Pirates of the Peninsula

This weekend was our town Maritime festival with the theme Pirates of the Peninsula. Saturday it drizzled a bit on the parade, but we went and braved it and had a fun time. The kids love grabbing whatever is thrown from the floats. The pirates were mostly the fun kind with little kids dressed up and all the pirates looking friendly............. Until the Seattle Seafair pirates showed up.

They were much more realistic. Not nearly so friendly and happy go lucky. One guy carrying a wooden head on a stick came up to the kid next to us complaining his last cabin boy hadn't worked out so well and asking if any of the kids wanted to run away. Other Seafair Pirates had big machetes with metal blades and were dragging them on the ground as they stalked along. I began to wonder if they were actually pirates. Their boat had a cannon on it that they would all cheer and fire it off. Great fun to see a real band of Pirates in the Harbor. Hopefully they won a prize and will come back next year.

Saturday we didn't hang around since the weather wasn't cooperating and the crowd was enormous. We went back on Sunday to walk the docks and see some of the boats (built mostly in Gig Harbor; they seem to come "home" for the festival and blessing of the fleet).

Amazing Grace is our town's tall ship.

We walked on for a tour of a tugboat built here in the harbor.
And E was very interested in the Dragon Boats. Aptly named for their visual appeal.

There is actually a club in Tacoma you can join to row in the Dragon boats on weekends.

A good time was had by all.

love ang hugs, B