(With both Eileen and Craig galavanting around Europe at the moment, this week’s column is written by a mystery guest editor)
ONE OF THE MANY reasons we all love to live in Southern California is the almost constant good weather that allows us to get outdoors and enjoy the place’s natural beauty. There was plenty of that to be found last weekend in Catalina where the annual Buccaneer Days festival was celebrated in the tiny hamlet of Two Harbors.
For those not in the know, every year this sleepy port, located about 30 miles from Marina del Rey, is transformed into a faux pirate paradise, complete with hanging skeletons adorned in pirate gear suspended from beachside palm trees, creepy oil lamps, ships nets and even the odd stuffed sailor or two hanging from a makeshift yardarm on the fuel dock. Add two dance floors, live bands and drinks specials and you’ve got a four-day long Pirates of the Caribbean party for grownups. Boat owners decamp from the mainland for the revels, many of them dressing in costume and speaking only pirate for the duration. Which involves lots of ‘aaarrrghs’, ‘splice the mainbrace’ and ‘swab the decks, me hearties’.
But the fun is not limited to when the sun goes down. Lots of attendees spend the sunny days aboard large inflatable toys or dinghies and raft up near the biggest boats, which often have sound systems and small canons to add some noise. There’s lots of tanned and fit young folk chugging beers and partying like it’s spring break at Lake Havasu……but thankfully without the cliff diving.
And boat owners are not the only ones who join in the fun, as pirates and wenches come over on the Catalina Express, since it’s only around an hour from Long Beach. Some of these visitors book months ahead to snag one of the few lodgings at the nearby Banning House bed and breakfast, but many also bring tents with them to camp nearby. Although to be frank the idea of getting the sand out of your britches (or corsets) each night is less than appealing.
We met plenty of Brits in Two Harbors, including one fellow from Cardiff who was dressed in very sinister pirate garb and hung out at the bar, thoughtfully puffing at his clay pipe and offering anyone who was interested to show them his skean dhu – which turned out to be small but lethal-looking knife. We also met Beverly and Jane from Brighton, two bubbly blonds who both live now in Orange County, who make an annual pilgrimage to Two Harbors dressed in busty corsets and long red wigs because ‘we just love the vibe here…lots of partying, fun people and just far enough away from LA to feel like a vacation.” There was also a lovely hairdresser from Essex named Caroline who dominated the dancefloor by jitterbugging and swing dancing no matter what the DJ was playing. She was truly poetry in motion.
After three days in this most debauched of ports our crew was ready to weigh anchor and hoist sail for the passage back to the mainland. But we’re already making plans for next year and perhaps you should too….
On a more serious note the editor of this newspaper has received a couple of emails recently asking that we avoid politics in the Brits in LA Column because ‘that’s not what the group is about’. To which I say yes and no. No matter what you think about the current occupant of the White House, (and it’s no secret that we’re not fans) we do seem to be living in very worrying times and we try to reflect the kind of conversations we often have with our members. Whether you are worried about a showdown with North Korea, Southern California wildfires, the devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean and Florida or a disturbed individual launching yet ANOTHER mass shooting in an American city the fact is there seems to be plenty right now to be concerned about, whether for ourselves or for others. In the end newspapers are about freedom of expression and we aim to continue expressing ourselves freely about the issues that concern us and the Brits In LA tribe. If that’s too real for you, please feel free to turn the page.
Having said that….we’re all about coming together, supporting each other and having a good time. That’s the foundation on which Brits In LA was built and continues to be seen every week at both our British Breakfasts at Cecconi’s and the Pub Quiz at the Cat & Fiddle. Which brings us conveniently to this week’s winners, whose name we cannot repeat in a family newspaper but which, loosely translated, is Willie Wonker and the Chocolate Factory. Congratulations to the winners and thanks again to our host with the most, Sandro Monetti, whose own broadcasting career seems to go from strength to strength. If you’d like to attend, either solo or with friends, the quiz takes place every Tuesday night from 7.30pm. Get there early to ensure a seat and a team!
We have a pair of tickets for Oh Wonder the Ultralife World Tour at the Shrine Auditorium on October 18th. Simply email britsinla@gmail.com with your name and contact info and “Ultralife World Tour” in the subject line. Winners chosen at random on October 15th.
That’s all for now. Normal service to be resumed next week…
