My Week with the Seafair Pirates

I write this with the excitement of anticipation as this coming July/August will be my seventh (or is if eighth?) visit to Seattle as a guest of the Seafair Pirates. I can never gel tired of playing pirate and being treated as a celebrity, even if it is only for a week.

My introduction to the Seattle Seafair Pirates was in Grand Cayman in the British West Indies, eleven ears a when they "appeared" at our (yes, Grand Cayman is where I live) National Festival, "Pirates Week." Locals and tourists alike were shocked to see a band of fierce looking individuals, dressed as pirates, walking down our streets with cutlasses swinging from their hips, but they soon came to love them.

The following year I played "His Excellency The Royal Governor", allowing myself to be captured by these ferocious villains. chained up and dragged through the streets. In spite of the annual scrapes and bruises, I have played "The Governor" ever since and am known affectionately as "The Gov" by the Pirates. This was 1986, Jim Makos "the Greek" was Captain Kidd, and I made my first trip to Seafair. My life was changed forever.

There were seven of us that year that traveled up to Seattle. Our chief, Mike Lockwood (Executive Director Of Pirates Week) had come up the previous year and was The Davy Jones, although Mike confessed to me that he didn't find out that he had been The Davy Jones until this visit! No one had told him - Pirates are indeed dastardly secretive devils. This visit was also my introduction to "The Moby Duck" - the ship that never sails but travels at speeds in excess of 80 miles an hour over the Seattle roads, with an old fire siren bellowing, warning motorists and pedestrians alike to "Get out of the way the Pirates are coming."

The crew is made up of men from all walks of life. Some are retired and others are insurance agents, car mechanics, policemen (one a former police captain), shop workers, managers, turkey purveyor, gourmet chef researcher, etc., etc., plus others who enjoy the leisure of being unemployed. There are also "candidates" - new members who have to do year in pirate training before being a judged whether they are suitable. Quite a few don't make it. The candidates have to do the "dirty work" e.g. keep The Duck clean and packed with provisions (soft drinks, pirate stickers and pins, etc.), hold up traffic whilst The Duck is being parked, Duck watch and a host of other duties.

When on board The Duck, things are run just like a ship. The Captain's word is final. The only trouble is there are always a lot of past captains (you only do one year in the top job) in the crew and they all naturally, did the job much better. Mutterings are numerous against unpopular decisions. However, there has never been a mutiny - well not an official one. Captain Makos's term was to be no different.

I certainly was in awe of my surroundings and companions. Everything was so much bigger than I was used to and more hectic. The pace of life in the Caribbean is so much slower. From my time of arrival it was all work".

Sounds like fun - it is fun - but you have to do that for ten consecutive days! whenever I got back home I was hoarse, very tired but happy!

What are my best memories? The Torch Light Parade is certainly high on my list. It almost overwhelmed me, with the sheer size of the crowd of spectators lining the route, the first time I ran it. And I do mean ran. Torchlight is one of the USA's largest Parades and the Parade Marshals are hurrying everybody up. This is hard on the Pirates as only a very few of the crew are on The Duck, the rest are on the street entertaining the spectators with scrapping cutlasses, spiders, bloodthirsty screams, sword fencing, kiddy balloon piercing (only pretend), handing out pirate stickers and (to a select few) pins, and doing anything else that a member feels will be fun. The Marshals move The Duck on and after siren shrieking and cannons blasting, the entertaining stops and we run after it. This particular first year, a silly local journalist had gone on a vendetta and written some adverse things about The Pirates, taking incidents out of context, interviews with some parents who's children have been frightened by the Pirates., etc. That sort of thing sells papers but causes a lot of damage. Happily, a TV Station came to the Pirates rescue (I love TV companies) and campaigned on their behalf. The Pirates were exonerated and I enjoyed being a hero with them. Being made a Davy Jones was also very memorable.

My saddest moment was when a disagreement within the Club resulted in Members (some very long standing and past captains) either being disbarred or resigning. It very nearly destroyed the Seafair Pirates and it is only now, five years later, that this gaping wound is healing. A good club is always bigger than the man and the Seattle Pirates is a Great Club! I have been lucky in that I have remained friends with them all. Having been an observer and privy to confidences of both sides I can only say it should never have been allowed to fester for so long.

There have been. of course, many funny moments. One of my Cayman companions, Joe Caputo, was telling a joke to a young lady who immediately threw up all over him. One of the pirates had been having too much fun, because his wife had placed all his personal belongings neatly by his boat with colorful balloons tied to them bearing all sorts of "endearing" messages. What a wonderful sense of humor some wives have. One year, I was dressed in my Governor's uniform, looking or so I thought) quite dashing, waiting for the Greenwood Parade to start. A little girl came up to me with her mother and I gave them one of my beaming smiles. "Are you Mickey Mouse?" she innocently asked. Unfortunately this was said in the presence of a number of the Pirates. Space does not permit me to go on.

It is not generally known that the Seattle Pirates do fund raising, all year round for various projects. One of these was wheel chairs for disabled children. Many are excellent singers and musicians and they entertain at Children's Homes, Elderly People's Homes and Hospitals. During Seafair they sing for their "supper" at many local watering establishments. These appearances are known as "Raids".

The Party Room, back at the hotel where the Pirates are based during Seafair week, is a relaxing place to meet, drink and make merry after a grueling day. Certain guests have been invited back and they have to be entertained. Songs are sung, witty-ditties are delivered and old stories are retold.

The Davy Jones Banquet is the place where all past Captains and Davy Jones are invited whether they are still members or not. Everybody has to make a small speech and next to The Torchlight Parade, it is my favorite event.

Well, I have, as usual, gone on too long. There is so much more I could report. I am so very lucky to have been accepted by the Seafair Pirates as "one Of them". I am privileged and proud and so very pleased to be joining them for Seafair 1995.

Colin Wilson,
Davy Jones XXXV

In Grand Cayman, when not impersonating it's 17th century Royal Governor, Colin Wilson is the Managing Director of CITN Cayman 27 television. Colin served as the divine oracle of Poseidon in 1986.

Since that time Colin has been a loyal friend of the Seafair Pirates. The "Gov" has participated more often with the pirates than any other non-member, and the whole crew looks forward to his annual visit to join the Seattle Seafair Pirates.


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