BEAUFORT -- Pirates were everywhere Saturday. They hung out on hotel balconies that overlook Taylor's Creek, drank in chunky mugs at local bars, and cheerfully accosted men, women and children as they walked up and down Beaufort's historic waterfront streets.
A handful of pirates, most of them in costumes that were historically accurate, first appeared in town Thursday afternoon. They set up their tents and camp at the Beaufort Historic Site preparing for the annual Pyrate Invasion.
By Saturday, thousands of adults and children mingled with about 100 costumed men and women who transformed the town into a living history lesson on a 1747 invasion by Spanish pirates.
In June 1747, Spanish pirates entered Beaufort Harbor and made off with several small ships. At the time only 13 militia men were present to protect the town.
The invaders came back two months later to take the town, according to local historians. The townspeople fled. Three days later, the militia returned with enforcement.
On Saturday, a huge crowd from all over the state lined Taylor's Creek to relive a condensed version of the August 1747 invasion. Five boats stormed the harbor and fired at anchored vessels with booming, smoking cannons.
Saturday's attackers were led by Capt. Horatio Sinbad, who had his name legally changed more than 20 years ago. He sailed a 54-foot boat, the Meka II, which he built by hand in his backyard when he lived in Detroit.
When Sinbad visited Beaufort in 1972 to do some carpentry work on an 85-foot yacht, he decided he didn't want to go back to Michigan. Now, the 67-year-old, who has been awarded five privateer commissions from state governors, lives as a sort of professional pirate.
He travels cross-country to entertain and teach people about the lives of privateers, men and women who sailed privately owned warships authorized by governments to attack enemy ships.
"Like sea-going guerrilla warfare," Sinbad said.
A dangerous catch
As the pirates stormed the harbor Saturday, the militia fired back from shore. Hundreds of tourists cheered.
Some pirates were killed, and others retreated. One was captured. He was paraded through town back to the historic site.
"Make way for the militia. We've caught a dangerous pirate," said Jack Roberts. "I think this one needs to be hung."
And, after a very brief trial, that is exactly what happened.
Martha Barnes, coordinator of the "Pyrate Invasion" and vice president of the Beaufort Business Association, said when they rekindled the event three years ago, they asked the pirates to skip the hanging. They were afraid of frightening children at the family-friendly event.
"But you know pirates," Barnes said. "They never listen."
Instead, the pirates went forward with the execution, but they explained to their audience the tricks behind the "make believe" hanging.
David White of New Bern watched the militia defend Beaufort with his sons Sterling, 4, and Morgan, 6. Sterling wasn't shy about expressing his dislike of the pirates. But Morgan couldn't get enough of the costumes, the cannons and Sinbad's pirate ship.
Pirates resurrected
The "Pyrate Invasion" was built from a tradition that traces back to 1960. Over the years, the popular event became a strain on the town's resources, and local leaders were concerned that the celebration was getting too raucous. The tradition ended in 1983.
"It just overwhelmed the town," Sinbad said. "So the town fathers decided not to do it any more."
Three years ago, the Beaufort Business Association brought back the event.
"And the object is of course, is to bring people to Beaufort," Barnes said.
And bring people to Beaufort it did. The town started to fill up Friday. The historic site was filled with pirates fighting with swords, teaching adults and children when and how to say "Arrrrr," and explaining the politics of the pirate brotherhood.
"Not all of them were scoundrels," Sinbad said.
Some pirates were quite successful. They controlled their men, and they survived by pillaging young towns popping up in the New World.
"They made their money, paid off everybody, and retired up in New England in huge homes, and invested in legitimate shipping, the slave trade, and things like that," Sinbad said. "There are a lot of skeletons in those closets up there."
