Thar be pirate sites galore on the World Wide Web, and we’ve given up tryin’ to list ’em all. Here’s a smatterin’ o’ sites that have captured our fancy. If ye’ve got another and would like to swap links, give us a holler. We’ll check out yer site and consider it.
We’ve culled this page down to the essentials, killing off the 404s and favoring links to unique, high-quality products and services, pirate festivals (when we hear about ’em), just plain good stuff … and oddities that tickle our funny-bones.
We don’t sell ads, and we don’t do banner exchanges, although we’ll consider almost anything if you offer us great gobs of money (pirates gotta eat, too). We aren’t, in any real sense of the word, a business, so spare us the emails asking us if we want to buy your Chinese machine parts or SEO services. We don’t. But like we said, if you’ve got a chest of booty, we think it would be impolite of us not to at least listen, you know.
Disclaimer: Some of the sites below contain content that may make yer eyes cross, yer ears bleed or yer hair stand on end. Parental discretion advised.
First things first:
Our close personal friend and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Dave Barry
The TLAP Team on Social media
- John “Ol’ Chumbucket” Baur’s blog
- YouTube
- Photo gallarrrries on Flickr
- International Talk Like A Pirate Day – photos our fans have sent us on ITLAPDs past
- International Talk Like A Pirate Day Flickr Group – a space for Flickr members to share & talk about their own pirate photos, all year round.
The links
Kindred Souls
- The work o’ fantasy and pirate artist extraordinaire’ Don “Foulbottom” Maitz, responsible fer (among other things) the look o’ Captain Morgan’s Rum – and the cover of the Pirate Guys’ first book, “Well, Blow Me Down!”.
- Seattle Seafair Pirates – Pirate King of the Northwest since 1949!
- Bilgemunky.com – No longer active, but he was a steadfast mate and has archived some good stuff
- Mutiny – A terrific e-zine aimed at “the untapped adult pirate audience,” from our pal Talderoy and the pirates o’ Studio City. Cap’n Slappy and Ol’ Chumbucket are occasional contributors. You have to sign up for a membership, but it’s free, and they protect your privacy like buccaneers protecting their treasure. And the magazine looks great!
- Pirates & Privateers – The regularly updated website of of author Cindy Vallar, offering articles on the history of pirates and reviews of recent pirate books and movies. Cindy is one of those people who – if you need some specific pirate information, she knows it or knows who does and is willing to share.
- How to Talk Like A Pirate – complete with sound files and phrases – on How Pilgrim, by Kevin K., who offers other how-tos ranging from “how to stop a dog humping your leg” to “how to quit your job.”
- The International Brotherhood Of Neutral Pyrates, aka The Pyrates Union
- The Lady Sarah Out of Worthing – Cap’n Reg Miller’s labor o’ love, turnin’ a common garden shed into an entirely uncommon pirate ship. It’s amazing.
- Ocular Melanoma Foundation – Dedicated to research and support for people with eye cancer; one of their founders is a TLAPD fan whose husband “rocks the eyepatch.” Good cause, worthy of yer donations.
- One Tough Pirate – HIV/AIDs educator Bob Bowers definitely qualifies!
- PirateJokes.net – More than 1,000 pirate jokes. And yes, we’ve heard them all …
- The Pirate King – Rob Ossian (pronounced “Ocean”) has an amazing trove o’ nautical lore on his most excellent pirate-themed site.
- The Pyrates Way – Pirate-themed webzine, plus lots o’ booty to buy.
Pirate Performers
We recommend:
- The Bilge Pumps – A crew of troubadours from Texas who have been delighting audiences at fairs and festivals for more than twenty years. Their song, “Piratin’ the Seas,” is a particular favorite of Ol’ Chumbucket.
- Bilge Rats and Pyrettes
- Great Big Sea – Terrific Newfoundland-based band that fused traditional music with a modern sensibility. Sadly, they retired in 2015, but the music survives on YouTube
- The Pirate Charles – A pirate band that rocks hard.
- The Peerless Pirates – a UK band playing “energetic, up tempo, guitar-driven songs with lyrics inspired by the everyday tinged with splashes of history and naughtiness”
- Pyrates – Folk Done Pirate Style – formerly the UK’s No. 1 Pirate Band, relocated to The Netherlands
- Pyrates of the Coast – Pacific Northwest Faire performers
- Tom Smith, the World’s Fastest Filker, author of the Official Talk Like A Pirate Day anthem
- Tom Mason – folk/pirate/Americana musician, a real favorite of Team Pirate
(There are literally hundreds of other fine regional/international pirate bands and re-enactors out there – far too many for us to keep up with. Keep an eye out for them at pirate festivals and Renaissance Faires)
Pirate Songs
See our Songs page(s) for a bunch of fantastic TLAPD-specific songs by some of our fans, including the Official Talk Like A Pirate Day Song by Tom Smith
- Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads – lyrics and background on the 1941 Almanac Singers classic recording featuring Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Lee Hays.
- Sailor Songs – traditional tunes performed by Roger Chartier; site includes lyrics to many traditional chanteys and songs of the sea.
- Shanties and Sea Songs – Lyrics, news and CDs
- Songs of the Sea – part of Lesley Nelson’s encyclopedic Folk Music of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales & America website
- Stan Rogers – Official site for the late, great, Stan Rogers, whose songs of the Canadian Maritimes include a lot of great sea-faring tunes (many of which are also viewable on YouTube.)
People who (unlike us) take their piracy seriously
- Blackbeard’s Crew – Virginia-based living history group dedicated to seafaring life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
- New England Pirate Museum
- Pirate Shipwrecks
- Queen Anne’s Revenge – Dedicated to investigating, interpreting and preserving the remains of Blackbeard’s flagship.
- The St. Augustine (Fla.) Pirate & Treasure Museum
- Whydah Pirate Museum and Expedition Whydah – permanent home of the National Geographic Real Pirates exhibit
- Golden Hind – A full-sized replica of the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe, at Brixton, UK.
- Hartlepoole’s Maritime Experience – re-creation of an 18th century seaport in the north of England.
Pirate Books
We recommend:
Our own books, including:
- Pirate Santa – A heart-warmin’ tale about tattooed pirates in the Caribbean who save the day!Join our own Cap’n Slappy, Tal, Ninja Boy, Pirate Baby Girl and crew in one of the best children’s books ever about a Christmas pirate adventure.
- Chrissie Warren, Pirate Hunter – Ol’ Chumbucket’s first YA novel, about a 13-year-old girl who disguises herself as a boy and signs on to a Caribbean-bound merchant ship to find and rescue her father after he’s kidnapped by pirates.
Books for kids
- The Adventures of Short Stubbly Brown-Beard by Alan Levine
- Buried Treasure, a Pirates Tale by Carroll Harrison Kehne
- Everything I Know About Pirates, by Tom Lichtenheld
- The Giant Rat of Sumatra, or Pirates Galore, by Sid Fleischman, Illustrations by John Hendrix.
- Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, by Carolyn Crimi; Illustrated by John Manders
- How I Became a Pirate, by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon. Ol’ Chumbucket says “they perfectly capture life on a pirate ship.”
- The Pirate and the Penguin, by Patricia Storms. illustrated children’s book
- A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade – A fun little YouTube “trailer” for James Preller and Greg Ruth’s excellent children’s book
- Pirate’s Lullaby by Marcie Wessels. Mutiny at bedtime! (Launched on TLAPD 2015!)
- Pugwash and the Sea Monster – On-line interactive version of popular pirate books for kids
- Scallywags, Sprogs and Polliwogs – Broadside Bill’s pirate poetry, videos and other cool stuff for kids and their parents.
Books for teens & adults
- Captain Mary, Buccaneer, by Jean Church Symonds
- How to Speak Pirate: A Treasury of Seafaring Slang, by Geordie Telfer
- Hook and Jill, by Andrea Jones. A romance writer’s reimagining of Wendy’s story
- The Legend of Gasparilla by Sarah Jane Kasserman (all ages)
- Pirate Haiku, by Michael P. Spradlin
- The Pirate Romance Books page on Facebook, for those who like that sort of thing.
- Treasure Island: the Untold Story – Jon Amrhein Jr.’s real-life prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale.
- Victory in Tripoli: How America’s War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation by Joshua E. London
Web books:
- Ile de Torture – A participant-written on-line “novel” of the high seas. (Requires registration to read or post).
- Raging Gail, the Tale of a Daring Pirate and the Crew that Sailed Under Her, by James Ryan. A serialized pirate story in blog format.
- (And don’t forget our own serial, The Ship’s Log o’ The Festering Boil!)
Pirate comics
Pirate comics
- Avast ye – A tale of two lubbers who give up their day jobs and take to the high seas.
- I was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space
- Penguin Pirates vs. Ninja Chickens
- Savage Chickens – Chickens. Drawn on PostIt notes. Celebrating TLAPD each year with a week of pirate-chicken panels.
Pirate arrrrt, video and animations
We recommend:
- Our own Talk Like A Pirate Day videos on YouTube!
- How To Talk Like A Pirate – Hilarious – and informative – “how to” video from LoadingReadyRun, on YouTube.
More art, videos & animations
- Cook’s Day Off – A fine restaging of an ollllld pirate joke
- Corr-Thieves – An episodic video adventure – with pirates!
- Pirates of the Great Salt Lake, a terrific independent feature film that never got the theatrical releases it deserved. Check for it on streaming video services.
Pirate Fun & Games
We Recommend:
- Puzzle Pirates – on-line games community about, well, pirates. Pretty popular a few years back, and still active.
- Sid Meiers’ Pirates – Revival of a great game, for the PC, XBox – and now the iPad!
More fun & games
- Adventure Quest – Popular MMORPG site celebrates TLAPD every September by putting players aboard Captain Rhubarb’s pirate ship with special challenges and prizes!
- Age of Booty – Award-winning action-strategy game for the X-Box, Playstation and PC
- Dogs of the Seas – a pirate MMORPG
- Gather yer mateys and stage yer own Pirate Murder Mystery, from Lucky Knight Murder Mysteries
- Munchkin Booty – Another fine creation from Steve “Evil Stevie” Jackson.
- Pirates – a free flash game from Crazy Monkey Games
- Pirates of the Burning Sea – A splendid MMORPG of adventure on the high seas.
- Pirate’s Booty – a puzzle game
- Play Crossbones – A swashbuckling pirate adventure game for 2-5 players, ages 8 and up
- Rule the Seas – Free online pirate-themed game where you can do just about whatever you want.
- Scallywag Tag – a Cincinnati, Ohio lazer tag outfit with a pirate theme!
- Treasure Island – a board game from Burley Games
Pirate Festivals
- Gasparilla (Fla.) Pirate Fest – January – February, now with a special alcohol-free children’s festival in addition to the take-no-prisoners adult festival
- NOLA Pyrate Week – March-April in New Orleans (*current home port of Ol’ Chumbucket and Mad Sally)
- Corpus Christi (Tex.) Buccaneer Days – April
- Fells Point Privateer Festival, Baltimore MD – April
- Contraband Days (Lake Charles, La.) – April-May
- Hampton, Virginia, Blackbeard Festival – June
- Billy Bowlegs Festival, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.- June
- Northern California Pirate Festival, Vallejo – June
- Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze, Westport, WA – June
- Seadog Nights and Gypsy Carnival, Cheadle Lake Park, Lebanon, Ore. – July
- Seattle SeaFair – July
- Pirate Festival, relocated to Guelph, Ontario, Canada – July
- Rock Hall (MD) Pirate Fantasy Weekend – August
- Beaufort (N.C.) Pirate Invasion – August
- Portland (OR) Pirate Festival – After bouncing from location to location, this great festival is on hiatus, but hoping to return in full glory for 2018.
- Cedar Key (Fla.) Pirate Fest – September (usually right around TLAPD!)
- Wells Pirate Festival – September, at Wells-next-to-theSea, Norfolk, UK
- Tybee Island (Georgia) Pirate Fest – October
- Pirates Week – the national festival of the Cayman Islands! November
Pirate Excursions & Experiences
- The good ship Jolly Pirates, sailin’ the treacherous charter seas off Aruba, and havin’ way too much fun doin’ it.
- Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake – Join a merry band of pirates on the mighty ship Sea Gypsy for swashbuckling family outings, birthday parties, field trips, and exciting adventures.
- Pirate’s Dinner Adventures – ” a dinner show attraction that puts you and your family right in the middle of all of the swashbuckling action.” Orlando, Fla. and Buena Park, Calif.
- Salty Sam’s Pirate Cruise – out of Ft. Myers, Fla.
- Looking for pirate fun beyond Talk Like A Pirate Day? Sydney Treasure Hunt arranges pirate-themed treasure hunts on land and sea, in and around Sydney, Australia, as team-building activities.
Pirate gear & garb
We’ve decided to ditch a gazillion links to companies that offer the same mass-market Halloween costumes in favor of a handful of purveyors of custom and high-quality garb favored by re-enactors and other true enthusiasts. No offense to the former – ye can find ’em by Googling “pirate costumes (or “pirate fancy dress” in the UK). There are just too many of them to keep track of. Instead, here’s the Good Stuff – not cheap, but worth every penny.
- The official ITLAPD Pirate Booty store on CafePress, where ye can purchase official TLAPD T-shirts, mugs and other gear (and help keep us in grog).
- Captain Jack’s Pirate Hats – the favored pirate hats of Ol’ Chumbucket
- Sword and the Stone – Tony Swatton, weapon-maker to the stars, and a mate o’ Cap’n Slappy’s.
- Baltimore Knife and Sword – Top-quality weaponry, favored for stage combat for decades.
- Rogue Steel – Quality custom swords and other blades suitable for stage combat
- SCA Boots – As worn by Ol’ Chumbucket hisself, who calls his Sir Henry boots “honest-to-god the most comfortable footwear I own.”
- DressLikeAPirate.Com – Clothing-quality pirate and wench costumes, garb & accessories; Shayna helped dress Team Pirate & friends for Wench Swap
- Caribbean Rose – Gorgeous, handcrafted pirate hats for lads and lasses, custom designed, handblocked, and hand stitched.
- Michael Elledge is an artist who makes well-crafted, non-firing replicas of historic cannon and their carriages. They’re things of beauty!
- Museum Replicas – Established weaponry and costume house (since the 1970s), they supplied props for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Quality stuff.
- The Pirates’ Lair – offers authentic restored antique 100 – 150 year old pirate chests, sea chests with a pirate theme and decor; and vintage nautical furniture from restored WWII Liberty Ship wooden hatch covers to U.S. Navy-issued nautical dinnerware and tableware.
- 826Valencia, a program for young San Francisco writers. They have a downright eerie pirate store that helps fund their writing programs.
- Jezebel’s Booty Bag – Free .pdf knitting pattern for a capacious, felted, doubleknit pirate bag, designed by our erstwhile Webwench.
- Legend Cove – A lifestyle brand dedicated to the realm of pirates, sea creatures, and legends of the deep. Legends Cove offers T-shirts, housewares and other products via online retail and wholesale.
- … and don’t forget our own pirate booty store on CafePress for official TLAPD shirts, mugs and more!
Everything Else
We Recommend
- Ye Olde Tattoo Shoppe/Studio City Tattoo – Our good friends, offering tattoos, body jewelry and one hell of a TLAPD parrrrty. Tell ’em Cap’n Slappy (who sports a good deal of their ink) sent ye!
- The Marie Curie Cancer Care – this fine UK charity has been using TLAPD almost since the beginning to raise funds to help cancer patients receive home care.
- Davy Jones’ Locker – More about science than pirates, but a fine piratical look at sea-floor mapping and coastl GIS by our mate Deepsea Dawn Wright, now chief scientist at ESRI, which makes ARC-GIS mapping software (pirates would’ve killed for it!) If ye’re interested in mapping, check them out.
- Pirates@home is a test of the Berkeley Operating Infrastructure for Computer Networking (BOINC), harnessing the power of a gazillion home computers to help with important experiments in computing, physics and other fields. Because nerds can be pirates, too!
Miscellany
- Arrr.Net – Every joke you’ve ever heard of (and some you haven’t) with “arrr” in the punchline.
- Avast! – Lean, mean, effective anti-virus software protects yer computer against the bad kind of pirates. And if yer wiley, you might get a prate-talk Easter Egg on Sept. 19…
- Classic-Pirates.com – Dedicated to the original pirate LEGO sets.
- Feathered Friends Forever – Where would a pirate be without his parrot? Feathered Friends Forever works to improve the lives of companion birds and promotes avian welfare through humane education, rescue, and by providing a temporary and/or permanent safe haven for abandoned birds. Throw ’em some doubloons!
- International Scurvy Awareness Day . No, really.
- PiratesPassions – an on-line social-network and dating site for … pirates!
“Official” Talk Like A Pirate sites
Which pretty much means they e-mailed us and asked “can we be the official …?” We’re pushovers, so we say yes a lot. Don’t let it go to yer heads.
- The “Official” British Headquarters for Talk Like A Pirate Day – Cap’n Fat Jack (the pirate formerly known as Mauvebeard) and Flintlock Fin are doing a fine job of organizing charitable events on and around Sept. 19 in the name of Talk Like A Pirate Day.
- The Official Naval Vessel of Talk Like A Pirate Day – the USS John Young, decommissioned on Sept. 19, 2002. Sunk at firing practice. (Nominated by former crewman ‘Crash’ Gordon Hlavenka, the Scourge of Pier 7).
- The Patron Saint of Talk Like A Pirate Day: Robert Newton – the late character actor who practically created pirate talk as we know it with his unforgettable Long John Silver in the 1950 movie classic, Treasure Island
- The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster All hail the Pastafarians for discovering the link between the decline of pirates and global warming