“What’s a pirate’s favorite letter?” asked a bearded buccaneer of a young costumed scallywag, who shook his head in puzzlement. “Arrrrrrrrrrrr!” the pirate exclaimed with a hearty laugh.
He was one of many professional pirates and their mateys who delighted crowds throughout the weekend at the fourth annual Vero Beach Pirate Fest at Riverside Park, presented by the Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce, POTTC Events and Pirates of the Treasure Coast.
In the past, the three-day festival had been held in July, the month the Spanish Treasure Fleet – carrying gems, silver, pearls, gold and 1,200 shipmates from the Americas to Spain – lost 11 of 12 ships off our coastline to a 1715 hurricane. While most of the Fleet’s treasure was recovered, English pirate Henry Jennings made off with a good portion of it, and the seas continue to give up the remaining bounty – hence the area’s Treasure Coast moniker.
Hoping to avoid some of the sweltering summer heat, organizers moved the date to September. And, while it didn’t exactly feel like the first weekend of autumn, Riverside’s shady oaks and several tents for dining and enjoying the entertainment kept temperatures tolerable.
“The other part of it is, the kids are back in school now, and we like to think of this as a very family-friendly event,” said Bob McCabe, Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce president. “It’s all about business and trying to get people to come and get the Vero name out there more and more. I love the sword fights and the canons that they set off; it’s like fireworks in the daytime.”
A ‘tattooed’ X marked the spot on the hands of swashbucklers in a Pirate Quest game that encouraged youngsters to figure out who killed the first mate and made off with the treasure; in the process, the kids learned a little about pirate lore and amassed some pirate treasure of their own.
Clutching festival maps, visitors wandered about the pirate-themed vendor booths and historical encampment tents, and watched reenactments of cannon firings (actually called guns on ships, according to one pirate), sword fighting and dueling. Some of the adult partiers began bellying up to a multitude of bars, imbibing in everything from rums to ale, grogs to mead.
Unlike the roughly 1,500 survivors of the 1715 Fleet who endured hardship as they made campsites along shores until help arrived from St. Augustine, festival-goers had their choice of numerous food vendors.
“My husband and I have been doing this for 20 years. We have a good time with it,” said “Grace O’Malley,” one of four famous women pirates. “They wrote her out of Irish history, because she died in her bed, not while fighting.”
“It’s the only time you can come out and be like a child again,” said her husband, “Edward Bloody Waters.”
Photos by: Denise Ritchie
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