In a departure from the usual narrative of the pirates being the bad guys who kidnap the governor and end up going on trial for their crimes, last month’s Pirates Fest saw the pirates play the heroes, helping the governor and the British fight off Spanish invaders.
If you were wondering why, it’s because, this year, the pirates themselves wrote the script. Literally.
In the past, the annual Pirates Landing in George Town was organised by the Pirates Week Committee as part of the overall festival. This year, however, Las Tortugas Pirates coordinated the landing, and their telling of the tale did not involve any potential hangings for errant buccaneers.
Orneil Galbraith, or Captain Wes as he’s known when he’s in his pirate’s regalia, is the leader of Las Tortugas Pirates.
He explained that the crew started out by doing a video, posted on the Pirates Fest website, that told the back story behind the Spaniards’ landing and trying to take over Grand Cayman – as foretold by a ‘sea witch’.
The landing had a few new elements to it this year – including a fort on a small island in Hog Sty Bay that got blown up by the invaders – with the help of fireworks expert Graham Rankin.
It also included displays of catboats and a tiny town of old-style Caymanian cottages – a nod, Galbraith said, to Cayman’s heritage.
“I wanted to do something that never had been done before, which was to add this decor to George Town,” he told the Compass.
“I was given the opportunity by [Culture and Heritage Minister] Bernie Bush to do the landing. Las Tortugas Pirates were fully in charge of everything for that – the island, the fort being blown up, the governor, the dancers,” he said.
The pirates group were given a budget for the project, which Galbraith said they were thankful for, “and it was money well spent”.
The landing and the trial were both filmed and will be added to a promotional video.
Galbraith, explaining the new take on the pirates, said, “People don’t need to see the pirates always getting the bad name… You’ve got to remember, pirates were on this island, and it wasn’t bad for the island’s people. They all rubbed shoulders and it was fine.”
Patricia Patino-Langfitt, who played the governor’s wife at the Pirates Landing and who, along with several others, helped Galbraith organise the event, added, “It was right after the war, there were sailors, and some became buccaneers and corsairs under the crown or different crowns, who were hiring at the time.
“There was just a lot of different aspects of history regarding pirates, and we didn’t just want to show the negative one all the time.”
She said she had been working with the Pirates Week Committee since the first Pirates Week festival in 1977, when it was set up to help attract tourists to the island during the slow season.
“The whole idea was to have something fun and exciting in which we could tell a bit of a tale about our history, and something the tourists would enjoy,” she said. “I think it’s just time to revisit it and take the negative aspect out and put a more positive spin on it.”
Patino-Langfitt added that the Spanish invasion element to the story has a historical ring of truth to it. “There was a battle with the Spanish over land at the time. The Spanish, under Columbus, discovered this island first, so it seemed obvious to make them the protagonist and the English the antagonist.”
He said the pirates group wanted to keep Cayman’s maritime culture alive, and brought that plan to the Pirates Festival office when pitching ideas for the Pirates Landing.
The theme of this year’s Pirates Fest was royalty, and Patino-Langfitt explained how the pirates team incorporated this into the Pirates Landing narrative.
“The idea was that there is visiting royalty coming and so the islands have prepared for the visiting royalty, and the governor is there to welcome them,” she said.
However, the royal that arrives is in disguise, as are his soldiers who were wearing British uniforms. They soon reveal themselves to be invading Spaniards, dressed as British.
Each year, the pirates create a new button pin unique to the festival. This year’s pin, designed before Queen Elizabeth II passed away, was supposed to say ‘God Save the Queen’ on it. She died just two days before the pins were printed, in time for it to be changed to ‘God Bless the Queen’.
Galbraith and Patino-Langfitt say they’re proud of their crew of pirates, who proved anything but motley when it came to organising the event.
This year, it wasn’t just about the Pirates Festival either. Las Tortugas Pirates were also involved in a ‘haunted maze’ in downtown George Town during Halloween.
“We did that for charity the week before Pirates Week,” Galbraith said, after which they began concentrating their efforts fully on the festival.
All hands on deck
Galbraith said there were many other hands on deck to make the festival a successful one.
The Pirates Fest Committee carried out the staging of the various events, the heritage days, and the food courts. The catboat section of the event was put together with the help of the Catboat Club, with artist Tansy Maki painting a backdrop mural for it. As part of the festival, Caybrew developed a new ‘Pirates Red Larr-ger’, which went down well with festival-goers.
The dancers on the waterfront were Dreamchasers Cayman, who entertained the audience and welcomed the fake ‘royals’ as they arrived by boat. Governor Martyn Roper played the role of governor, which may not have stretched his acting abilities, however, he did train with Las Tortugas Pirates so that he could take part in sword-fighting on the waterfront against the invaders.
“We taught the governor to sword fight… he did a fabulous job, we’re so proud of him,” Galbraith said.
The fake royal ‘Castillo de Leon de la Fuentas’ was played by William Battaglia, and the landing was narrated by Michael McLaughlin.
Galbraith said fellow pirates Aaron Hunt, Andy Ritter and Andrea Iallorenz, who played Jack Sparrow, also put in a lot of work to ensure the event came together.
He also thanked Ventisha Conolly, events manager for the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, for working with them.
“It was the biggest undertaking I’ve ever done, and in a short period of time, we pulled it off,” Galbraith said, who added that he could not have done it without his wife Karen “who held down the fort while I was hard at work”.
The long hours and days were worth it, he said.
“I believe Cayman needs Pirates Week, it’s where we showcase our heritage.”
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