Cap’n Slappy and I came up with the idea for the holiday during a racquetball game. But that was on June 6, which of course is the anniversary of World War II’s D-Day, so we decided we needed another day. I asked Slappy if he had an idea. He said, “Sept. 19.” I said, “Great. Why?” and he explained that it was his ex-wife’s birthday. He wasn’t being mean. It was stuck in his head and he wasn’t doing anything with it anymore and he figured this way we’d be able to remember it.

This is what is known as a mnemonic device, as in “Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Turn over the gold or we’ll use this mnemonic device on ye!”

Works every time!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 14, 2020

One Week Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day

It’s ONE WEEK until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! And we’re not going to let a little thing like a pandemic get in the way of the fun, are we?

During the next seven days, I’m going to be posting a couple of videos for your – Enjoyment? Bemusement? Whatever. A story I want to read you, and a song I wrote that I want to sing for you.

On Saturday, Sept. 19 – International Talk Like a Pirate Day itself, I’ll do a brief live event on Facebook, just to toast the day and wish you all the best. And a little later Cap’m Slappy himself will go live from his special seat at the Calapooia Brew Pub to wish you the best of the day. So keep your eye out for that one.

Anyway, I hope you’re looking forward to the holiday – the one day a year that every man, woman and child on the planet is not just allowed but encouraged to TALK LIKE A PIRATE!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 12, 2020

Top 10 Pickup Lines for the Holiday

It’s two weeks until International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the one day a year when every man, woman and child on the planet is not just allowed but encouraged to talk like a pirate, just for the fun of it!

Here to help you get ready for the holiday is the Pirate Guys is one of our old favorites –

The Top Ten Pirate Pickup Lines

10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?

9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?

8. Come on up and see me urchins.

7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.

6. I’d love to drop anchor in your lagoon.

5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if I fired me cannon through your porthole?

4. How’d you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?

3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.

2. Can I slip me monkey pump in your bunghole?

… And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is …

1. Prepare to be boarded!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 5, 2020

It’s been a strange year for us pirates, hasn’t it? Well, for everyone, of course, but I’m a “gentleman rover,” so I’m talking pirates here.

Instead of spending the spring and summer at festivals and pub crawls, gathering with our fellow freebooters for a weekend or so of swaggering good times, I kept waiting to see which would be the first festival I could announce – but one after another they got canceled. And rightly so, I mean, a pandemic is nothing to sneeze at.

It’s as if we’ve all been marooned. Yeah, that’s it! For Pandemic Pirates, we haven’t been quarantined so much as marooned, each on our own island, with a few pirate family around us but mostly cut off from our filibuster family, as if languishing on the sands of some isolated beach with nary a palm tree for company.

And that brought up the idea for a new T-shirt available online at our Cafe Press shop, one that commemorates this odd uncomfortable year we’ve been marking.

Stay safe, wash your hands, wear your masks (really, when was the last time a pirate was encouraged to wear a mask) and and we’ll see you all again soon.

And remember, it’s a little more than a month until International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and you can safely celebrate that even when marooned.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Aug. 14, 2020

Pirate Plunderland

It’s that time of year when I bring this out, dust it off and inflict it on our online friends.

Ol’ Chumbucket sings a Christmas chanty based on (pillaged from) a similar version by Tug ‘Blackhand’ Bromberg – during a book signing in Gallows Bay in December 2008.

https://tinyurl.com/sahph9c

Goodness, this is eleven years old now!

Give an Adventure this Christmas

Give the gift of adventure this holiday season. If your list contains someone who lovea a good sea yarn it’s not too late to order my young-adult swashbuckling novel “Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter.” It’s the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy and runs away to sea to find and rescue her father, who has been captured by pirates.

You can order it through all the usual places, from Amazon to your local bookstore. Or if you want an autographed copy, go through my site at Big Cartel, and I’ll get one in the mail to you the next day.

Readers have said of “Chrissie” –

“If you like reading adventure tales, wry humor, or just books, chart a swift course for Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter. … John Baur’s first stab at young-adult fiction features top-notch characterization, breathtaking battle scenes, and as much plot as your favorite Rafael Sabatini and Hunger Games novels — combined.”

“Just finished Chrissie Warren! Wow what a journey! I laughed, I cried, and I can’t say I could enjoy anything more. This has to be among the top in my favorite pirate books. I’m so glad this amazing piece of literature found its was onto my bookshelf!”

“Fabulous. … I enjoyed it tremendously!”

For the autographed volumes go to the Big Cartel link here. And make sure when you check out that you use the “Notes to Seller” tab on the checkout page to tell me who you want the autograph made out to. Otherwise I’ll put a generic signature. The “Notes to Seller” tab is at the end of the payment section – not where I’d have put it, but they didn’t ask me.

And have a M-aaarrrrrr-y Christmas!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Dec, 6, 2019

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day

Ahoy thar, mates! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Thanks for spreadin’ the word – and the word is, “Aaarrr!”

Like Guacamole? Thank a Pirate!

Who discovered guacamole?

A pirate.

I’m tired of hearing that avocados are some sort of millennial food. That the hipsters somehow discovered avocados and invented eating it. So, rather than point to how long I’ve eaten avocados and the sort of things I eat them with, I’ll just say this.

The first English-language recipe for what could be considered “guacamole” was recorded by a pirate in 1679.

British-born William Dampier was a pirate before he set off on a voyage of discovery that eventually made him the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times. And in his travels (he was the first European to explore Australia) his picked up a few things.

The following couple of paragraphs are from an article on Atlas Obscura. The whole thing is interesting except for the parts that kind of turn your stomach a little.

“Dampier began a life of piracy in 1679 in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche. Orphaned in his late teens, Dampier set sail for the Caribbean and fell into a twentysomething job scramble. Seeing no future in logging or sugar plantations, he was sucked into the burgeoning realm of New World raiding, beginning what would be the first of his record-breaking three circumnavigations.

“In the Bay of Panama, Dampier wrote of a fruit ‘as big as a large lemon … [with] skin [like] black bark, and pretty smooth.’ Lacking distinct flavor, he wrote, the ripened fruit was “mixed with sugar and lime juice and beaten together [on] a plate.” This was likely the English language’s very first recipe for guacamole. Later, in the Philippines, Dampier noted of young mangoes that locals “cut them in two pieces and pickled them with salt and vinegar, in which they put some cloves of garlic.” This was the English language’s first recipe for mango chutney. His use of the terms “chopsticks,” “barbecue,” “cashew,” “kumquat,” “tortilla,” and “soy sauce” were also the first of their kind.”

For my taste, Dampier’s recipe for guacamole sounds a bit bland. I like tomato, onion and peppers (salsa) in mine, along with the lemon, which keeps it from turning brown.

There are other notes in the story that aren’t quite so appetizing. He had a fondness for manatee, especially baby manatees that were still suckling. He also really liked a serving of flamingo tongues. And – no surprise – sea turtles.

But putting aside differences in dietary habits and what constitutes “food,” Dampier is a fascinating character. And he discovered guacamole for the European world, for which we all owe him a debt of gratitude. And don’t say pirates never did anything that contributed to society.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Aug. 5, 2019

Live Dangerously! Send Us Emails!

Comes now the news that it’s a federal crime to discuss piracy with a pirate by email, text, posted letter or ntoe in a bottle!

As if we pirates worry about what it and isn’t a federal offense. But the channel used a picture of Cap’n Slappy and meself to illustrate their story about how to commit a federal crime. NO crime there, that’s what the picture is there for. The crime, it seems, is communicating with gentlemen of fortune, rogues, scallawags and brethren of the coast.

So live dangerously! Send us emails today! I’m at chumbucket@talklikeapirate.com, and you can reach Cap’n Slappy at capnslappy@talklikeapirate.com.

You can hear about it right here. This is the whole show, we’re at the 30 minute mark. By all means fast forward to it, or you’ll have to sit through about 10 minutes of Geraldo Rivera, and I wouldn’t wish that on the Spanish Navy or the garda-costa.

Ol’ Chumbucket

March 10, 2019

Join Me In Covington!

Come join me Wednesday – International Talk Like a Pirate – for an evening of pirate hijinks!

I’ll be at the 2nd & Charles Bookstore in Covington, LA, at 6 p.m. I’ll read, sing, do a bit of pirate schtick, and whatever else I can to draw and amuse a crowd.

I’ll read from my YA pirate adventure novel, “Chrissie Warren” Pirate Hunter.” Readers have said:

– “Just finished Chrissie Warren! Wow what a journey! I laughed, I cried, and I can’t say I could enjoy anything more. This has to be among the top in my favorite pirate books.” — Janine Myers

– “Could not put it down. – Michelle Montanaro, Ratanne of Blackbeard’s Crew”

– “This book hooked me when I read it and just pulled me along.” – Leslie Hogan

2nd & Charles surprised me when I dropped by there. It’s much bigger than I expected, and a wonderfully eclectic place. It’s a great place for a fun evening of freebooter frivolity. Hope to see you there. If you can’t make it, you can always order “Chrissie Warren” Pirate Hunter” at https://www.amazon.com/Chrissie-Warren-Pirate-John-Baur/dp/0692459049, and all the other online outlets for paper and ebooks.

Slappy and Cider

– Cap’n Slappy will hold court at Ciderlicious, 2760 Friendly St. in the College Hill neighborhood of Eugene, Oregon. The best cider in the Pacific Northwest AND Cap’n Slappy! What could be better?

Also on Tap for the Holiday!

– The online comic strip Savage Chickens will focus on pirates every day leading up to Wednesday’s holiday. Check them out here.

– Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers are planning a facebook live show on Facebook. They’ll be featuring music from their new CD, “If You Want to be a Pirate: Songs for Young Buccaneers.” It’s a fun collection of new and “repurposed” songs from the Blue Buccaneer oeuvre. Whether you’re a wee scallywag or an old salt, you’ll enjoy this one. Besides being one of the most fun-lovin’ filibuster crews at sea, they’re also a collection of pros from the Nashville music scene, so they’ve got both the musicianship AND the pirattitude! Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers also will celebrate the holiday the following weekend at the Pilgrimage Music Festival Saturday in Franklin, Tennessee. It’s a two-day festival you don’t want to miss if you’re anywhere close.

– Speaking of music for wee buccaneers, Sean’s Music Factory has released a video of “A Pirate’s Expression,” which illustrates for kids some common expressions and their nautical roots, and pays homage to Talk Like a Pirate Day. You can see it here.

** There’s plenty more to fill you in on in the lead up to the holiday! Keep your eyes on the horizon!

Thanks for spreadin’ the word – and the word is “Aarrr!”

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 16, 2018



‘Tis the Season to Swash Yer Buckle!

It’s June, and that means we’re at the heart of pirate festival season.

— It starts this weekend in Hampton, Virginia, with the Blackbeard Pirate Festival. If you’re anywhere on the East Coast this Saturday and Sunday, get out to Hampton for one of the best pirate festivals I’ve ever been to, led by the Crew of Blackbeard, which stages a fine pirate camp reenactment. And make sure you say high to the Pi-Rats of the festival!

Details are online at https://hampton.gov/2008/ Blackbeard-Pirate-Festival.

There are a lot of other events dotting the calendar, but the other two big ones for the month are on the West Coast.

— The Northern California Pirate Festival is the big bash at Waterfront Park in Vallejo, California. It’s June 16 and 17 (Fathers Day weekend) and it draws thousands of visitors. Read all about it at https://www. norcalpiratefestival.com/

— And closing out the month, June 30 and July 1, is the Pirate Invasion Long Beach, featuring our friend Talderoy and featuring the Order of Leviathan. They’ll be down at Shoreline Aquatic Park. You can read all the glorious details at http://www. pirateinvasionlongbeach.com/

And of course, all three of these festivals have a big presence on Facebook, so you can always find out what’s going on.

They aren’t the only buccaneer bashes on the calendar, of course, just the three biggest. But there are events all over the calendar, and all over the country.

If you’re in the neighborhood, you might check out:

— Pirate Family Daze, June 2-3, West Bend, Wisconsin,

http://www.piratefamilydaze. org

— The Sea Music Festival, June 7-10, Mystic Conn.

https://www.mysticseaport.org/ event/sea-music-festival/

— Rusty Scuppers Pirate Fest, Westport, Washington, June 22-24

http://www. rustyscupperspiratedaze.com/

— Rockaway Beach Pirate and Costume Festival, June 23-25, Rockaway Beach, Oregon.

http://www.rockawaybeach.net/ events/pirate-festival/

And that’s just a small sampling of the fun. Summer is the time to start thinking ahead to International Talk Like a Pirate Day in September, and what better way to get in the spirit than spendin’ a day or two on the account, at your friendly neighborhood pirate festival!

Ol’ Chumucket,

June 1, 2018

Good Pirate, Good Reader: Remnants of a Book Found on Blackbeard’s Ship

Sorry to have been absent so long. I’ll explain more about that another time. For now I wanted to share this bit of news from the world of Golden Age pirates.

Archeologists have found a few tiny scraps of paper lodged among the remains Blackbeard’s wrecked flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the coast of North Carolina. It is rare to find remnants of organic material in shipwrecks, but they did. And after much study they determined that it was from a book, and they even determined WHAT book. It was from “A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World” by Captain Edward Cooke.

It is impossible, of course, to know who among the more than 300 souls aboard QAR was reading it, but it is satisfying to imagine Edward Teach – Blackbeard himself – after a full day of spreading terror across the seas, settling down in his cabin with a good book.

Anyway, you can read the whole story here. It’s a good read.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Jan. 13, 2018

It’s the day. Talk Like a Pirate Day!

This is the day to let your inner pirate out to play. Swagger, growl and let the world see the buccaneer inside.

Cap’n Slappy and I are grateful (and still more than a little surprised!) that so many people all around the world are having fun with our little idea. And that’s what it’s about – fun. Don’t read anything more into it than that.

But if you’re one of those who don’t get it, who are a little too uptight to be a little silly, who sniff that, “But pirates were criminals, they were evil,” we would say, sure. That’s OK. All we can do is invite you to play. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.

If everyone were a pirate, who’d be the prey?

Here are a few of our videos to help you get in the spirit.

The Five As – a quick and dirty Pirate Talk Lesson



Cap’n Slappy’s Random Phrases



Dress Like a Pirate (On the Cheap)



And, Wooing Wenches, Ol’ Chumbucket and Mad Sally give a lesson in love.



Seize the Day! And enjoy it!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 19, 2017

Oh Quelle Crullers! Denied!

Well THAT’S disappointing! Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has decided NOT to take part in Talk Like a Pirate Day this year.

No doughnuts! At least, the corporation isn’t playing, though individual stores might. But all is not lost.

For the last four years if you dressed like a pirate and walked into a Krispy Kreme on Sept. 19 they gave you – free – a dozen glazed doughnuts.

Not this year. They’re not doing the promotion this year.

Are we gonna let those corporate cruller cooks put a hole in our holiday fun! Hell no!

I’m not telling you NOT to deck yerself out in your finest pirate togs on Tuesday (just five days from now) and go to your nearby Krispy Kreme. Just remember that they probably won’t give you a free dozen doughnuts for your trouble – though we pirates can be fairly persuasive. But I plan to go in anyway – in full regalia – to show them what they’re missing. If you do too, you’ll get a chance to express your indignation – nay, your outrage! – that they’ve gone over the board and left us in the lurch!

But wait! All is not completely lost. Our friends at Long John Silvers (at least they still love us) have upped the ante.

This year they are NOT offering a free piece of fish for those who come in dressed like a pirate. Oh no! They’re offering a bar of gold!

Not gold gold, of course. Don’t be silly. But this Sept. 19 they’re giving away, free, their new Deep Fried Twinkie!

That’s sort of like a bar of gold, if you turn your head a little and squint your eyes.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 14, 2017

One Week Until Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Just a quick note to remind everyone (as if they needed reminding) that International Talk Like a Pirate Day will be here in one week – Tuesday, Sept. 19!

If you look at the site you’ll see I’m WAY behind on the updates. All I can say is – as some of you may know – I live in Louisiana these days, but still work for the Virgin Islands Source, and the U.S.V.I got clobbered last week by Hurricane Irma. St. Croix, where I used to live, wasn’t hurt too bad, but St. Thomas got hit hard and St. John was pretty much flattened. So I’ve been working pretty much non-stop on that for the last couple of weeks. I hope to finish this post before our St. John reporter calls to dictate her story, since they have no power, no internet, and very, very little cell service. This is my first day off in two weeks, so I’ll only be working a couple of hours.

But I hope to have the map completely updated by this evening. I think. I hope.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 12, 20017

Good Luck to Our Friends in Florida!

We have many, many pirate friends in harm’s way today in Florida and wish them all the best. Hurricanes are no joke, and we hope those of you who were not able to evacuate are hunkered down in a safe place with the hatches battened and are going to be able to safely ride out the storm. If you’re on the road, may you find a snug harbor at the end of your journey.

Good luck to all of ye!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Sept. 9, 2017

Time Passes, But Pirattitude is Forever

We were saddened, but not at all surprised, to learn that demolition began last week on the old YMCA in Albany, Oregon, with no mention of the pivotal role the old place played in the social history of the early 21st century.

The Mid-Willamette Vally YMCA was the site where Cap’n Slappy and I came up with the idea of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And now it is no more. Yeah, kinda makes us misty eyed.

We’ve told the story many – MANY – times, about how Slappy and I, under the delusion that we could get back in shape, were playing weekly racquetball games at the Y. One day we started insulting each other in pirate palaver, and before you know it, we had created a holiday.

That crazy idea back in 1995 grew quietly for five years, then exploded in 2002 and took the world like Morgan’s fleet taking Maracaibo.

It has always been what you might call a “guerilla holiday,” embraced by the masses but ignored and even scorned by the powers that be (except for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, of course.) Sure, our friends have had lots of fun with it, and we raised many a glass at many a tavern with the pirate brethren. But like prophets without honor in our own land, we seemed to be a bit of an embarrassment to the grownups.

So, no. There was never a little ceremony or the unveiling of a brass plaque at the YMCA’s Racquetball Court No. 2 to commemorate what happened there. They went so far as to abandon the building and then raze it, as if trying to physically remove the taint of what we had created.

Well, pirates will do that to some people. We make them uneasy. Always have. But if we cared what other people thought, we’d never have come up with the idea in the first place. We long ago stopped worrying about what the staid and stuffy grownups had to say on the subject. Hell, I’m in my 60s now and I still don’t think of myself as an adult!

They can take down the building, but they’ll never kill the spirit of pirattude that started in that spot and has spread around the globe.

Here’s to ya!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Aug. 23, 2017

Counting Down!

One month until International Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19!

Ol’ Chumbucket

Aug. 19, 2017

Pirate Fun Around the World

Avast, me hearties!

Here’s the latest on what people have planned for this year’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day around the world. (Consult the map below for other activities, and make sure you let us know what you have planned for the day!)

Pirate Weekend in Suffolk England – The Peninsular Pirates will be at Landguard Fort, Felixstowe, Suffolk, England, educating the younger members of the community in the seafaring activities of their forefathers, who supplemented their income as fishermen with the odd bit of late night free trading and beating the Dutch off when they invaded in 1667. (The only vessel that could get in close enough to use its cannon was sailing under letter of marque.) No doubt the odd glass of rum will be consumed and chantey sung. Someone might even dance a hornpipe, especially after the rum drinking.

In South Korea, the T-CLUB, a publication from Chunjae Education, is an English magazine for English teachers across Korea. Some of them use the magazine in their classes. T-CLUB will be printing a special four-page article on the holiday, using material from our website, and offering youngsters on the peninsula the chance to discover their inner pirate.

Richmond, Virginia – Scarlett Kits, writes to tell us that Talk Like a Pirate Day is a “magical” time of year for her. “Typically I’m at work and I bring Cap’n Crunch, Captains Wafers and limeade for the office. Little mermaid gummi snacks if I can find them. … Two years ago I dressed as a pirate on a German band road trip and served pina colatas and lime sodas on route. … Each year I dress as a pirate varying degrees.”

This year, “I will be at a professional function and you bet your bottom galleon I’ll be dressed piratey! The function will be in Richmond, VA. I shall steal all the hotel soaps I possibly can!”

(This led to the following exchange. In my email reply I asked, “What would a pirate be doing with all that soap? Or any soap?” She replied – as I’m sure all of you would have – “To wash me booty!” I walked right into that one, I guess, and have no one to blame but meself.”

Jefferson County, Colorado – The Jefferson Couny Public Library in Evergreen, Conifer and Arvada will host event for the wee sprogs Sept. 19 at all three locations, with movies, paaarties and lots of other fun things planned. Arvada: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. An entire day of pirate movies and other activities! the lineup includes “Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,” “Muppets Treasure Island,” “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” “Treasure Planet”and “Goonies.” Evergreen: The library will celebrate from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Sept. 19 with adventure tales, sea shanty songs, grub, a scavenger hunt for hidden treasure and more swashbuckling fun! Suitable for nippers from 3 to 6 years old. Conifer: Fun pirate-y crafts and activities are slated from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sapt. 19. Suitable for kids.

Ol’ Chumbucket

July 18, 2017

Time Flies, Even for Pirates

It’s July, summer is flying fast. Some of the great events of the pirate calendar already are in the rear view mirror for this year – The Hampton Blackbeard Festival, the Northern California Pirate Festival and its southern cousin, the Pirate Invasion of Long Beach. And of course, Cap’n Slappy’s birthday. And dozens of other such gatherings all around the country. Here’s hoping you made it out to one or two of them (at least) and had a great time.

There’s still a bunch more to go – Seadog Nights and Seafair in the Northwest, Beaufort in North Carolina, and many more. Check out our links page and see if there’s a festival coming near you. But right now we’re focusing on what – for us – is the biggest.

74 days until International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Or 10 Weeks and 4 Days.

Or, as of this morning’s stroke of midnight, 106,560 minutes or or 6,393,600 seconds.

Anyway you count it, September 19 is the holiday the gives the excuse (if you’re one of those who needs an excuse) to let your inner pirate out to strut for the day (and pick up some free doughnuts, to boot!)

We want to know what you’ve got going on for the holiday. I know the Cedar Key, Florida, Pirate Festival will take place the weekend before, and I imagine there’s plenty more where that came from! Make sure to tel us what you’ve got planned, and let us put it on the big calendar. (Write your plans to me at chumbucket@talklikeapirate.com.

Our plans aren’t firm yet, but here are a couple of things I can tell you. There are some new T-shirt designs going up next week, we’re working on a new video and a new feature for the site, and I will have a new pirate story ready to release on the holiday. At least one. All of those will be detailed in the month ahead.

So let us know what you’re doing this September 19 and we’ll share it on the big map of piratey fun!

Ol’ Chumbucket

July 7, 2017

Raise a Glass to ‘Whydah’ Wednesday

This Wednesday, April 26, marks the 300th anniversary of the sinking of Black Sam Bellamy’s ship, Whydah Gally, which went down in a sudden, violent storm off Cap Cod in 1717.

Whydah was a slave ship on the triangle trade when Bellamy captured her off Bermuda. They’d already had a successful tour of the Caribbean, and now the pirates had a big ship. They cleared the top deck of the captain’s cabin and other obstacles that made her top heavy, added 10 guns and sailed up the coast of the colonies, taking prizes as they went.

A fairly romantic story about Bellamy diverting the ship from its destination in Maine so that he could visit the woman he loved, for whom he’d gone on the account in the first place (although it might have been the wine they’d captured,), brought them off the cape and right into the face of a fierce storm. The ship capsized, and all but two of her crew went down, taking a legendary treasure with them.

Her fame was cemented in 1984 when treasure hunter Barry Clifford found her. The more than 200,000 artifacts that were brought up aren’t just about treasure – although it’s hard for a pirate NOT to get excited by the sight of thousands of Spanish gold doubloons. (Thousands, I say!) The artifacts tell the story about the real lives, the day-to-day activities of men on the account, real people. The artifacts are the centerpiece of both the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, MA, and a traveling museum exhibition, “Real Pirates,” sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

Cap’n Slappy and I were fortunate enough to see the exhibition when it was in Philadelphia in 2008. We’d been hired to provide entertainment during the opening weekend of “Real Pirates” at the Franklin Institute. It was a gorgeous display and if it comes anywhere near your town, by all means go.

The Whydah Pirate Museum will be holding an event Wednesday through Saturday.

“It’s obviously a very important day for us,” Clifford said in a report on CapeCod.com. “It commemorates the sinking of the Whydah, not that it’s a celebration, but it’s a time to think back on who these people really were.”

At the very least, for the pirate community it’s a day to reflect, and to raise a glass in memory of the the brethren.

Ol’ Chumbucket

April 23, 2017

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

As those who follow us on Facebook, know, Cap’n Slappy has a new look. He underwent bariatric surgery last week and is recovering nicely. As he said, “I’m home and feeling much better! I’m not sure if I will ever desire food again – but I’m home.”

One of the common after-effects of the bariatric surgery is a thinning of the hair. Since his theme for the previous year has been, “taking control,” he decided not to wait for his hair to fall out. Instead, he took matters into his own hands – well, a professional hair cutters hand’s actually – and took it down to the scalp.

For those who have shaved their heads at any time (and that includes all four members of the Talk Like a Pirate Day crew, although not at the same time) one of the side benefits is learning that your skull isn’t some weird, misshapen thing, but actually looks OK. And that’s certainly true of Slappy, as you can see in the pictures taken by Jezebel the Web Wench.

We’re all wishing Cap’n Slappy well and know that, while he make himself a lesser size, he’ll never be less of a man.

Ol’ Chumbucket

March 22, 2017

I’ve Cleared the Deck – Now You Fill It!

(March 5, 2017) What does Danielle Sampson have that you don’t? Plans, that’s what! Danielle was the first to write in this year with plans for an event celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day in 2017.

If you glance at the map below, you’ll see that it’s pretty empty at the moment. That’s because until now it’s been showing the hundreds of events around the world celebrating the holiday LAST YEAR! Well that wasn’t very helpful, now was it?

So when I got Danielle’s message informing me of plans for a festival Sept. 15-17 in St. Peter all the way up in New Brunswick, I got busy. I spent a good chunk of my morning deleting almost everything from last year, left just a couple of items I knew were planned for this year (and I admit it, at least one I missed. I’ll go back and get it later.) and added the new one that came in this morning’s mail.

Now it’s up to you! We know that there are going to be parties, library activities, school events and even festivals all over the map again this year. Let us know what you’ve got planned by sending me an email at chumbucket@talklikeapirate.com, and I will post ’em up just as quick as I can. (Which I admit isn’t all that quick, I’m still getting the hang of this.)

Because between you, me and the parrot, the map is looking kind of sparse right now. It’s up to you to fill it.

Ol’ Chumbucket

Mardi Gras! Pirates Hit the Quarter!

(Feb. 13, 2017) Tuesday, Feb. 28, Ol’ Chumbucket and Mad Sally (that’s me and my lovely bride, Tori) will join with the NOLA Krewe of Pirates to storm through the French Quarter. It can only mean one thing – Mardi Gras!

I thought I knew what a party was. I thought I knew about carnival, I thought I knew what bacchanalia meant. Then I took part in my first Mardi Gras and learned that I didn’t have the first idea. You really can’t explain it. You just have to experience it.

Everywhere else in the world it’ll be Tuesday. In New Orleans, it’s Mardi Gras! The best strolling party you’ve ever been to and barely remember.

Then, about month from now, I’ll be part of NOLA Pyrate Week activities at Algiers Point, on the west bank. At 2 p.m. March 25 I’ll read from “Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter” at Warren’s Corner, 601 Patterson. in Algiers, LA. It’s part of storytelling stage that runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (And needless to say, all of the participating authors – myself included – will have books for sale.) And this is all part of the Family Pirate Day in Algiers, which will include musical performances, a pirate market and cafe, games, and treasure hunting. The fun is scheduled to start 8 a.m.

(And just a side note – our pals, The Whiskey Bay Rovers, will also be taking part! It’ll be good to see – and hear – the lads again.)

So that’s what we’ve got in store, and there’s other plans in the works that’ll make this year another grand, piratey adventure.

Plan to Party Like a Pirate in 2017

(Jan. 3, 2017) Cap’n Slappy and Ol’ Chumbucket want to wish everyone a happy new year. There’s plenty of freebooter fun coming in 2017 and we hope we get a chance to run into you on the road.

Right now, winter has laid its icy grip across most of the country. In much of the land, ports are ice-locked and pirate hearts mostly hibernating as we await the spring thaw. But not in Florida.

Here’s a date for you to scribble into your calendar. If you can get to either of these on Jan. 28, more power to you. You’ll have a grand time.

The first is one of the big ones, Gasparilla, in Tampa on the gulf side of the state. It’s one of the biggest pirate festivals in the U.S., featuring the country’s third longest parade, which draws more than 300,000 to the streets to watch. In all, about a million people are estimated to take part in at least one Gasparilla-related event.

On a smaller scale but deeply piratical, up the coast on the Atlantic side the St. Augustine Swashbucklers will be holding the Old City Pirate Festival that same weekend, Jan. 27 and 28. St. Augustine is the oldest European-settled city in the U.S. and a great site for a festival. The streets of the old city have rung to the boots of some of the legendary pirates, and at the end of January you can add yours to the list.

I’ll have my nose to the grindstone, working on a new book I’ll be excited to share with our fans, but I plan to come up for air Feb. 28 when Mardi Gras rolls into New Orleans. The rest of the world calls it Tuesday – we call it, “The best strolling party you’ve ever been to and barely remember.”

And I’m tentatively scheduled for a road trip March 11 to take part in the Savannah Quill Book Convention in Savannah. We’ll be planning at least one or two other stops on the road to and from the Georgia Coast, so keep your ears open for word of pirates!

And there’s definitely planning going on for getting out there and partying with the brethren throughout the year. We’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as we do!

Win a Signed Copy of ‘Chrissie’

(Dec. 1, 2016) News for my friends who are on Goodreads: Starting Thursday you have a chance to win a signed copy of “Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter.” For the next three weeks Goodreads is hosting a giveaway of four copies of my young-adult adventure pirate adventure novel.

If you’re interested and haven’t signed up or just want to check it, you can go to Goodreads.com.

One of the things they have at Goodreads is giveaways. With three clicks, Goodreads members can sign up to win books offered by authors. The winners are randomly chosen by Goodreads. And from Nov. 18 to Dec. 8, you can enter to win one of four autographed copies of “Chrissie.” When it goes online I’ll post the link.

Read more here.

Give the Gift of Adventure this Holiday Season

(November 2016) If you want to give the gift of adventure this holiday season, check out my young-adult swashbuckling novel “Chrissie Warren” Pirate Hunter.” You can order a copy autographed by the author (me) online at Big Cartel.

Big Cartel is at http://tinyurl.com/nu5ajsz

Make sure when you check out that you use the “Notes to Seller” tab on the checkout page to tell me who you want the autograph made out to. Otherwise I’ll put a generic signature. If you’re giving it as a gift, make sure you tell me the person’s name. The “Notes to Seller” tab is at the end of the payment section – not where I’d have put it, but they didn’t ask me.

You can also find the book (not autographed) in both paper and ebook at Amazon and all the other usual places.

And don’t forget, with the holidays close upon us, you want to make sure you have a copy of “Pirate Santa.” With a story by our own Cap’n Slappy and our pal Clay “Talderoy” Clement and terrific art work by Jun Alvarado, it’s a must have for the pirates at the holiday season. You can order it at:

http://www.piratesanta.com/

John “Ol’ Chumbucket” Baur

Review: Mason’s ‘Pirate Party’ Rocks Corsair Classics

(Oct. 25, 2016) How many versions do think have been recorded of “Drunken Sailor?” Of “Blow the Man Down,” “Haul Away Joe” or “Bully in the Alley?” It’s a rare pirate band that doesn’t have at least one of them – or all of them – on their playlists and CDs. And there are a lot of good pirate bands out there, a lot of recordings.

So if you’re a pirate musician, how do you do something different with it? How do you make your version distinctive?

If you’re Tom Mason, it’s not a problem. Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers have a new CD out, and it’s a must-add to anyone’s collection of pirate music. The album is aptly titled “Pirate Party.” It fits. This is the disc you’ll put on when you gather the brethren for a bacchanal. It’s a lot of fun.

Read more here

Thanks for Spreadin’ the Word!

(Sept. 20, 2016) Another Talk Like a Pirate Day has come and gone and a great time was had by all. The crew at what we call Team Pirate – Cap’n Slappy, Ol’ Chumbucket, Mad Sally and Jezebel the Web Wench are once again delighted – along with surprised, shocked, awed and, yes, bumfuzzled! – that this idea we had has taken root all around the world with millions of people. It’s the people – all of you – that makes this day, this whole movement, so fun for us. And don’t think for a second we don’t appreciate it.

So thank you all for spreadin’ the word – and the word is “Aarrr!”