As some of you may remember, I dressed-up as a pirate last year for Halloween. While no Jack the Monkey, I didn’t do too badly in my outfit. So imagine my glee when I realized that Mahone Bay has an annual “pirate celebration” during their Mahone Bay Regatta…this meant I could dress-up as a pirate again!
The festival had its inaugural year in 2011 after 22 years of the Wooden Boat Festival. The whole event is how Mahone Bay likes to celebrate their region’s historic relationship with the sea.
From Friday to Sunday, the entire town turned into Pirate Bay! There were rangers all around the town trying to round up the pirates that were congregating on the town’s streets and back alleys. In fact, there was even a “pirate invasion” from the sea on Saturday!
I actually got to witness the cornering of Captain Frederick Johnson by the King’s Orange Rangers, which was really interesting. Basically, a bunch of rangers arrested the Captain and prepared the crowds for later on in the evening, where they burned the privateer ship “The Young Teazer”. I missed the burning of the ship, but I hear it has become quite the annual spectacle.
The regatta itself is also amazing to experience. Regardless of size, vessels compete for prizes and trophies in different categories. And then there’s the race for fun, where people build and race boats completely made from recycled cardboard! All in all, the regatta itself is a blast to experience and it’s great to see all of the boats in and around Mahone Bay.
The fun isn’t entirely centered around the boats in the harbour and the pirates on shore (though I have to admit it’s pretty cool to walk around the town and see pirates pretty much everywhere I go). In fact, there are musical buskers performing at every turn. The food is aplenty and incredible. There is even a beer garden and a community breakfast, so I truly believe there is something for everybody over the course of this weekend.
If you want more information, definitely check them out on their website, on Twitter, or on Facebook. If you forget about the festival by this time next year, their social media updates will make sure you are reminded!
Classic boats, pirate artifacts, marauding buccaneers, musicians and competitive sailing events will entertain and engage the whole family. It truly was a festival for everybody and I can’t wait to go experience it again next year!
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Have any ideas on where in the Maritimes I should show up next? Know of a great local business that you think should get some exposure? Are you a small business owner who would like to promote your product? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Just send me an email at RomanChimpsky@gmail.com and let me know!
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