Boozin’ Blog

We all have a picture of Captain Morgan in our heads and for most of us it’s the same picture. If there’s a “typical” pirate then he’s it.

There’s the first fallacy – Henry Morgan wasn’t a pirate, he was an English privateer. That’s not to say that these sea-bound mercenaries were really that much different from pirates. Generally they had some sort of vague order from one country giving them the power to attack the ships and settlements belonging to another; their only pay being what they could loot. Morgan’s query was the Spanish.

He was born sometime in the first half of the seventeenth century. His career as a privateer began in the 1660s. When an expedition on which he was serving headed by an older privateer led to the elder’s capture Morgan was elected admiral. In 1667 he received his first commission as a privateer. This led to a career so awash with legend that it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. If the stories are only half true he was merciless, bloodthirsty and quite the partier. His military exploits include taking well fortified settlements with tactics such as using Jesuit prisoners as human shields and murdering the inhabitants of a town before burning it to the ground. His partying is equally legendary with one of his ships exploding and burning during one night of merriment when the ammunition depot was lit. Morgan and his officers barely escaped with their lives.

It’s no surprise that such a colorful figure would capture the public’s imagination. Much like the mafia today, pirates and privateers were at the same time adored and despised. In 1678 the History of the Buccaneers of America was published by an apparent one-time confidant of Morgan. In it some of the Captain’s bloodiest exploits are recounted. Morgan filed a libel suit against the book’s publisher and won but his legend was already well established. Since his exploits, both true and invented, have been told and retold in books and films right up until today.

Captain Morgan Wikipedia entry

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Vacation season is upon us. And what goes better with a few lazy days spent on the beach than a bottle of your favorite booze.

Not so fast, buster, if taking a cruise is your idea of the perfect vacation. Many cruise lines are putting tough restrictions on what sort of alcoholic products that they’ll allow on their ships. There is almost an industry wide ban on all that great duty-free rum that you like to pick up on the various islands. In most cases they will confiscate it when you board the ship and return it to you when the trip is over.

Stinks, right? Well, they have to make some money after selling off all their cabins as cheaply as possible so they can sail with a full ship. Booze sales on board are an important part of their revenue. So what about your cruise line? Best to call ahead and nail down the rules before embarking. You can also check out this article which gives a brief run-down of the rules.

So what do you do with that bottle of duty-free once the cruise is over and you’re ready to fly home? The new terrorist prevention rules restrict any liquids in carry-on bags so you’re going to have to check that bottle. If you’ve got more than one there’s always the chance that they might whack together and leave your clothes and luggage soaked in rum. Well, the Tortuga Rum Company has developed the Liquor Travel Safety Pack designed to protect liter bottles in checked luggage. It should protect those precious bottles as Tortuga tested their produce by stuffing three bottles into a canvas bag and dropping it twenty feet without damage.

Most importantly, though, before your trip check out the selection of sandals and swimwear over at Boozingear.com. For me it’s going to have to be the Guinness board shorts and Guinness Shamrock Flip-Flops.

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