Pyrates of the Coast
Aye, Matey! Have you heard? There are “Pyrates on the Coast!” Blimey, we’ve had it! Brockett’s landing is being invaded! But wait, there’s something about these “pirates,”…. They’re dancing a jig and singing sea shanties while they wave cutlasses and pistols. Are we in for robbing and pillaging in Edmonds?
Pyrates of the Coast are a unique group of entertainers who dress and speak like, well, like Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. This boisterous group has a purpose beyond entertaining at special occasions. While they love to pull shenanigans on the host at birthdays and weddings, they get the most pleasure out of visiting the children’s ward at local hospitals. “Stingray” says his band of seafaring misfits find it personally rewarding to see those small faces light up when they come in swaggering with “pirate-speak” and begin to make balloon figures, then “spoof” the staff. Another place this band of “cutthroats” enjoys visiting are rest homes, senior centers and convalescent homes. If you think the kids get excited, you should see the response of the elderly. They just can’t quite believe these surprise visitors who claim (in jest) to be long lost husbands and sons, seeking a handout perhaps or hoping to seize a fair maiden as their hostage.
Their costumes are really unbelievable too; the attention to detail and authenticity is to be admired. They bear no watches, wallets or phones either. Their faces are scuffed with dirt, scars, and the men are bearded, so much that it is hard to tell where one ends and another begins. And built in to the swaggering gait, comes “pirate-speak.” You would need a seaman’s dictionary from the 1880s to keep up with all the “Arrs” peppering their conversation. We are familiar with the words, “aye, aye” when you answer the captain or “me hearties,” meaning your friends. But what about, “Davey Jones Locker,” an expression that means death in the deep ocean. Or, my personal favorite, “Shiver-me Timbers,” which means shock or surprise, and comes from the experience of a sudden hit on your wooden ship.
There have been pirates on the high seas for more than 2,000 years. And though the type of ships used have changed dramatically, their goal has always been to overtake merchant ships travelling the high seas bearing rich cargo and steal the spoils for themselves. The Golden Age of Piracy is generally thought to have been about 1603. During times of war, some pirates were protected by the government when they wreaked havoc with enemy supply boats. Although we often romanticize the life of a pirate, much like we did with “Robin Hood and his Merry Men,” pirates were rough men who dispensed their own brand of justice far and wide.
We have all enjoyed the classic books about the life and times of pirates like “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson and the musical parody, “Pirates of Penzance”, by Gilbert and Sullivan or even “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie. But life as a pirate in the 1880s was fraught with real dangers from a cannon blast to the bow, or battling the high seas, these sailors had to be tough souls. Ship navigation was more of luck than technology, and the fear of going aground or lost on an uncharted island was a reality of life at sea. Scanning the vast sea for merchant ships to plunder or tracking an ambiguous treasure buried on a tropical island, the pirate captain ruled with an iron hand (or hook) as the chance of mutiny was very real.
Our Pyrates of the Coast was formed by “Hurricane” Robb Zerr in 1990. At first, a casual group of roaming troubadours, they “buckled” down to a more organized group of “specialists.” Each member has a name associated with his special skill. My friend Stingray has the pirate’s job of diving under seized ships and disabling the rudder chains. His colorful personal history is posted on small photograph cards. Everyone has a unique moniker and “job” description on their own calling card. Although some of these lads claim to have been sold into servitude as cabin boys, I have it on good authority their real job descriptions are more like doctors, lawyers, and teachers.
If you’d like to catch this group of renegades in action, they will be in the St. Patty’s Day Parade in downtown Seattle on March 12th. They have a very entertaining website at pyratesofthecoast.com for more information.
