs. As of 2013, the Blake Sea United Sailing SIMs
numbered 150. The Private Regions of
United Sailing SIMs are connected to the Second Life Mainland, across the Blake
Sea, to Nautilus and Satori.
