Ahoy! There’s pirates aplenty on the high seas of Annapolis, mateys.
Youngsters between the ages of 3 and 10 gather in the noonday sun at a picnic table behind Annapolis City Marina. They grab bandanas, vests and beads from a large trunk until they find something appealing. “Jezebel” (a 20-something teacher in fringed pants and a bandana who answers to Jessica in her other life), gives them alliterative name tags such as “Nautical Nick” and “Daring Darby” then paints tattoos on their arms and faces. The tattoos are non-gender-specific. Girls get mustaches too, if they choose.
Appropriately garbed, the kids line up behind Jezebel and “Ruby,” 28-year-old captain Emily Tomasini who leases and operates Sea Gypsy IV with her husband “Crabby” (Michael). The crew, odd-looking among the conservatively dressed boaters and tourists on Severn Avenue, march single file two blocks to the pirate ship docked at the end of Third Street. Their parents, some with tattoos, one with an eye patch, trail at a discreet distance.
With sea chanteys welcoming them, the crew boards the 35-foot motorboat enhanced with rope ladders, wood details and cannons. Strong wire mesh prevents the junior swashbucklers from taking an unscheduled swim. The kids sit on benches in the forward part of the vessel; family members are segregated in the shaded aft section. Good planning. Despite a steady breeze, it is very hot in the sun. The kids seem not to mind, but their melting tattoos tell a different story.
The first order of business is a lesson in boating safety and the necessity of keeping “one hand for yourself, one hand for the boat.” The kids nail “all hands on deck” in short order, crouching on all fours whenever Captain Ruby—looking not much older than her crew and also stylishly scruffy—shouts the command from the wheel.
Gushing enthusiasm, Ruby tells the kids that they will be searching for buried treasure. But someone—probably Crabby—has misplaced the treasure map. And, as any pirate worth his weight in salt knows, you can’t find treasure without a map. Ruby asks the kids to look for it. They scatter. “Jellyfish” Josh, 5, in an orange tank top and melting mustache, finds it under a bench. Jezebel unrolls it and gives the kids a mini-lesson in map-reading skills and orienteering.
The Sea Gypsy is off. As she cruises among sail- and powerboats near the David Taylor Basin, Ruby warns of a possible encounter with the infamous Pirate Pete. Seconds later someone spies Pete in a small motorboat. The Sea Gypsy makes haste to eliminate the threat. Manning the cannons (glorified water guns) for a fight to the finish, the kids shoot powerful streams of water at the menace who wields a large sword and looks like an extra from “Mutiny on the Bounty.” The kids persevere and send Pete tumbling into the Severn.
That impediment removed, the crew continues to hunt for the treasure. Moments later a mate with un-pirate-like long blonde hair spies a buoy marked with a large X—the treasure! With Jezebel’s help, they heave-ho, hoisting the treasure chest onto the Sea Gypsy. The kids crowd around as the chest is opened. Squealing, they grab handfuls of fake coins, bracelets, colorful fish erasers and plastic trinkets.
Sated with booty, but very thirsty, the kids enjoy grog (fruit punch) from large jugs raised from the deep. A limbo contest caps the cruise as the Sea Gypsy heads for port. Shutters click as the kids pose with Jezebel and a large pirate flag. More than an hour has passed since the Sea Gypsy left the dock, but it seems like a heartbeat. The kids take off their pirate clothes and say good-bye to Ruby and Jezebel. Flooded with exciting memories of adventures on a pirate ship, they grudgingly re-enter the boring world of SUVs bound for home.
Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake. Cruises depart up to six times daily: 9:30 and 11am, 12:30, 2, 3:30 and 5pm from dock at end of Third Street, Eastport/Annapolis. Show up 30 minutes early for check-in behind Annapolis City Marina, 410 Severn Ave. Reservations are a must: 443-398-6270. For more information, go to: www.chesapeakepirates.com.
By Beth Rubin
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