Yer probably familiar with the ship names of some of the more (in)famous pyrates from the 17th and 18th centuries:  Henry Avery’s The Fancy, Bartholomew Roberts’ Revenge, Sam Bellamy’s Whydah Galley, William Kidd’s Adventure Galley, and Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge.  Intriguing names, to be sure, but when I stumbled upon a pyrate ship that had…

Whence on the sea’s horizon comes that roar? Can it be Barbarossa now returning From Tunis or Algiers or from the Isles? Two hundred vessels ride upon the waves, Coming from lands the rising Crescent lights: O blessed ships, from what seas are ye come? (part of a poem by Turkish poet Yahya Kemal Beyath…

I was wunderin’ the other day if pyrates kept captain’s logs? Journals? Did pyrates actually write anything about their adventures? I have heard rumours that some pyrates DID keep journals and logs, and while I was plunderin’ that subject, I stumbled across a Smithsonian Magazine article about a 300-year-old book that was found aboard Blackbeard’s…

Ever get a wee bit curious (or confused) with all of the different pyrate monikers? Corsair, buccaneer, kingpin, freebooter, raider, marauder…what, if any, is the difference between them? Well, I went to plunderin’ and did myself an educate on this very topic! ARRR! So, a “pyrate” seems to be a generic term for all of…

So, I was wonderin’ the other day about Italian pyrates. How come I haven’t read (more) about Italian pyrates? I was genuinely puzzled, but then felt like a wee bit of an idiot when I read and subsequently realized that Italy didn’t have colonies in the New World and seemingly, not much interest in the…

I’ve been plunderin’ and pillagin’ my way through the East Indies ala the Ubisoft video game, Skull and Bones, and part of that experience is ship cosmetics. Aye, outfitting your ship with guns, mortars, and oil barrels is essential to your success, but the look of your ship is (apparently) JUST as important. I don’t…

Pyrate flags! What pyrate (enthusiast) doesn’t have pyrate flags displayed around their office, home, and/or on their vehicle?  Not just one, either…many, SO many pyrate flags! Aye? Just me? I think not. If you’re reading this and call yourself a pyrate, then I’m willing to wager my next piece of eight that you have AT…

You may have heard of Sir Francis Drake, El Draque, one of the most successful British naval commanders, and the first Englishmen (and third man overall) to sail around the world. Drake’s world plunders brought much gold and wealth back to England, and with his defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Drake became a…

I can brag that I have partied with Blackbeard on the beaches of Ocracoke Island. In fact, I attended THREE parties that Blackbeard hosted on Ocracoke. Bonfires on the beach, fresh meat roasting on the boucan, RUM!, laughter…best of all, the delicious taste of pyrate freedom! ARRR! Okay, it was a virtual experience via the…

It would be fair to say that the very popular image of a pyrate with a parrot perched on his shoulder can be accredited to Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson gave us the beloved pyrate anti-hero, Long John Silver, in the classic pyrate novel, Treasure Island. We pyrate brethren love our Long John Silver, but, alas,…