It’s has to be one of the silliest ideas of the century. Who in their right mind would ever come up with the idea to start a holiday where you Talk Like a Pirate?

Actually two friends, John Baur and Mark Summers, did just that. The idea was born in Albany, Oregon, which as far as we know is not nationally known for its relationship to pirates. This is what happened.

John and Mark were playing racquetball when, for reasons that aren’t clear to either of them now, they started insulting each other in pirate lingo. They realized it was a lot of fun and one of them said: “We should have a Talk Like a Pirate Day”. They decided to start Talk Like a Pirate Day, and picked September 19th because it is Summers’ ex-wife’s birthday. And the story could have ended there, if it hadn’t been for Dave Barry, who mentioned it in his nationally syndicated newspaper column and then Talk Like a Pirate Day took off.

All around the world and even hundreds of miles above it, people celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day every September 19. It’s been celebrated by millions of people on all seven continents – yes, even at the South Pole – and on the International Space Station!

The two friends – now go by the pirate personas of Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy have swashed their buckles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Puget Sound, from Los Angeles to Chicago to Philadelphia. They’ve performed at a glamorous Las Vegas
resort, at libraries, bookstores, schools and at several seedy bars.

This year the guys will celebrate the holiday more than 5,000 miles apart. Cap’n Slappy will be in Alaska as guest of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Ol’ Chumbucket moved in 2008 to a sunny island in the Caribbean and can’t think of a reason to leave. www.talklikeapirate.com

There are a number of events around the coast celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day. Many pubs and bars have special celebrations. 

The Pirate Museum in St. Augustine, Florida

September 19, 2011

Starting at 5 p.m. on September 19, The Pirate Museum courtyard overlooking the Castillo de San Marcos–built because of devastating pirate raids–will be transformed into a lively pirate stronghold with:

*    Pirate Soul face painting
*    Sword fighting demonstrations
*    Live pirate music
*    Storytelling and magic by Captain William Mayhem, the Pirate Magician of St. Augustine
*    Talk Like A Pirate contest 
*    Don’t Walk The Plank Trivia Game

Attendees also receive 25 percent off of museum admission during the event, which runs until 8 p.m. 

Regular admission for adults is $11.99 and for kids 5 to 12 years old is $6.99.

St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

12 S Castillo Drive
St. Augustine, FL 32084

(877) GO-PLUNDER (877.467.5863)

Talking Like a Pirate – The Beginner’s Course

(Excerpt from “Pirattitude!” So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here’s How!” by John “Ol’ Chumbucket” Baur and Mark “Cap’n Slappy” Summers, published in 2005 by New American Library. All rights reserved.)

“Aarr!” is one of what we call “the Five As.” We call them this because that’s the letter they begin with, and our crack mathematics team assures us that there are five of them.
These exclamations are the glue that binds together pirate lingo. Even if you don’t know a bunghole from a broadside or a mizzenmast from a maidenhead, you can still give your conversation a little pirate panache by injecting these exclamations into yer landlubber lexicon.
Avast – Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” when a beautiful woman walks into the room. “Avast! Check out the bowsprit on that fine beauty!” you might say.
Ahoy – “Hello!” Any inference beyond “Hello!” is simply vocal inflection and has nothing to do with the real meaning of the word.
Aye – “Why, yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did.”
Aye aye – “I’ll get right on that, sir, as soon as my break is over.” We’ve never heard any similarly colorful expressions for “no,” perhaps because pirates were the type you didn’t want to say no to.
Arr – This one is often confused with arrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this beer,” “My team is winning,” “My team is losing,” “I saw that television show, it sucked,” “I am here and alive” and “That was a clever remark you or I just made.” And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of “Arrr!” It’s a little bit like the pirate version of “Oy,” that indispensable Yiddish word that has almost as many meanings as there are ways to pronounce it.

Upcoming Pirate Events on the Coast

Tybee Island Pirate Fest, takes place October 6 – 9, 2011. The party has grown this year with multiple concerts, fireworks, “Buccaneer Ball”, Thieves market, Pirate Victory Parade and Kid’s Zone.

St. Augustine Pirate Gathering
St Augustine Pirate Gathering takes place October 28 – 30, 2011 at St Francis Field in St. Augustine, Florida.