Pirates can be funny like Johnny Depp’s character Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies or frightening such as those dangerous criminals who are committing acts of piracy off the African coast of Somali; however, our almost four-year-old grandson Ryan thinks the best pirates in the world are the crew of the replica pirate cruise ship, Pieces of Eight, which plies the waters of Estero Bay off Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
The Pieces of Eight, a 65-foot Spanish galleon flying numerous Jolly Roger flags, is staffed by a scurvy crew of costumed pirates: Captain Gold Thief Glenn, Pillagin Pearl, Ravaging Randy Red Beard, Mr. Cutter, Sir Sparrow and Mr. Flaherty, who are constantly recruiting young and old alike to search for treasure. This jovial cast of characters interacted with the youthful passengers as well as their adult companions constantly throughout the sailing which made the time “at sea” fly by.
The ship was designed in the mid 2000s by its original pirate captain, a naval architect curiously named Devious Dave. The steel-hull vessel was built in Virginia Beach to U. S. Coast Guard requirements and is powered by twin 208 horsepower diesels engines. It is certified to carry 130 passengers and equipped with the latest life saving equipment including life jackets, ship-to-shore radio and all captains, though clad in pirate attire, are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard
During our 90 minute sail around the area’s intra-coastal islands and beaches, the new recruits were welcomed into the pirate life with free tattoos (face painting), an interactive pirate history (story telling), pass the dead man’s skull game (hot potato), a limbo dance party and raiding the ship’s treasure chest for secret maps, strings of beads and pieces of eight gold coins. Although all the children and most of the adults were too busy watching the pirate antics on deck, the passing scenery along the sandy shoreline of Lover’s Key, Little and Big Hickory Islands was serenely beautiful. The crystal clear water was a pale Caribbean azure blue.
We were blessed with perfect weather on our 3 p.m. sailing which was a sellout. Embarrassingly, we were the very last party to arrive. We ran up the gangway moments before the ship got underway. Since Florida temperatures have been cooler than normal this winter, this perfect day brought out every tourist and clogged traffic along Estero Boulevard the main drag along the beach. Our blood pressure rose and we inched our way along this two-lane roadway. Next time we take to the high seas on this pirate excursion, we will plan to arrive at Salty Sam’s Marina where the Pieces of Eight is docked several hours before hand and enjoy a relaxing lunch at the Parrot Key Caribbean Grill. The food smelled wonderful, the prices within the norm and the atmosphere perfect.
After browsing through the gift shop, we headed to the parking lot to find an antique car show just getting underway. There were about 50 perfectly restored cars gleaming in the late day sun and more were still arriving. Ginny’s favorite was a pale pink 1932 Ford with a black leather rumble seat; Jim favored a classic 1948 Chevrolet Woody. Ryan chose the Model T Ford, his 15-month old sister Sarah just wanted her freedom to walk/run/crawl after being held for several hours. A fun day was had by all.
FYI: Pieces-of-eight for which the ship is named is a type of Spanish currency that was minted in the Spanish Main and sent back to Europe in huge quantities on treasure ships. Pirates plundered many of these Spanish galleon fleets (mid-1500s until early-1800s). The Spanish pieces of eight were even used as currency in the American colonies. In England, one piece of eight was worth 4.3 shillings but varied widely in each colony. Since an 18th century English shilling would have been worth around $58 in present day currency, a piece of eight would be worth anywhere from $246 to $465 and a crewman’s share of the captured treasure could be worth up to a million dollars. Truly a king’s ransom.
The modern day ransom required to take this adventure cruise is $25 for adults (14 and older), $20 for children (ages 2-14) and under two years of age sail free of charge, reservations are required. Early spring cruises depart Salty Sam’s Marina, 2500 Main Street, Ft. Myers Beach, Fl at noon, 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.; for more information log on to www.piecesofeight.com or call (239) 765-7272.

To witness the next solar eclipse, you have to wait until July 11. But if you’re in the area of Papenburg, Germany, you can see the new Celebrity Eclipse right now.
The third in Celebrity Cruises,’ $3.7-billion Solstice Class fleet, Celebrity Eclipse showed off her sleek profile Sunday as she emerged for the first time from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Celebrity Eclipse will enter service April 26 and, following two “short break” cruises, will offer a series of Canary Islands, Scandinavia/Russia and Spanish Mediterranean sailings roundtrip from Southampton, England. The new vessel will present Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Miami beginning in November. For more information log on www.celebritycruises.com

We were sad to check out of our weekend home at the Homosassa River Resort. Our accommodation consisted of a two-room suite at the river’s edge.  The sitting room had a hideaway sofa, several overstuffed chairs and a fully equipped Pullman kitchen at one end. The large bedroom had two double beds, a chest and dresser. Both rooms had flat screen televisions. The bathroom contained a tub with shower and plenty of space on the sink vanity for toiletries. Although not new, it was clean, nicely decorated and had everything we needed and much more ($150 weekday, $180 weekend per night). We did not do any cooking although there were plates, etc., for four people but we appreciated being able to make a cup of coffee in the morning and have a quick bowl of cereal.
Today’s destination is Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, in nearby Spring Hill which is in Hernando County, $13 per person admission. Do you remember hearing about Florida Mermaids or seeing them perform on television shows of old? We do. TV talk show hosts such as Arthur Godfrey, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas would come to this state to visit regional attractions. Now, just about all of the morning shows, originate their programs from Disneyworld not that it isn’t a wondrous place, but there are so many other unique places to visit throughout this beautiful sunshine state.
Weeki Wachee was founded by a man named Newton Perry in 1947 when most area residents were four legged and most roads were little more than dirt paths.  Perry, a retired military frogman, now called Navy Seals, trained soldiers to swim underwater during World War II. He had a vision for a new business venture featuring beautiful slender young girls performing underwater with the aid of free flowing air hoses for underwater breathing. He built an 18-seat theater into the limestone at the edge of a spring for his maidens. At the beginning, there were so desperate for customers that the girls would stand by the edge of the road in their swim attire and wave at passersby to lure them inside to watch a performance but all that changed in 1959 when ABC purchased the attraction and promoted it heavily.
ABC, flush with money, built the present 500 seat theater and added elaborate props, lifts and story lines to Perry’s original shows. The heyday was in the 1960’s when Elvis Presley as well as other celebrities (Esther Williams, Don Knotts and more) came to the area. Elvis filmed the movie “Follow that Dream” nearby. On his day off, he was honored for his achievements at Weeki Wachee and 15,000 of his fans showed up to welcome him. In the early 80s, Buccaneer Bay, a seasonal water park, was built around the springs to round out the family fun. In November, 2008,  Weeki Wachee became the 160th Florida State Park.
We were among the very few visiting on a chilly (48 degrees) overcast day however the shows still went on as scheduled. We started off by watching a brief film about the early years of the park and original mermaids. We enjoyed the first of two underwater shows, The Little Mermaid, in the underground theater before heading to the Wilderness River cruise. While onboard, we were given more historical information about the park and saw some of the wildlife of the area lurking on the river banks. Before heading back for the theater, we stopped at the outdoor Riverside Theater for a reptile show featuring a gopher tortoise and various varieties of snakes.
This year has brought record breaking low temperatures to all of Florida and for that matter much of the nation so we were especially happy to be returning to the pleasant warmth of the theater for the second show, Fish Tails. Each of the water shows lasted approximately 45 minutes and was very entertaining. At the conclusion of the second show, the young swimmers demonstrated their breath techniques without the air hoses and how they are able to smile, eat and drink while underwater.
We had an exciting weekend in the Homosassa River/ Citrus and Hernando County region and would recommend a visit here to everyone. When you are heading south on the Gulf (West) Coast of Florida, it a short zig zag off Route 75 to reach this area. If you wish to participate in a manatee encounter, the best time to visit is in the cooler months of December through March, otherwise come on down any time at all. For more information about Florida attractions, log on to www.riversideresorts.com, www.weekiwachee.com, www.visitcitrus.com and www.visitflorida.com. Mermaid photos courtesy of Weekie Wachee. Ginny’s photo of monkey island at Homosassa Riverside Resort at top and a peacock strutting his stuff for the peahens at Weekie Wachee State Park