Scuttlebutt

Agreat tale of Devon’s charitable pirates appeared in community newspaper ‘Torbay Weekly’ last year and its Editor, Jim Parker, has agreed to the story being published in ‘Scuttlebutt’.

A successful Pirate Day was held at Paignton’s oldest pub, The Torbay Inn, on 14 August to raise funds for the RNLI Torbay Lifeboat. Organised by landlords Dave and Sue Ballinger, the Friday night Pig Race raised some big money and more cash rolled in on Saturday when staff and customers became pirates of Devon if not the Caribbean!

Beltane Border Morris, a side that can be more frightening than many pirates, danced up a storm alongside the pub whilst local singer/guitarist Bob Thomson performed inside the bar. A

Torbay Inn supports local lifeboat

Landlords Dave and Sue Ballinger hold the giant cheque made out to the RNLI flanked by Stormy Sam and Lynn Spillett.

karaoke session was held in the evening when ‘singers’ paid to perform whilst the audience either paid to remove them from the stage or, in the case of those with any talent, donated to keep them singing. A massive cheque for £1,506.40 was subsequently presented to Lynn Spillett, Chair of Torbay Lifeboat Fundraisers, who was accompanied by Stormy Sam, their mascot.

Helen and Heather from Beltane’s side are scary enough, but you should see the men!

Certified pirates

The MIT Pirate Certificate became available from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Autumn, 2011. It is only issued to students who have completed archery, fencing, Pistol (air pistol or rifle) and sailing courses.

In 2016, Matt Damon received an MIT Pirate Certificate from the school’s President Rafael Reif. The American actor attended Harvard, but never actually graduated and his certificate was awarded following his keynote speech to the class of 2016 as he had described himself as a space pirate for his role in ‘The Martian’, a hit film released the previous year.

The Institute stresses that the MIT Pirate Certificate is for entertainment purposes only and does not give the recipient license to engage in piracy or any pirate activities!

It’s a fact

It wasn’t all booty, rum and wenches (not necessarily in that order) for pirates and keeping a pet on board ship was not unknown. Despite what you may have seen in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, keeping a large pet such as a monkey could cause problems and dogs had to be taken for walkies!

Cats (particularly black ones), however, were believed to ensure good luck on a voyage. More practically, they killed rodents, which would otherwise despoil victuals and chew on the rigging.

Another option was a parrot, which added bright plumage against the monotony of sea and sky and could learn to repeat phrases, often using bad language, for entertainment purposes. Cheap to acquire in the West Indies or Madagascar, they often outlived their owners!

The Premium and Honey Spiced Rums crafted by the Devon Rum Co have both grabbed gold in the Taste of the West Awards for the second year in a row.

On accepting the company’s brace of awards, Managing Director Dave Seear said: “We are thrilled to have been named double Taste of the West Gold Award winners in the wine, spirits and liqueurs category by such a highly regarded organisation”.

The latest awards marked yet another milestone for this rising rum brand, which only recently announced the launch of its second flavour – an exquisite honey blend made with locally-sourced wild flower honey from Quince Honey Farm in North Devon.

“We’ve been blown away by the support we’ve seen over the last year,” added Seear. “It seems now more than ever there is a true desire to support independent and local businesses, and we can’t wait to entertain the craft rum community with more great products and campaigns in the future.”

Accredited Taste of the West Gold Award stickers will be displayed on 70 cl bottles of Premium and Honey Spiced Rums over the coming months.

Devon Rum grabs gold

Pirates fight cancer on four wheels

The Plundering Pirates of the North East recently handed over £3,000 to Berwick Cancer Cars. This money had been raised over several events held in the last 12 months, which included a pirate-themed 1980s Disco, an open air birthday celebration, an online Christmas competition and a memorial send-off for one of the pirate crew, Russell Toward, who passed away last year. His crewmates wish to thank Berwick Cancer Cars for naming one of their cars after Russell – a lovely tribute.

The members also wish to thank local band Not Now Norman for playing at two of the above events and also donating cash, which was included in the recent handover total. The pirates also enjoyed great support from Robbie Reay and the Killer Cats, Luna Nigra Tribal Dancers and Leiper’s Entertainment.

The £3,000 takes the Plundering Pirate’s cumulative total raised for the cars to £20,000 over the past ten years and much fun has been had achieving this through a variety of piratical events.

A few of the magnificent marauding pirates met up with a band of Berwick Cancer Cars ‘Yellow Tops’ for a waterside presentation at Carr Rock, Spittal, alongside the very special Mitsubishi named ‘Russell’. A bloodless battle ensued and it was looking like a victory for the brave ‘Yellow Tops’, but they were soon overwhelmed by their fearsome (yet very friendly) foes!

The team from Berwick Cancer Cars issued a huge, hearty vote of thanks to Cap’n Edward Teach and his very motley crew for their continuous fundraising and for always making it so much fun.

Privateer and Ships Surgeon 17th & 18th Century Medical Re-enactment

Jeff Lippman Tel: 07796 145911 Two awards for Festival

Tendring District Council in Essex has awarded the Harwich International Shanty Festival a Pride of Tendring Award, which was accepted by Festival founders Pam and Jon Fitzgerald at a ceremony on 11 February.

A second award, the Kate Guilfoyle Memorial Shield, was presented to Jon & Pam Fitzgerald by local charity group Ramsey and Dovercourt Crusaders. The couple will hold the Shield for one year and both agreed that they were humbled and grateful for this recognition and hope that the Festival may continue to play an important part in the life of Harwich town and its residents.