Ahoy, Matey

Ahoy, mates! This week we sail back to 1718, when Governor Woodes Rogers sent ex-pirate Benjamin Hornigold to hunt down his old comrade Charles Vane at Green Turtle Cay. A tale of betrayal and survival that marked the beginning of Nassau’s fall.

And don’t forget — Talk Like a Pirate Day be just ahead. We’ve slipped in a few phrases to keep yer tongues sharp for the 19th.

⚓ This Week in Pirate History

September 14, 1718 – The Hunter and the Hunted

The newly installed governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, had one mission: stamp out piracy in Nassau and restore order in the name of the Crown.

On this day, Rogers received word that the infamous pirate Charles Vane was harbored at Green Turtle Cay. Rather than risk himself, he dispatched Benjamin Hornigold — once one of the most notorious pirates in the Bahamas — to hunt Vane down.

Hornigold had accepted the King’s Pardon earlier that year, trading his black flag for a royal commission. For Vane, it was the cruelest irony: being pursued by a man who had once plundered alongside him.

Vane, true to his reputation, would not be cornered so easily. His cunning and sheer defiance made him the living spirit of piracy, standing in open opposition to the tightening grip of empire. The pursuit marked a turning point — the beginning of the end for Nassau’s outlaw republic.

⚔️ Sidebar: The King’s Pardon — A Divided Brotherhood

When King George I offered amnesty in 1717, many pirates in Nassau’s “Flying Gang” faced an impossible choice:

• Accept the pardon and trade freedom for legitimacy, as Hornigold did.

• Or reject the pardon and remain freebooters, as Vane defiantly chose.

This split shattered friendships, divided crews, and turned shipmates into enemies. Rogers exploited these rifts, using reformed pirates to hunt their brothers. It was the perfect strategy: who better to track an outlaw than one who had once lived by the same code?

The pursuit of Vane by Hornigold symbolizes the collapse of the pirate haven — a brief golden age ending in betrayal, divided loyalties, and the rise of empire’s justice.

🗣️ Talk Like a Pirate Day Be Comin’!

Mark yer calendars, mates! Thursday, September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day — the one day a year when ye can answer emails with an “Arrr!” and no one bats an eye.

Sharpen yer lingo, polish yer “yo-hos,” and practice that growl — for in Episode 22 we’ll bring ye the full tale of how this day set sail across the seven seas, along with a handy pirate phrasebook to make ye sound like a true buccaneer.

📖 Pirate Phrasebook Preview

Here’s a taste to get yer tongue ready:

• “Avast, ye scallywag!” – Stop what ye be doin’, fool.

• “Hand over the booty!” – I’d like that snack, please.

• “The seas be fair, but I be foul.” – Mornings aren’t my strong suit.

Keep these close, mates — for in Episode 22 we’ll unleash the full phrasebook, enough to make even Blackbeard’s ghost grin.

💰 Plunder Pick of the Week

This week’s treasure be closer to home, mates — straight from the captain’s own chest!

📖 Pirates of the Wild West – penned by none other than yer humble chronicler of The Pirate Republic. In this first book of the Pirate Time Travel Series, buccaneers swap cutlasses for six-shooters as they collide with outlaws on the American frontier.

And here be the kicker: Book Two – Pirates of World War II – launches October 3rd. If ye don’t catch up now, ye’ll be marooned when the next storm blows in.

👉 Snag yer copy of Pirates of the Wild West here before the tide carries it away.

🪙 Did Captain Kidd Bury Treasure on Money Island?

Few pirates be as wrapped in mystery as Captain William Kidd. Born a Scottish sailor, Kidd began as a privateer, hunting France’s enemies and chasing pirates under the King’s commission. But by the late 1690s, the tide turned against him. Branded a pirate himself after seizing the ship Quedagh Merchant, Kidd was arrested, hauled to London, and hanged in 1701 — his body left dangling in an iron cage over the Thames as a warning to all would-be buccaneers.

Yet Kidd’s greatest legend lives not in the gallows, but in the whispers of his buried treasure. Tales claim he hid hoards of gold and jewels along the American coast before his capture. From New England to the Carolinas, treasure maps and rumors abound.

One of those whispers lingers in Wilmington, North Carolina, where locals point to Money Island near Wrightsville Beach and Bradley Creek. The story says Kidd buried a chest there, its whereabouts lost to time. Hunters have searched, but no chest has yet been found — only the enduring hope that a fortune sleeps beneath the sand.

👉 Learn more about the Wilmington legend here.

⛵ Sails on the Horizon – Upcoming Pirate Events

Marcus Hook Pirate Festival — Keep the Plank House Afloat

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025, 11 AM–6 PM
Location: Market Square Memorial Park, 4 E Delaware St, Marcus Hook, PA
Admission: Free entry
Website: Marcus Hook Preservation Society

This tiny Pennsylvania town crams a mighty pirate punch every year! Expect a full pirate encampment with reef wallets and powder horns, demonstrations of firearms, cannons, and beer making, plus food vendors, pony rides, petting zoos, face painting, and a beer garden. All booty raised helps restore the historic Plank House — rumored to have housed Blackbeard’s own mistress.
Learn More-

Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival — Renaissance Plunders in Vegas

Dates: October 10–12, 2025 (Friday & Saturday 10 AM–10 PM; Sunday 10 AM–5 PM)
Location: Sunset Park, 2601 E Sunset Rd, Las Vegas, NV
Website: lvrenfair.com

Now in its 31st year, the Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival brings medieval majesty—and a dash of pirate mischief—to the deserts of Nevada. Expect live jousts, fire shows, artisan vendors, mead gardens, swordplay, minstrels, and even the occasional pirate among the jesters. Costumes aren’t just encouraged—they’re the law of the land... or at least of the faire.

☠️ Captain’s Log

“From pardons to betrayals, Nassau’s story be one of broken brotherhood. Next week, we swap heavy tales for hearty laughs — for Talk Like a Pirate Day be upon us!”

Fair winds,
– Captain Blackquill

🗣️ Share the Spoils, Matey!

Know a landlubber who’d love tales of treasure, ghost ships, and real pirate history? Don’t keep the gold to yerself—send ‘em our way!

📜 Sign up here → https://www.piratefanclub.com/weeklynewsletter-thepiraterepublic

Fair winds and full inboxes!

Sail with us across the digital seas:
📜 TikTok: @thepiraterepublic
▶️ YouTube: The Pirate Republic

🎖️ Thanks for Embarkin’ on the Voyage

We set sail every Friday, storm or shine. Keep yer spyglass pointed at the horizon...
and may yer week be full o’ plunder, parlay, and just the right amount o’ mutiny.

Share this letter with yer crewmates, an if ye find treasure or tales worth tell’n, send them to [email protected].

 Disclosure: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links, which means we may earn doubloons (aka a small commission) if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Pirate Republic, ya savvy sea dog!