The Southampton Press 01/03/02

Sometimes it takes a pirate to inspire the creation of a good map. And since the kind of pirates in seven-league boots who favored square-riggers no longer rove the seven seas, the closest thing may very well be the artistic director of a performance group that features good-hearted buccaneers.

So it was that when Jamie Davis, the founder and captain of the Greenport-based "Maritime Pirates," could find no appropriate pirate map, nor any historical Long Island map sought by customers patronizing the nautical store where he works, he decided to commission both maps himself.

The result is a newly-released print of a 1699 map of Long Island that Mr. Davis and Florida map-maker Johnathan White claim is historically correct. A map resembling the classical buried treasure variety for the Maritime Pirates should be released in the spring as part of the group’s merchandising efforts. Both the 1699 Long Island map and the Maritime Pirates map are created by Mr. White and distributed by Artworks International, Mr. Davis’s creative company.

"Johnathan White was in the midst of making a map for my Maritime Pirates when I got the idea to make a historic map of Long Island," Mr. Davis said between waiting on customers at Preston’s in Greenport. "The pirate map was put on hold for a number of reasons. Around the same time, I realized that there is no historical map of Long Island. People kept coming into Preston’s asking for one, so I thought I would have one made up."

Mr. White’s original 1699 Long Island map, which is the basis for prints sold by Artworks International at Preston’s, was rendered using traditional map-making techniques, Mr. White said in two telephone interviews from Florida.

"Maps were made well before automation was in place and they are works of art in their own right," said Mr. White, who is an artist, a historic cartographer and former Merchant Marine. "Charts are a kind of passion of mine."

Consistent with maps of the time, the 1699 Long Island Map has all the perimeters of land masses lined in red, so they can be easily seen by candlelight or lantern, as they would have been viewed in the late 17th century.

"The colors used in land masses were reds and black and the compass rose colors were blues and reds," Mr. White said. "This was done because the primary viewing was in candlelight. This is almost always traditionally done in portololan, the hand printing of navigational charts."

The Royal Coat of Arms of the King of England is featured prominently in the upper portion of the map. King Neptune occupies a position of honor in a lower section of the map, near the scale and a "Wind Rose."

Notes printed on a "Certificate of Authenticity," which comes with the $85 print, state that the expected "Compass Rose" was not used for map headings, but was designed to indicate wind direction. A red and black cross on the right side (east) of the "Wind Rose" is traditional, the notes state, because it points in the direction of England and the Church of England.

The notes also make a connection between Mr. Davis’s interest in pirates and the historical map. The notes state that the 1699 New York colonial governor, the Earle of Belemonte, "…later conspired to convict and hang Captain William Kidd. It is legend that Captain Kidd, during his legacy as one of the greatest pirates ever known, buried shares of his treasure on part of Eastern Long Island and Gardiner’s Island."

The spellings of the towns are consistent with those used at the time, based on information found in atlases and internet sites related to the time period researched by Mr. White, he said. Another notable feature of the 1699 Long Island map is that it is historically and geographically accurate, according to its creator. In drawing the map, close attention was paid to mathematics and scaling so Mr. White could create a map that is as historically true as any available, he said.

"If you would compare my map to other Long Island navigational maps at the time, they probably wouldn’t line up," Mr. White said. "That’s because historically, maps weren’t necessarily accurate. They were based on the latest information available, so they were constantly being updated as new information was discovered. When pirates plundered a ship, it wasn’t the gold and booty that was the most valuable thing. It was the maps found aboard ship. With accurate information, they could safely go on to their next destination without running aground."

Mr. White’s commitment to preparing the map in accordance with time-honored traditions meant that several versions of the map had to be created before a final iteration could be judged "perfect." As Mr. White explained, one slip of the quill or pen meant the entire map was an exercise in futility.

"Making maps is different than art," he said. "When you’re making a painting and you make a ‘mistake,’ you paint over it and it’s probably for the better. With maps, one slip and the whole map has to be thrown away. You can’t have a stray line on a map. It could prove disastrous when using it to navigate by."

For the 1699 Long Island map, Mr. White created two copies before shipping a version to Mr. Davis. Unfortunately, the map was damaged before arriving in Greenport and Mr. White had to start from scratch. From Mr. Davis’s perspective, the incident proved to be a happy accident, as he requested that Mr. White add "more historical content" and "Old World styling" for the subsequent version.

"The map was good, but I thought it could be better," Mr. Davis said. "So we talked about it and made some changes … I love the way the map turned out."

The 1699 Long Island map rolled off the press in mid-December and is being sold exclusively at Preston’s. It appears as if Mr. White’s attention to detail and keeping to historically-correct methods has paid off. Last Sunday, two couples came into Preston’s and purchased the print. Both couples said one of the primary reasons for their purchase was the fact that the print appears to be a work of art.

Neil and Leilany Brenes of Greenport and Manhattan said they ordered the map in August to go along with their map collection. "This one is especially nice," said Mr. Brenese. "It’s not just a map, it’s more of a piece of art."

Stuart Thorn of Greenport, Tennessee and Georgia, said he and his fiancée decided to buy the map because it matched the decor in their new Greenport home. Mr. Thorn said he found the map noteworthy because of his long family history with the nautical life and with Greenport.

"Maps are very much a Long Island thing," he said. "We have a long nautical tradition, there’s a lot of interest in boating and the sea and Long Island has a rich history. I like the historical aspect of the map. It’s not something you’d see every day."

Mr. Davis said he has commissioned Mr. White to create another map "with broad international appeal." Mr. White also continues to fine-tune the pirate map for the Maritime Pirates. Once approved, a map will also form the basis for a quilt and pillow set as part of a developing merchandising arm of the Maritime Pirates.

The Greenport-based performance group was formed around four years ago after Mr. Davis moved back to Greenport, where he summered while growing up. As an actor, he has appeared in two local productions on the North Fork as well as in performances of the Maritime Pirates. The troupe has appeared on a number of occasions during the summer in Greenport since its inception. They appeared in East Hampton’s Guild Hall last summer and in Sag Harbor’s Maritime Festival and at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum’s Pirate Day.

At its largest, the troupe features 75 pirates, including wenches and children orphaned by pirates other than those depicted in the Maritime Pirate troupe. Actors hail from the North Fork, Shelter Island, Flanders, Hampton Bays and East Hampton, Mr. Davis said. Last year, several actors came from as far as Massachusetts, Connecticut and Manhattan to give area performances.

Performances by the Maritime Pirates will begin again in April in Greenport. Mr. Davis also hosts performances through Artworks International at the recently-opened warehouse theater, The Front Street Playhouse in Greenport, which he runs. The theater’s latest production was a "fun house" during Greenport’s First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve.

Information on the Maritime Pirates or the Front Street Playhouse can be obtained at www.MaritimePirates.com, or by calling 631-765-6235. The 1699 Long Island Map can be viewed and obtained at Preston’s, 102 Main Street, Greenport, via the store’s website, www.prestons.com, found in the corporate gift section, or by calling 1-800-836-1165. Information on commissioned maps by historic cartographer Johnathan White can be obtained by calling Artworks International at 631-765-6235.