Ahoy There Ship Mates! This is Pirate Peg Leg Johnny talking to you!
Did you know that by coming on your holidays and vacation to the Dominican Republic you are about to step foot on one of the most pirated islands in the whole of the Caribbean?

So get your treasure maps ready, your swords and sea chests and pull up the sails on your pirate boat and if you have the true heart of a real pirate read on to discover all the pirate secrets of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean...........

Pirates were groups of men (and sometimes women) who sailed through the Caribbean seas causing terror and capturing galleons and stealing their booty or boats contents.  The booty could be anything from food supplies and materials but what the pirates really wanted to get their hands on was gold or pieces of eight! The pirates of the 16th and17th centuries thought they were the true masters of the sea because they did not obey the navy or any government of any land or country and sailed where they wanted to go and attacked any ship they thought may be laden down with shiny silver and gold!

Don't be fooled into thinking all pirates were friendly and funny like Jack Sparrow from the film Pirates of the Caribbean, in fact most pirates were real criminals and would often kill and torture their victims if the ships captain would not hand over the booty, one favourite pirate torture was to roast their victims live on a spit! You can imagine the terror and fright a captain would have if he spotted a pirate ship coming after him, especially if he saw the Jolly Roger or Skull and Cross Bones raised on the pirate ship as this signified that the pirates were preparing to attack!

By the 17th century many pirates had started to live on a small island called Tortuga which is just off the northwest coast of the Dominican Republic.  During this time many Spanish people had settled in the Dominican Republic and used to wait for ships coming from Spain to the Dominican Republic with all their favourite supplies on them.  If they were lucky the supplies reached the Dominican Republic and after a few weeks rest for the captain and crew the large galleons would be restocked and ready to set sail again back home to Spain. The galleons were also loaded with silver and gold, precious tobacco, fresh water and food supplies. The pirates would know this and lie in wait around the waters of the north coast of the Dominican Republic to attack the Spanish galleons.

Sometimes the pirates used smaller boats which were more lighter and faster than the bulky galleons, and this enabled the pirates to sneak up on their victims by surprise so they could kidnap or murder the crew and then steal all the booty on board!

Famous Pirates

So now then my scurvy dogs you know how the pirates stole their booty and what they did to their victims did you know that some of the most famous pirates around the Domincan Republic included the Englishman Willy Simmons, John Rackham and Jack Banister?

Did you also know that if you are staying in either The Hacienda Resorts or EMI Sun Village hotel this area on the north coast is called Cofresi after the famous pirate Roberto Cofresi?

If you are staying in Luperon also on the north coast check out the small town of Isabella which still exists today as it was once one of the most pirate raided places in the Caribbean.

Sir Francis Drake is probably the most famous privateer not pirate to visit the Dominican Republic. A privateer is just like a pirate except that he has permission from his country (which was England) to go and behave like a pirate. He arrived in Santo Domingo (the capital of the Dominican Republic) in 1586 with 20 of his own ships and looted and pillaged the city for over a month before he sailed away with his ships hulls full of stolen bounty back to British waters!

Don't forget about Calico Jack, Henry Morgan and Blackbeard, all famous pirates who used this part of the Caribbean for all their piratey pastimes and skullduggery!

Money, Silver and Gold was the most precious haul that a pirate could take. In those days there was no paper money like we have, no dollar bills or five pound notes all money was made from metals like gold, silver and copper.

All countries had money made up from these three different metals and shop keepers and merchants used to count the same metal type and weigh the amount of metal they had. They would weigh all the silver coins together, then weigh all the gold coins together and all the copper coins together.  So the heavier the metal was the more richer you were! In the early 18th century most of the money was heavy.  1lb or one pound of silver was worth approximately ten British pounds or twenty dollars US.

The most popular coin was the "piece of eight" (peso de ocho) so called because it was worth eight Reals and it was minted in New Spain. It was also known as the Spanish dollar and eventually became the standard coin only because there were more them than anything else.

Did you know that the modern US dollar is directly descended from the piece of eight, and a piece of eight these days would be worth around thirty dollars US?

Sometimes a pirate had no coins and they would often use their swords or daggers as money as their weapons were also made from precious metals. The most popular weapon to exchange in money terms was the cutlass or hanger. The cutlass or hanger was used by all fighting men at sea as it was short and broad, ideal for onboard scraps and fights as it would not get in the way of sails and rigging unlike a long sword would. The cutlass or hanger was like a small sword and weighed 3 pounds and was about 2 to 3 feet in length.

The next most popular weapon on board was a broadsword or cavalry sword. These were often stolen by pirates from soldiers and infantry men. A blow from one of these swords was deadly indeed! The famous pirate Blackbeard was decapitated by a blow from a broadsword. The swords weighed between 3 - 5 pounds and were about 4 feet in length.

Sea Shanties

Spanish Main Pirate Map

Okay ship mates did you know that singing was a very important pastime for pirates? Do you know the sea shantie "What shall we do with a drunken sailor?" maybe you have learnt this sea shantie in school.

Singing became a normal pastime for pirates and all crew members on board as it helped everyone to work in unison together and keep time when pulling and hauling the massive sails up. The pirates would collect various musical instruments from their travels to other countries, they would play with maracas from Cuba, goat and cowhide drums from Africa, tambourines from Morocco and bamboo drums and flutes from the here in the Dominican Republic.

As well as keeping everyone in time with their work when the pirate ship was sailing, the sea shanties and loud musical instruments also had another important use and that was in trying to intimidate and frighten their enemies in battle! Can you imagine how loud the noise must have been with all the pirates and their crew members shouting sea shanties at the tops of their voices, playing the loud drums and even the cook and other ship members got involved in banging their pots and pans to such a level as to frighten the other ship. If this wasn't enough the crew would also be shouting, stamping their feet and firing pistols, rifles and cannons. With all this noise going on and the pirates waving and brandishing their swords and daggers no wonder everyone feared for their lives when not only they saw but heard a pirate ship approaching!

Pirates Rules

So you fancy becoming a Pirate eh ?

Think you have what it takes to become a pirate then do you? Well here are some of the jobs that you might fancy - but be careful what you choose as if the crew turns against you then it could be your turn at walking the plank into shark infested waters!! Ahharr ship mates a pirates life is not an easy one!!

There were five main jobs onboard a pirate ship and here they are:-

The Captain was chosen by an equal vote of the crew and he came to his position for his leadership skills, his bravery and cunning. The captain was responsible for every decision made on board, he decided when to sail, when to attack and was always the first into battle. He also kept the captains log which is a written account of all the voyages undertaken and also sailed at the wheel or helm of the boat for a few hours everyday. He also got most of the treasure when it was split up! He was also the first person to be hung if he ever got caught!

The Quartermaster was the captains right hand man or first mate. He was responsible for making sure all the crew kept to the rules of the ship and if not then it was his duty to carry out the punishment! Usually the captain and quartermaster/first mate agreed upon most things, especially when it came to counting the booty and treasure picked from another ship. This was a very big responsibility for the quartermaster and he had to make sure that everybody got their fair share of the swag that was due to them.

The Pilot was the third most important member of the pirate ship as it was up to him to navigate and read the boat maps, over see the sailing course and check the ships location at all times. He was often the most intelligent man on board and the best all round sailor. He would note all the wind changes, and take a note of the water depths (making sure the large boat didn't run aground) and at all times maintain that the boat stayed on it’s right course. The pilot used to navigate by the stars this is called celestial navigation and he would often create maps as well so he could remember where certain reefs and sandbars were for future reference.

The Boatswain was the fourth member on board ye old pirate ship and often he was feared by all the crew members. The boatswain was in charge of all the stores of food, rum and water, gun powder, rope, sails, wood and tar, in fact all essential items to keep the boat and crew running safely and smoothly. He oversaw the booty being loaded on board and made sure it was correctly placed to give the boat good ballast (balance so the boat didn't capsize or tip). He also had to organise and oversee the different watches on board, the day crew and night crew. It was his job to make sure that the boat ran well all the time so he also was responsible for the cook and the carpenters on board. Because of his huge responsibility the boatswain could not afford to be nice or lenient and sometimes made very hard decisions directly affecting the crew but for the good of the boat in the long run. He would report any problems to the quartermaster or first mate.

The Master Gunner was the fifth most important member on board the pirate ship as he was in charge of all the firearms, weapons, cannons and deck guns. He had to make sure that all weapons were in working order at all times and he could pick his own gun crew to help him with this. The master gunner was also responsible for training the crew members how to fire a gun. He would also have the experience to know where to position the cannons when in battle to maximise their blasting power, and he also kept his own gunpowder supplies too.

So my little Polly parrots still fancy becoming a pirate then do you? Well while you think of which job you might like to do you could design your own pirate costume with your friends or draw your own treasure map....If it's your birthday then you could plan a pirate birthday party or you could sit back on the sofa at home with either your best friend or a parent and watch "Pirates of the Caribbean" on TV. Another great film to check out is "The Goonies" featuring a magnificent pirate ship and One Eyed Willy the famous pirate! You could always with a friend think of the great pirate name for each other too!

Personally I am going to sit back and count my pieces of eight, send a crew member up the crows nest to spy for any land ahoy and remember to watch out as a good pirate always has his wits about him at all times!!

See you all later my little land lubbers.....

Pirate Peg Leg Johnny