Batten down the hatches for Annual Pirate Week July 7 – 12

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Ocean Isle Beach, NC –– Avast, ye landlubbers! Batten down the hatches for the Museum of Coastal Carolina and Town of Ocean Isle Beach annual Pirate Week on July 7 – 12. There will be pirate fun aplenty for those who like pillage, plunder, and sword fights. Who doesn’t, aye?!

Did you know that the proximity of the gulf stream combined with shallow waters and sandbars made the Outer Banks an ideal location for piracy? Throughout Pirate Week, the Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Town of Ocean Isle Beach Recreation Department offer a variety of fun events to explore this infamous chapter of Carolina maritime history:

Sunday July 7:

  • 9 am – 10 am or 10 am – 11 am – Pancakes with Pirates: Chow down on pancakes from the Castaway Grill and enjoy a pirate topping bar, interaction with pirate reenactor group Carolina Cutthroat Krewe, and tickets to return to the Museum from 12pm – 4pm. Only 50 tickets are available for each seating, so call the Museum at 910-579-1016 to order $20 per person tickets today.
  • 12 pm – 4 pm – Carolina Cutthroat Krewe performances: Do you like Hollywood-style sword fighting and comedy? Return to the Museum to enjoy 1 pm and 3 pm Carolina Cutthroat Krewe performances and access to all Museum exhibits.

Monday July 8:

  • 11:30 am – Pirate Storytelling by Rowdy Robin – Popular area storyteller Rowdy Robin the Pirate (AKA Robin Berkman) and her puppet friends will tell tales of notorious pirates’ adventures in plundering gold, jewels, and assorted booty while proudly flying the Jolly Roger.
  • 3:00 pm – Sea Monsters by Christine Brin Maritime Museum of Beaufort – Legends and stories of sea monsters are culturally universal, with even landlocked groups of people telling tales of fantastic sea or water creatures. Maritime Museum of Beaufort Associate Education Curator Christine Brin will discuss the most popular sea monsters and “sea creatures”, like whales, that may have inspired these stories.
  • 7:00 pm – Pirate Ghost Walk – Join The Dead Don’t Like to Be Forgotten: Tales of the South Brunswick Islands authors Wil and Allison Smith for a pirate-themed ghost walk, if you dare…. Hear pirate stories, history, and legends from the coastal Carolinas region including Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. Tickets are $10 each and only 70 tickets are available. Visit the Museum or call 910-579-1016 to purchase tickets.

Tuesday July 9

  • 1 pm – Queen Anne’s Revenge Lab Presentation @ OIB Community Center – Hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been raised from the shipwreck of Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s infamous flagship and former slave ship, since excavation began in 2005. Kimberly Kenyon, assistant state archaeologist for the North Carolina (NC) Office of State Archaeology, will explain what artifacts from this significant NC archaeological site reveal about the Golden Age of Piracy and the transatlantic slave trade.
  • 3 pm – Pirate Author Adam Morrow presentation – Pirate Historian, Author, and Reenactor Adam Morrow (aka Captain Marrow) will lead a discussion about his book, Pirate Ghosts & Buried Treasures of the Southeast Coast. He’ll provide historical perspectives behind popular pirate folktales and share tales relevant to the Carolinas.
  • 6 pm – Pirate Author Jeremy Moss, Pirate Author Sandbar Lecture – Using his book, The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet as a backdrop, lawyer, lobbyist, real estate developer, emerging author, freelance historian, speaker, and lecturer Jeremy Moss tells true stories of real pirates of the Golden Age. Join this exploration of pirate daily life, social issues, natural disasters, political intrigues, bloody battles, plank walking, flying the Jolly Roger, pirate-speak, buried treasure, and pirate connections with the history of North Carolina.

Wednesday July 10

  • 10 am – OIB Town Pirate Scavenger Hunt – Hunt for treasure during the Town of Ocean Isle Beach’s weekly Scavenger Hunt. Receive a list of clues and find your way around town where treasures abound! Register in Town Center Park from 10 am – 10:30am.
  • 10 am – 4 pm – Pirate Author Adam Morrow Meet and Greet – Captain Morrow returns with a table display chock full of pirate history and artifacts including weapons and cannonballs. Visitors will have opportunities to ask questions and learn more about pirates’ associations with the area surrounding the Cape Fear River, such as the Stede Bonnet Capture.
  • 7 pm – Crafts Before Pirate Movie in the Park – Join the Museum for a pirate craft before the Town’s showing of Treasure Planet.

 Thursday July 11

  • 10 am – Art in the Park – Join the Town of Ocean Isle Beach’s weekly Art in the Park and make your own Pirate Flag!
  • 10 am – 4 pm – Stede Bonnet, Black Sails Adventure – “Gentleman Pirate” Stede Bonnet will show off his collection of historic artifacts, tell tall tales, and sword battle with young pirates who dare to challenge him. Hearties including Princess Pat the Pirate, will join Stede for a bit of pillaging, and visitors will enjoy pirate-themed crafts and pirate weapon demos at 12 pm and 3 pm.

Friday July 12

  • 10 am – 4 pm – Jack Sparrow, Black Sails Adventure – Captain Sparrow makes landfall along with other pirates and artifacts. Photo ops with the captain and kid-friendly sword skill demonstrations will be available all day, Princess Pat the Pirate will guide visitors in designing pirate coins, and there’ll be pirate weapon demos at 12 pm and 3 pm.

Daily

  • 10 am – 4 pm:
    • Pirate Sharky Scavenger Hunt
    • DIY Pirate Hats, names, and flags
    • Pirate Trivia and more!

Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium Director of Programs and Exhibits Jamie Justice schedules and facilitates all Family Programs and Events. Justice received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Bowling Green State University and her Master of Science in Environmental Science with concentrations in Marine and Coastal Education and Coastal Management from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.