Cruising the High Seas on a Pirate Ship
By Lynn Blamires Content Writer for My Local Utah
Argh, me hearties, gather around while I tell you a story that will shiver ye timbers. We was sailin’ the high seas, we was, and I lived to tell about it.
The crew was restless, and the “Old Salt” of a captain could sense it. It wasn’t long before a fight broke out.
The Captain had been watching from the top deck and saw who started the fight. Swiftly he swung down and with his cutlass flashing, quickly gaining control. He lined them up. Without a second thought, he had half of them thrown overboard.
Argh! Blow me down – I have never seen the like as what I saw that day. Half the crew was thrown in the drink! Blimey!
The crew what went overboard had planned well, for a boat was being drug behind the ship. They grabbed a holt of that dingy and climbed aboard, all of ‘em and eased the dingy up alongside the ship.
Then they all snuck quietly back onto the ship and mingled amongst the rest of the crew. The whole crew was mad and before we knew it, we were seein’ a full scale mutiny. Swords and cutlasses were flashin’ and clashin’ and the fight was awful. The pirates were yellin’ and the Old Salt was a cussin’ like I never heard before.
Then it was over. The mutiny had overcome the Captain and his minions. They wanted revenge they did and revenge they got. The mutineers rounded up the lot and overboard they went.
Those buccaneers saved themselves in the same way the mutineers had and that boat is still dragin’ behind the ship. It’s like a game they play when they get bored. Right before my eyes they was drunk with grog and singing pirate chanty like best friends – like nothin’ had happened. They are buccaneers they are. That is my story and I am sticking with it.
This pirate ship is an authentic Spanish Galleon – an exact replica of the Santa Maria. Built using over 30 species of tropical woods, including Guayacan, Paradise Tree, Oak, Machicle, Pucté, Rosewood, Ironwood, Caoba, and Cedar, it weighs about 700 tons, and has three masts with triangular sails. Seven years in the building of it, work was completed in 1987. It has the capacity to hold 240 passengers.
We had been entertained by a theater troupe on a sailing from Puerto Vallarta who put on the Pirate Show complete with sword fights and pyrotechnics. While watching the show, we were treated to a hot breakfast.
After the show, we reached our destination which was a little cove that featured a sandy beach surrounded by a dense jungle. We were tendered to shore to relax in beach chairs under umbrellas where we were waited on by the crew. They were quick to keep us refreshed with a variety of juice and water.
Kayaks were provided for those who wanted to paddle around the bay, but my wife and I decided to do some snorkeling. The bay was quiet, the fish were beautiful, and the water was a refreshing temperature. I saw a lot of fish, but the one I liked the best was the colorful black angelfish.
This was a family cruise and much of the attention was focused on the children. They participated in sack races on the beach, a tug-of-war, and other party games. It was our privilege to watch and cheer as they enthusiastically participated in the games.
The afternoon drew to a close and we soon found ourselves back on The Marigalante Galleon and headed back to port. I got a surprise as I needed to visit the men’s room on board. The urinals were large sharks with open mouths and sharp teeth – yikes! On the return voyage, we were treated to an excellent dinner.
This was a highlight of our trip to Mexico. The weather was perfect and the excursion was delightful, however, this being a replica of the Santa Maria, there is no way I could be talked into sailing across the ocean on this little cork. Most people think that the R is a pirate’s favorite letter, but I say that a pirate’s true love is the C.