Ahoy, Matey

We be set’n sail once again in these new and treacherous waters where mutiny and shipwrecking sea monsters lurk just beyond your line o’ sight.

Today we climbed the rat-lines and posted a watch in the crow’s nest to bring ye these stories, filling your pirate heart and soul with adventure and knowledge. Strap on ye cutlass, load that blunderbuss and man the cannons as ye seek your plunder!

🦜 Real Pirate Inspirations

Jack Ward – The Original Jack Sparrow?

Before Johnny Depp swayed across the big screen with beads in his hair and a bottle of rum in hand, there was Jack Ward—a real-life English pirate from the 1500s who turned corsair, converted to Islam, and terrorized the Mediterranean.

Known as Jack "Birdy" Ward, this sailor was described as “a master of disguise, a foul-mouthed rascal, and possibly mad.” Sound familiar? Ward was once a privateer for Queen Elizabeth, but after the war ended and he found himself jobless, he stole a ship in Portsmouth Harbor and fled to the Barbary Coast.

From there, he made a name as one of the most infamous pirate-turned-Muslim corsairs of his time, commanding fear and respect across the sea. His unpredictable nature, flair for dramatic escapes, and reputation for eccentric behavior inspired tales back home—some say even Shakespeare wrote about him in The Tempest. Over 400 years later, Hollywood found him again.

If Jack Sparrow had a great-great-great-great-grand-rogue uncle, it was probably Jack "Birdy" Ward.

📜 This Week in Pirate History

May 7th, 1694 – Henry Avery’s Mutiny: The Birth of a Pirate Legend

On the night of May 7th, 1694, a man named Henry Avery did something bold—he turned mutiny into legend. Avery was serving as first mate aboard the Charles II, a privateer ship contracted by the Spanish. But after months of delays and unpaid wages, he’d had enough. Rallying the discontented crew, Avery seized the ship in the Cape Verde Islands and renamed her the Fancy.

With cheers and cannon blasts, the Fancy became a pirate ship—and Henry Avery her captain.

Avery would go on to orchestrate one of the most lucrative pirate hauls in history, capturing the Mughal treasure ship Ganj-i-Sawai and making off with a fortune in gold, silver, and jewels. Unlike many pirates of his time, Avery was never caught. He vanished into the mists of history, becoming a living legend in ballads and sailor’s tales.

His mutiny on May 7th is now seen as the flashpoint for the Golden Age of Piracy.

🐙 Legend or Truth? The Sea Monster That Was Real

The Kraken of the 1600s—Revealed

For centuries, sailors spoke in hushed tones about a tentacled monster the size of an island that could drag entire ships beneath the waves. They called it the Kraken. The stories came out of Scandinavian waters, and by the 1600s, pirates and whalers alike feared the creature that could swallow a man whole and snap a mast like a twig.

But here’s the twist: the Kraken was real… sort of.

What those terrified sailors were seeing was likely the giant squid—a deep-sea creature that can grow over 40 feet long, with eyes the size of dinner plates and limbs lined with toothed suckers. Rarely seen at the surface, giant squids occasionally washed ashore or were glimpsed during storms, sparking tales of sea monsters with a taste for timber and tar.

Science caught up centuries later, and it wasn’t until 2004 that researchers finally captured footage of a living giant squid in the wild.

Turns out the pirates weren’t spinning yarns. They were just the first witnesses to one of the ocean’s true monsters.

💰 Plunder Pick o’ the Week

Book: Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly

This rollicking account of the golden age of piracy is packed with vivid history and high seas adventure. David Cordingly, an acclaimed expert on pirates, reveals the spellbinding truth behind the legends of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Sir Francis Drake, and the fierce female brigands Mary Read and Anne Bonny.

If you want a deeper dive into the real pirate life—less "yo-ho-ho" and more blood, grog, and cannon smoke—this book is your next voyage.

🏴‍☠️ Upcoming Events

⚓ May 16, 2025 – Pirate Invasion Day at the Lincoln Forest Renaissance Faire

Hoist the Jolly Roger and sharpen yer cutlasses! The Lincoln Forest Ren Faire is hostin’ Pirate Invasion Day on May 16th. Come dressed in yer finest boots and breeches, take in live shows, drink mead, and be part of a full-blown scallywag celebration.

More at: https://www.lincolnforestrenfair.com/themed-weekends

⚓ May 10-11, 2025 – Conwy Pirate Festival at Conwy, North Wales UK.

The event revolves around our legendary pirate battle when the pirates enter the harbour aboard their ship Vilma with cannons blazing. They meet a vigorous rebuttal from the guns of the medieval castle and militia on the quayside and town walls.

More at https://conwypirates.uk/the-event/

☠️ Sign-Off

We hoist our thanks to ye for readin’, Matey! Share this letter with yer crewmates, and if ye find treasure or tales worth sharin’, send ‘em to [email protected] .

Until next tide,
Captain Black Quill & The Pirate Republic Crew
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