Well, three is the definitive age for the pirate landing. Moon had a great time, and though she was a little wary of the pirates once they landed, with a little encouragement she had some great interaction time. For those of you wondering what to do at the pirate landing, pirate interaction is where it’s at.

We arrived later than usual, a little after 11am. Festivities were in full swing, and other than the woman who flipped us off as we pulled into the parking space she was vacating (?), people were in high spirits. The overcast weather helped; the beach can feel amazingly hot when it’s clear out.

Several tall ships were in the water, firing cannons off into the distance. The Bounty of Krister sailed up from Tacoma’s Tall Ship Festival to join in. It was fun to watch, and a welcome distraction from the “I wants” that can crop up at all the vendor booths that line the beach.

The tide was low, and I was worried we’d be in for a repeat of three years ago, when the pirates were almost unable to land. Fortunately, the landing went smoothly and the low tide meant those willing to wade a bit could meet the pirates in the sea.

Once ashore, the pirates pose for pictures, talk and tease, and distribute treasures. For kids into collecting, each pirate has their own, “Pirate Cards” (much like baseball cards, but specific-to-the-pirate in question). Ask a pirate (politely!) about their pirate card, and they’ll offer one up (if they have it on them — pirates in the dunk tank, for example, won’t have them with them).

Dunking a pirate was an especially popular exercise for the young ones, and the pirates kept up a fun bit of banter while in the tank (or egging on kids to dunk a compatriot). Any lady’s willing to kiss a pirate will be given a button, while some kids who manage an especially wonderful interaction are often gifted pirate coins (When we missed the kids costume contest, Moon was heartbroken. A Seafair Pirate saved the day by stepping in with one of those coins). We saw several folks taking their free souvenir magazines around to be signed by the pirates, and several pirates taking a moment or two to deface the photos of their fellow scallywags.

If you missed the landing this year, there are still plenty of chances to catch the Seafair Pirates in action. They’ll be around. Here are some pirates basics to get you through the month-long Seafair Season:

• The Seafair Pirates ship is called, “The Moby Duck”.
• Captain is a rotating position among the pirates, with each captain serving for one year. The captain will be the only pirate wearing red.
• This year’s Captain, Walter “Tattoo” Taucher, is the first Asian American Seafair Pirate. His family’s crest is the basis for this year’s pirate crest, and you will find it on one side of this year’s Seafair Pirate coins. Many of the other pirates are also sporting “asian” touches to their costuming this year, in honor of their Captain.
• The pirate in Green is Davy Jones, charged with the keeping of the weather. Bad weather during Seafair events means Davy is dunked in the nearest available body of water.

Happy pirating!