Pirate Day IV

For Grog... For Plunder... For Play

As soon as the sun got higher than the yardarm, the 4^th Annual Pirate Day began!

Outgoing Pirate of the Year Crutchless Jones, and Pirate of the Year '02 Captain Scarlet Moon, were on hand to drain the first pint.

Fellow Pirates began to filter down the companionway that frames the good Ship St Pats. Shamrock Sally and Lavender Jones turned up to quaff an ale, resplendent in their yellow Pirate Day bandannas. The hot favourite for 2004 Pirate of the Year, Parrot Phlegm, turned up with a tote bag full of Pirate fun and goodies. It was initially thought that the bag also contained Minute Marauder, but fears were allayed, when out of the bag came a banner, chocolate wheel, cutlass, assorted sex toys - no, wait, he put them back in - and a beautifully crafted Pirate Stamp.

More and more of the motley crew turned up, in varying degrees of pirate raiment. Othello Le Noir, a bit upset that he missed last years function, wore both this years yellow bandanna, and last years red bandanna – a kind of a pirate traffic light.

Captain Anne Rackham turned up from Brisbane bringing Franko Beard. Franko came along in good faith, with a false beard and wig, little knowing that the cosmic forces were aligned against him, and he’d be drinking a lot of rum before the day finished.

Beardless Dog turned up, not only beardless, but hairless, having shaved his scalp in readiness for any boarding manoeuvres that may turn up. Bosun Fish Bits, stalwart at arms, turned up ready to drain the wine vats of St Pats.

While people were turning up, competitions were being held. The rather splendid Chocolate Wheel was dealing out scratch lottery tickets, chocolates and rum penalties with equal abandon.

More people turned up – The Silky Gamine, Y-Fronts Moore, Le Denier Bleu, Pinky O’Dowd, Clint Carmel - a rather rare combination of accountancy pirate! -, Blood Pethybridge -Cross-dresser extraordinaire, - Lyndelle and Alison - A real descendant of Captn Kidd - as well as a couple of anonymous pirates.

Pirate Showbags were bought, all profits going to The Mission to Seafarers. Other patrons of the pub joined in with some of the festivities, filling in the gaps when people who had to go back to work, went back to work.

The hard core Pirate Crew were on hand to see Parrot Phlegm - Rob Partridge - acclaimed as Pirate of the Year, and he wore his sash with pride - and it seemed to fit him perfectly, funny that, as he made it.

The festivities went on into the evening, and The Lovely Dingle breezed in. At the end of the evening - 10.00 pm or so, - Beardless Dog, Rob’s friends, Caroline and Alex were drinking steadily and discussing the effect of doublejointedness on sexual activities.

All in all a great day.

The Patron of Pirate Day, Simon, proclaimed it as the best Pirate Day ever!

Until next year that is…

Fish Bits Wins Quad-athlon - Scores copy of Pirates of the Caribbean DVD