Under the Black Flag draws near, and the lantern‑light grows brighter…

There’s a certain hush before a gathering of pirate scholars — the kind of hush you hear on the deck of a ship just before dawn, when the sea holds its breath and waits to see what stories will be told.

This year’s Charleston Under the Black Flag brings together some of the sharpest minds, boldest storytellers, and most weather‑worn researchers ever to chart the darker corners of maritime history. These aren’t just presentations — they’re reckonings with the past.

Friday’s Lineup

From Blackbeard’s medicine chest to the tangled fates of Anne Bonny & Mary Read, Friday is a full day of legends, lore, and the kind of historical sleuthing that would make any pirate proud. Expect treasure, treachery, and tales pulled straight from the deep.

Saturday brings the storm surge — repeat performances, new angles, and the infamous Pyrate Trial by the Crew of the Bachelor’s Delight. If you’ve never seen a pirate trial delivered with full theatrical fury… best hold onto your hat.

These historians don’t just teach pirate history — they live it. And soon enough, we’ll be standing among them, lanterns lit, books stacked, and the Wraith’s crew ready to greet every soul who wanders under our flag.

By lantern light and moon’s command, I’ll see ye at the scholar’s table, where truth and legend share the same cup.

— Bootstrap Ginny

To the ghosts that guide us, the storms that test us, and the gold that waits for those who dare — may our ink never run dry and our courage never fade. Raise your tankards, mates… for the sea still remembers our names.