Next weekend gives local Brits a chance to reconnect with their maritime heritage at the Tenth Annual Pirate Days celebration, July 18-19th at Ventura Harbor.
Single or married, bring the children as nothing brings the spirit of adventure out in us than the chance to forget our day-to-day routine of life, dress up as pirates, and rush around your fellow humans expressing ‘Argggh! Avast thar me hearties!’
And it’s all free!
Just over an hour away up the coast in Ventura Harbor Village, attendees can enjoy all sorts of fun, with free family entertainment that captivates audiences with such famous pirate re-enactors as Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook and their crews of scallywags walking along the Harbor’s promenade.
The Pirate’s Cove Marketplace abounds with precious wares from popular Pirate Vendors, with extended hours for trading and sales. Shipwreck Cove comes to life with strolling musicians, nautical knot tying, Aarghbor Boat Tours, photos with pirates, and an enchanted $2 treasure hunt for kids (ages 12 and under). Festival-goers of all ages are encouraged to dress up and join in the daily pirate kid and adult costume contests.
But top of the list of ’must-dos’ and for the first time at this event (with a lot of arm twisting), we have persuaded the magnificent 137’ tall ship Bill of Rights to visit from its now home port of Chula Vista, south of San Diego.
Constructed in 1971 in South Bristol Maine by Harvey F. Gamage. Commissioned by Captain Joe Davis to be a sailing vessel with the qualities of speed, the grace of sail, lasting strength that can sail into the future. Clipper-bowed, long and lean in the sheer, she represents a reminder of a time, long gone now, that bequeathed an aura of romance and adventure to today. She stands for a recreation of a splendid era of American shipbuilding and seafaring.
The Bill of Rights was fashioned from the drawings of the schooner Wanderer, an 1856 vessel build to carry cargo from New Orleans to New York. Joe Davis put together a team of the nations top boat builders and designers, including Fred Bates, Harvey Gamage, Jim Mccurdy, Ted Hood, and Philip Rhodes to make sure that the vessel was all that Joe dreamed of
“The Bill” led 250 ships in the 1976 Independence Day Celebrations down the Hudson River in New York, and yes, for the real adventurous souls, The Bill will be offering the opportunity of a lifetime by way of a two hour sail on the (almost) high seas where you can participate with hauling sails, if you so choose. Maybe even get a picture at the helm on this fabulous youth training vessel.
Everything is done by hand just as it was in the olde days and you are encouraged to participate for the fun of it. When you feel the wind on your face, working with Mother Nature, it’s invigorating. You come alive! It’s why my wife Karen and I moved out to Ventura and the Channel Islands, to help put together this youth sailing ship, but sadly without government support, we weren’t able to keep the organization afloat. The ship is all wood and costly to maintain. The good news is, The Bill is now in very good hands.
I have sailed The Bill many times to San Francisco and San Diego. She is a very safe and sturdy ship. Growing up in Dartmouth, South Devon – home of our Royal Naval College (where the Mayflower originally sailed from before putting into Plymouth on its voyage to America). That’s how I got here, sailing on a 50’ ketch, the same route as the Mayflower, following the trade winds. I would have come with the Mayflower but was just a bit late!
If you would like to join us for this rare opportunity of a lifetime to work with Mother Nature on a two hour cruise contact www.schoonerbillofrights.com to buy your tickets in advance: adults are $35 with children $15. Or, thanks to your publisher Neil Fletcher, if you bring a copy of the BW with you, or mention the BW, “The Bill” will give you $5 off each ticket. Did we mention Pirate Days is free?! For more information visit www.venturaharborvillage.com/piratedays
