Topic: The Jolly Roger

Anyone cruising the classified ads over Christmas may have spotted an item that stood out from the pages of cars, bikes and household furniture: “Pirate ship for sale.” The Jolly Roger, an icon of Cayman’s tourism industry and the most recognizable vessel in the island’s waters, is advertised for $500,000.

Clad in bandanas, face paint and hooped ear rings, bearded pirates and buxom wenches descended on George Town on Saturday in a swashbuckling display marking Pirates Week. Hundreds of spectators gathered at Hog Sty Bay for the invasion that signaled the start of the parade. As the Jolly Roger pulled up to the dock, pirates spilled out, cutlasses drawn.