A Pirates Guide...

[Capn Bob]

I might be taking a cruise to Nassau and Freeport in October, and I just picked up a couple of guide books. But they;re all pretty pedestrian, with fairly common information. What we need, really *need*, is...A Pirate's Guide to Nassau (or the Bahamas), containing not only the usual information that would make anyone's visit to the islands more enjoyable, but would also contain the sort of tidbits that would gladden any pirate. For example, does "Blackbeard's Tower" have any connection at all with Neddy Teach and the Sweet Trade, where was Execution Point (in case anyone wants to place flowers there...or better, a bottle of rum), and where you can get some good rum and grub.

[captscurvy_nc]

Back in 2001 at PIP Cascabel, Braze and myself all met the Governor of Nassau at the time. He had come down for the weekend and was a true delight to hang out with. I have some notes here somewhere with a few places he suggested stopping by. I'll try and dig them out and see what I can help you with.

[Cascabel]

Don't miss the Pirates of Nassau museum. Small, but nice with high-end wax figures in the displays.

>>>> Cascabel

[Capn Bob]

Oh yeah...that museum is, ye may be assured, definately and decidedly on me "To Do" list...

Don't miss the Pirates of Nassau museum. Small, but nice with high-end wax figures in the displays.

>>>> Cascabel

[Capn Bloody Sam Rackham]

I thought Blackbeard's Tower was in St. Thomas.

At least the one I saw was there.

Could there be more?

[seabaroness]

I was to both Nassau and Jamaica and I was surprised at how little tourism is related to pirates. The resort I stayed at in Jamaica didn't offer tours to Port Royal and when I asked for a pirate themed t shirt at a souvenir shop the shop keeper almost had a heart attack.

[Capn Bob]

This is what Frommers sez:

Frommer's Review

These crumbling remains of a watchtower are said to have been used by the infamous pirate Edward Teach in the 17th century. The ruins are only mildly interesting -- there isn't much trace of buccaneering. What's interesting is the view: With a little imagination, you can almost see Blackbeard, who also purportedly lived here (though this is hardly well documented), peering out at unsuspecting ships.

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/newprovidence/A24830.html#ixzz0mDIHZYEE

And this is one of the reasons why I think there needs to be a *Pirates* Guide...for *we* be the lads who'd want to dig into these myths, legends and stories to find the truth behind them...admittedly, it's largely to see if there's any treasure, or at least some rum to be found.

I thought Blackbeard's Tower was in St. Thomas.

At least the one I saw was there.

Could there be more?

[hurricane]

I was to both Nassau and Jamaica and I was surprised at how little tourism is related to pirates. The resort I stayed at in Jamaica didn't offer tours to Port Royal and when I asked for a pirate themed t shirt at a souvenir shop the shop keeper almost had a heart attack.

Outside of Fort Charles and the Old Gaol, there's little left to see in Port Royal, unless you know what you're looking at. They've been adding interpretive signs to the area, but they span a much larger period of time than the buccaneer area or GAoP. That said, if you do do your homework and lay over period maps with current ones, you can still get an idea of the layout of the town, at least the one third of it that's left.

Port Royal is just a sleepy little fishing town of locals now and they don't often get tourists. And they kind of like it that way. There's no store to speak of, four restaurants, and homes that were all built much later than the period everyone's interested in.

I should say that one of the reasons it isn't promoted so much is the fact that four thousand people died there in the space of a week, half of them in the few minutes that the three earthquakes shook there. There is a certain reverence to the fact and they don't teach the children there anything about the quake, since it is predicted to eventually happen again. There's also no information in the library there.

We did an extensive pirate tour of the island five years ago, visiting Morgan's viewpoint on his estate, visiting the national archives in Spanish Town, seeing Gallow's Point and Rackam's Cay and having an underwater archeology presentation by the National Heritage Trust. Very fun. I have a slide show I did at PyrateCon once of the history, archeology, etc. Lots of photos of the artifacts there related to the destruction of Port Royal, along with architecture before the quake and narrative of what life was like there.

-- Hurricane

Edited April 26, 2010 by hurricane

[theM.A.dDogge]

Oi...Hurricane...are ya still able to Dive Port Royal?? or is anypart of it closed off?

[Capn Bob]

Well, I just found out there's only 16 seats left on the tour bus I'd be riding in to get to Baltimore for the cruise, so I am now *officially* signed up for:

http://goanderson.com/toursched.aspx?ID=1733&sid=6&tour=Carnival%20Bahamas%20Cruise

Rum and banana ketchup, here I come...

[hurricane]

Oi...Hurricane...are ya still able to Dive Port Royal?? or is anypart of it closed off?

Yes, you can. You just need to find a local who will take you out in his boat. There's a guy on the waterfront down at the end (near the old hospital). His name is Powder. He'll take you out where you want, wait for you while he enjoys a nice toke and then bring you back. He was one of the honest ones there, some others want you to give them money in advance to "fix their boat." Don't fall for it. Just ask for Powder. Everyone knows where he is.

There's a dive shop in town, though I've never seen it open. So you want to bring your own snorkel, mask and fins.

None of it is closed off, per se. Though it's best to be with a local since they don't draw any attention. A couple white folks with a boat might get you a visit from the Coast Guard.

-- Hurricane

[oderlesseye]

Eye found this to be interesting ~

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/portroyal/archhist.htm

[Captain McCool]

If there's so little information readily available to pirate-minded tourists, has anyone here ever thought of trying to create some kind of guide for this purpose? I bet it would be something of a gold mine amongst "our folk."

[hurricane]

Eye found this to be interesting ~

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/portroyal/archhist.htm

This page is the treasure trove -- it's all the dissertations they did with this project, from an examination of clay pipes to the probates.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/portroyal/archives/research.htm

-- Hurricane

[IronTom]

There have been plans for years to turn Port Royale into a Pyate Haven with Undersea Museums and Buccaneer Resorts however little has been done. The History Channel occasionally shows a program about the port made in the 90's and it seems like a great idea complete with a Cruise Ship Dock but nothing has come to fruition so far... Please let us know what you fine there!

[hurricane]

That project is dead in the water and always will be. Port Royal is owned by the Brotherhood there. They would have to approve it an that won't happen because the people there like their quiet, non-touristy world. Plus, the area is a bit of hallowed ground - lots of people died there. It would be like putting a gift shop smack dab in the middle of Gettysburg. There's actual a great book on the cultural, financial and historical reasons this will never happen there.

Interesting stuff. For me, just the appearance of the interpretive signs kind of diminished the experience the last time I was there.

== Hurricane