Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Every time that I see this replica of the sailing ship The Pilgrim in Dana Point, these famous pirating words are always the first to come to mind. Maybe it means that I am a worrier. Something bad is likely to happen. Or that I have visited Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland once too often!
Become a merchant seaman, face bad weather, churning seas, backbreaking labor? As was true for the workers on The Pilgrim? Many did, making trading voyages on vessels like this one that sailed from the east coast to the west coast of the United States during the 19th century. But face pirates? Now that is a different story entirely!
Adventurers may always have been drawn to the seas, to their inherent risks, to their unknown dangers. And to their breathtaking beauty. We likely are little different today, with recreation taking the lead over backbreaking labor in placing us gliding or racing over the waves. We even hear of modern-day pirate action, from time to time.
Are bandits drawn to the sea -- or does the deep anonymity of the sea beget bandits? For that answer, I suppose we must search for some vestige of inner-bandit that may be found in each of us.
The spirit of Halloween may typify my inner-bandit. "Ahoy there! Hand over all of your chocolate!" Those would likely be my pirating commands upon boarding a vessel. And then, I'd probably add, "Please" just for good measure!
