Yar, Har, Arrr!!! - 2

549

13 July 2012

R. Linda:

By that time we were on the docks. Two of the ships were out with tourists on board, but there were two at the dock for boarding so you could see what a tall ship was like at the dock. Weasil started up the gangplank with me behind him. The crew of which there were a few on deck to explain the ship workings saw us and smiled ruefully. I felt very self-conscious and I was almost glad no one knew who I was. Let me tell ya!

"So mates, come to commandeer the ship have you?" One of the crew said laughing or more like jeering.

That didn't phase the Weasil one bit.

"We have sir, if you'll just stand aside and let us pass we will take this baby out to sea," Weasil said with a pirate-like arrogance that stunned not only me but the crewman.

"He's kidding," I said.

"No, I am not kidding I mean what I say. Now you sir, stand aside, I'd a word with your captain if you please, and you will inform him that Captain Geoffrey Thorpe (formally of the good ship Sea Hawk) is at his service."

"Really? Are we REALLY doing this?" I whispered in his ear as the crewman looked from amused to not so much. "You'll have us both in jail you don't stop this play-acting now." I hissed.

He brushed me aside he did. Just like that, looked around at me with an arched eyebrow like I was the one who should take the orders, and then turned his attention to the crewman who had asked "Who?".

"Thorpe. Captain Geoffrey Thorpe. Well?"

"Hold on," the man said and he disappeared inside the ship.

"Are you nuts?" I asked Weasil. "What do you think you are doing?"

He shushed me as the ship's captain was coming. I turned to see a familiar face with the crewman at his heels. He was dressed in a brown pirate coat, brown trousers, knee boots, red bandanna with dark brown dreads dressed with beads, and I knew instantly I was looking at Captain Jack who was weaving unsteadily in our direction.

"Ho mates," he said obviously tipsy, "one of you a Captain Thorn?"

"No, Thorpe," corrected Weasil.

"Oh, well what happened to Captain Thorn then?" The captain said looking around then it dawned on him, "OH like the captain of the Sea Hawk?" He said as if he could see the name floating in the air.

"That would be correcto mondo." The Weasil said proudly.

I stood there now wondering what joke this was on me. I was suspicious that the Captain Jack I was looking at might be the Captain Jaack who frequents me blog. I wouldn't put it passed Weasil to play an elaborate joke on yours truly.

"And you are?" The captain pointed at me with an unsteady finger.

"He's Captain Horatio Hook." The Weasil volunteered for me.

I was gobsmacked. "Horatio?" I whispered into his ear.

He put a finger up for quiet.

"I, sir, am here to commandeer your ship the . . . the . . . " he craned his neck trying to see the name.

"The Chipped Pearl!" Jaack said proudly.

"Aye aye, the Chipped Pearl!"

OH, that did it, I now knew for certain this was indeed the Johnny Depp impersonator from me blog. But I was curious if this was a ship named the Chipped Pearl so I looked over the side and the ship did not say Chipped Pearl it said Spirit of Pittsburgh or something from Pennsylvania. While I was thinking how can this be, Pennsylvania be landlocked, I realised Jaack was either drunk as a skunk or a very good actor, as it turned out it was the latter, but at the time he had me guessing.

"Methinks the captain has had too many beverages of the alcoholic degree," I said walking back to them ready to play along.

"So I have," Captain Jaack said, "you, Captain Thorn are just in time to sail her out." And he magnanimously swept his arm out to encompass the entire ship.

"Thorpe," Weasil corrected again.

"Thorn, Thorpe, it's all the same," Captain Jaack said with a hiccup and a wave of his hand.

Without further ado the two of them went to the ship's wheel, me dogging their heels. What was I to do?

"THIS, this," I waved me arm at the entire ship, "IS what YOU do?" I asked Jaack. "YOU'RE the Captain Jaack from me blog?"

"How cool is that?" He said with a big smile of self-exposed ego. "Hoist sails me hearties!" He ordered and as I stood there completely gobsmacked, the crew jumped to it and before I knew it, we were in full sail heading out of the harbour.

"You're very very good at this," I said to him. "You look enough like Captain Sparrow to be Johnny Depp!" I know I was gushing. What were the odds I'd met the REAL Captain Jaack? Well, not too bad actually he lived in Maine not too far from me own abode and I had heard he travels doing his "appearances." Then it hit me, as I looked at the two of them having some kind of animated conversation. It took me a good few minutes to shake the strange feeling I was not with one nutter, but two!

As the waves slapped the ship's sides hard, and the white caps frothed as they broke, we were out in the middle of the ocean it seemed. The land had receded quickly as the wind took us farther from shore. This got me wondering where we were going and WHY. So I asked Weasil what the plan was.

"Plan? There's no plan." He said looking at me like I should know that.

Then something strange happened. I looked around me in wonder, thinking I was in a nightmare and none of it was real, or so I hoped when I noticed the entire crew was dressed like pirates, whereas before they had been clothed in modern nautical dress. I scratched me wig under me hat and decided I needed to sit down. I was having some kind of episode.

I didn't get to sit for long I was up on me feet at the sound of cannon fire. I was like what on earth? I looked around and saw smoke from the bow and behind us gaining fast was what looked like a naval destroyer. Its big guns were moving to put us in its sights and for a bloody scary moment I was glued to the deck. Everyone on board ran for the canons as our ship veered to the left, but so did the destroyer's big guns turn as we turned. I gulped, shaking me head trying to wake up, this HAD to be a dream!

WHO in their right mind would aim canons at a naval destroyer when they are in a wooden ship much, much smaller in size? Had to be a dream, I slapped me face trying to wake up, but I couldn't, so now I was really upset this was no dream, it was bloody REAL!

End of Part 2 - To be continued

Gabe

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