Memories of the Seattle Seafair Pirates

Goodness me, is it July already? It seems 'Just months ago I was packing my bags and heading for the far north-west of America to be with my dear friends, the Seattle Seafair Pirates, to celebrate Seafair in Seattle. And it seems lust a few weeks ago that they were here in Grand Cayman in the British West Indies for our Pirates Week. It really was last October doesn't time fly!!!

It does get a bit more difficult to write about the Seafair festival and our Pirates Week festival each year so, I thought I would present to you some of my memories both in Cayman and in Seattle about the Seafair Pirates.

My first Seafair was way back in 1986 when Jim "the Greek" Makos was Captain Kidd. His favorite saying was "Suck 'em up," referring to what his crew must do
at the various watering holes we stopped at where we were entertaining. Even though I am a part time actor I did feel out of my depth. These guys [the pirates]
seemed the genuine article. I had met some of them twice before in Cayman but that was on my home turf. This was very different on theirs.

The "Moby Duck," their ship of "renown," hurtles all over Seattle and the Captain's word is His grace, Colin Wilson, Duke of Amberley gospel. Three crew members that year were sent "home" for unspecified misdemeanors. There was even a mini-mutiny when some of the crew took the "duck" to an unscheduled engagement and I went along with them. I didn't know if I would be sent "home" when the Captain found out I was party to this piece of insubordination and it was with some trepidation that I next spoke to him. However, I was forgiven
and was still invited back in subsequent years.

My best memory has to be the Torchlight Parade. The sheer volume of the crowd, the noise and all those floats. Absolutely mind blowing. I have never been so excited and even now I get a "buzz" whilst waiting [and it always seems a very long wait] for our turn in the parade. That first year a local newspaper mounted a campaign to get the Pirates banned but a TV station mounted an opposite campaign and, as the power of television is so much stronger than the print medium, (I am not biased even though I own a local TV station in Cayman) the Seafair Pirates won (without any bloodshed). Another memory of that year was of pirate Jerry Ceis climbing on the Duck, pretending he was drunk, and throwing himself backwards into the street only to be caught at the last moment by a net. How he was able to repeat this stunt time and time again, never getting hurt is still a mystery.

My saddest memories are the deaths of three of my close pirate friends. Marcel Poelvoorde was my Captain in 1987 the year I was Davy Jones. Only a couple of years later he was dead. He was one of our most colorful, very quiet normally, but put him in a pirate outfit and he dressed to kill with "bloody" make-up a-plenty. Art New also died of cancer around the same time. Art was Davy Jones in 1988 and then elected a pirate all in his twilight years. A really great man. Lastly, and most recently, Dave "Dogmeat" Speckhals. "The Dog" and I got to know each other very well. His favorite cry of "Rock 'n Roll!" will always be present in my mind. I wrote a play called "Beirut" and based one of the characters on him (his name was, of course, "Rock 'n Roll"). Last year, suffering from his illness very badly, Dave was still partying and living life to the full. You will never be forgotten Dog. Never.

In Cayman, quite a few of the Seafair Pirates come down for our National Festival "Pirates Week." It is so popular with them that, even though there was a split in the club, (another of my saddest memories) the other group, (I should say groups as they have split again and again and.... oh dear) they still come down and have fun. Being now an "old-timer" I have friends in all of the groups and it is very nice to see everyone again. One of my favorite memories involving the pirates is the capture of the "Governor." This part has become my stock in-trade with them. Even though I have not played the Governor for two years. However, believe it or not, on two of the last three occasions, the pirates failed to recognize me as the Governor and captured my deputy instead! On another occasion I had to slow down as I was being chased around Hog Sty Bay to allow myself to be captured by them! Apparently they had been partying too much the previous night.

The Seafair Pirates is, in my opinion, the best club in the world. When the pirates are not pirating, they are raising moneys for various charities (normally associated with children). They are indeed scary (some children are very frightened) but any tears and screams soon turn to delight when the many gifts and funny antics are presented immediately afterwards.

My proudest moments are serving as Davy Jones and being presented with the title "The Duke of Amberley." I know, however, that I shall always be known as "the Gov." Gentlemen, thank you for all the wonderful years and wonderful memories.

Colin Wilson,
Davy Jones XXXV


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