September 3-6,2021
The invitation read:
Avast ye!
FLOSS THE BILGES
SWAB THE DECKS
SHARPEN YOUR SWORDS
AND THEN, WHAT THE HECK…
PUT ON YOUR PIRATE GEAR
GRAB A BOTTLE OF GROG
COME HAVE A GREAT TIME
AND CREATE MEMORIES FOR OUR “BLOG”
Ahhhhhhr!
SHIVER ME TIMBERS!
And so it began…
Cowichan Terminal occupants were surprised to see that they were recently taken over by FMCA Vancouver Islander pirates, lots of pirates. Old pirates, young pirates, and a lot of “want to be young pirates.” The wenches and barmaids were of course there too.
A flotilla of rigs started arriving after the sun was over the yardarm. The tent and decorator crew slaved to get the tents up, decorations hung and rigs looking like 11 pirate ships at anchor. Captain Hook sat and drank a grog of rum, no whip needed, since everyone was pulling their weight.
No sooner had the sails been set when a mighty wind and rainstorm lashed the decks, but the awning held true, and everyone stayed dry. No ships were lost, or injuries reported.
Happy Hour was slightly delayed as everyone had a chance to make and decorate their own pirate hats. “NO DRINK FOR YOU UNTIL YOU MAKE A HAT!” roared Captain Hook. It was fun to
see everyone’s creativity levels and extra fun to have the pirates working hard to impress the barmaids. And impressed they were!
After tummies were full of provisions and grog (for some this was tea or soda) the rowdy bunch played a game of Giant Pirate Jenga to sharpen their skill for the next day. Captain Hook learned the hard way that hooks don’t work well for removing blocks of wood
Saturday started with the usual band of pirates, barmaids and wenches heading into town to pillage the local market. While no gold or silver was discovered, many interesting treasures were returned to the pirate ships. With so many treasures captured, it was decided that treasure chests were to be made and filled with necklaces, rings, and other jewels. Who knew that swashbucklers could be so creative?
A special tattoo artist was brought in to add more ink to all those brave enough to participate. All crews were proudly showing off their new “tats”. A rousing Happy Hour followed with singing, dancing, and sword fights. Ok that didn’t really happen, but there was grog and laughter. After filling their bellies, a band of pirates gathered for more Pirate Jenga and to watch the sun go down.
Sunday was the Pirate Extravaganza with everyone in their finest pirate/wench garments. The youngest and the most enthusiastic pirate was dressed and ready at 7 am, with most of the scraggly pirates arriving much later. The day was filled with walking the plank, grog tasting (rum varieties and root beer varieties), the rousing relay and the best event, the giant pirate ship battle. Each pirate/wench was part of one of two teams, with one team on each side of plastic pools (ships) full of water. The pools were full of ammunition. (splat balls that fill with water before you throw them) and were about 20 feet apart. Teams were to throw the ammunition at the opposing ship to try to sink it. The ship with the most ammunition on it at the end was the ship that sank. Of course, with pirates being pirates, the battle turned into a giant water fight with ammunition flying at players, soaking them, and one wild pirate even using a paddle to fend off the ammunition flying towards his team.
After a boisterous day, even the pirates had to take some quiet time and watch a pirate movie on the large outdoor screen. Did you know that pirates will pillage other pirates popcorn bowls when theirs are empty?
All pirates, wenches and barmaids were instructed by Captain Hook to raise their anchors and sail away from the bay before the sun was over the yardarm. The band of pirates and even Captain Hook slaved together to swab the deck, tear down the tents, carefully fold the pirate flags and store them in the provision ship for next time.
Special thank you goes to our swashbuckling team of Cathy & Todd, Rick & Sue and Gary. You were an awesome team to work with and your creative ideas, including organizing decorations was second to none. Thank you to our executive for their continual support of our crazy ideas and thank you to all the pirates, barmaids and wenches who participated and helped wherever
and whenever was needed. Special thanks to our youngest pirate for his hard work on building model ships, researching and naming the teams Dutchmann and Minerva and always being ready to help.
Looking forward to our next wonderful adventure with FMCA Vancouver Islanders!
Mary-Ann
