Birth of the Sea Dragon Pirates

In 2018, Frank Sharman (AKA Fair Weather Frank) had arranged to celebrate his birthday on 20 September with a meal aboard The Castle Barge, a floating restaurant moored at The Town Warf, Newark. Being a special event, his daughter innocently asked if the party would be going in fancy dress.

It seemed like a logical idea at the time and given the nautical location Frank and his friend Elaine Darby decided to dress as pirates. Unbeknown to them, the booking followed ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’ on 19 September and to their surprise were welcomed aboard and all those in the party dressed as pirates were treated to free drinks by the bar staff.

It was this happy occasion that encouraged Frank to attend his first pirate festivals at Matlock Bath and Whitby the following year where he and Elaine met Luke Hardy, and the idea to form their own pirate group was born. The crew of three soon became four when they were joined by Christine Booth (AKA Chrissy Cutlass) to form the core members of the Sea Dragon Pirates

Of course, a pirate captain needs a ship and so, despite lacking previous boat-building experience – not even a small model – he built the group its first pirate ship. Named Sea Dragon 1, this rowing boat-sized galleon had two masts and could be sailed by one person.

During the next three years, Frank added to the fleet and it now totals ten craft, nine of which are self-designed and built, and the tenth has been converted from a derelict rowing boat, which he salvaged from a local boatyard.

The Sea Dragon fleet ranges in size from unmanned models up to a craft carrying the Captain and a crew of one, whilst Sea Dragon 10 is in service as a

Pictures supplied by John Downey Photography.

Frank Sharman, Christine Booth and Luke Hardy dressed to impress in Whitby.

bar in Frank’s garden! Members of the group now number eight and there is also Dithers, the group’s long-serving animated pirate. He is the test pilot (or crash dummy) for launching any new Sea Dragons. Collectively, they are known as the scourge of the River Derwent!

Penzance Harbour

Captain and crew are visiting as many pirate events as they can with their stall, not the boat, unfortunately! We shall have all you will need to bring out ‘yer inner pirate’ from shirts, hats, trousers and flags to piratical accessories beyond count. We stock 17th & 18th Century weaponry, as well as Celtic, Gothic, Steam-punk shirts and T-shirts plus a range of jewellery and accessories. So we hope to see you at one of the events this year, but if you cannot make it, we can be found in Penzance Harbour, Cornwall.