O're the seas

  

Painted by Anton Otto Fischer, "On the Yardarm Furling the Mainsail"  Only someone who had been there could have painted this!

Creole, Charles Nicholson's 1927 schooner. Largest wooden sailing yacht in the world at 214'

Grace O'Malley. I've always enjoyed considering this woman's life. Here's a bit of history, perhaps some myth merged into it.

Sometime around 1530, Grace O’Malley was born. Largely forgotten to history, her life was a testament of what a woman could accomplish regardless of the social expectations of the time.

Grace O’Malley was a member of a powerful Irish clan who was well-known for its pirating of ships and trading with foreign countries. Grace, although a woman in the male-dominated sixteenth century, became a prominent pirate. She was known for her stubbornness and leadership abilities, and most of her crew willingly followed her lead.

O’Malley’s trading ships often pirated the English’s ships, but she offered the English several hundred fighting men to appease their anger. Grace O’Malley’s trading took her to ports throughout Europe and continued to grow her wealth, power, and prestige. Although on the high seas constantly trading and fighting, Grace O’Malley had several children.

O’Malley was a pirate queen, and at the height of her power, she commanded hundreds of men and many ships. She met and spoke in Latin with Queen Elizabeth I, perhaps the only contemporary woman with more power than Grace. Supposedly, O’Malley refused to bow and accept a title of nobility because they were equals. Grace O’Malley died in 1603 and proved that women can beat social norms and become a legend in their own unique way.

“There came to me also a most famous feminine sea captain called [Grace O’Malley]...This was...[the most] notorious woman in all the coast of Ireland.” —Sir Henry Sidney

As posted on Facebook!

When I lived in Tampa FL early 2000s, I met the Krew Grace O'Malley who would volunteer to visit the Senior Living Complex where I was the Activity Director. The women in their seventeenth century period clothing were very popular, as well as the beads they gave out lavishly. Tampa has a yearly Mardi Gras festival called Gaspiralla, with pirate boats landing, and various Krews making floats for the parades, where strands of beads are distributed to everyone. My oldest son is a safety officer for another Krew, the Mustang Sallies and Ryders, a co-ed Krew.

Painting by Montague Dawson

Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci

Several of these photos were from FaceBook group Tall Ships

The shore gives me such wonderful feelings; peaceful, thoughtful, awe-struck.

Today's quote:

We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders. -Maya Angelou, poet (1928-2014)