Shiver me Timbres, The Pirates Are Coming!

By Debbie Brady Robinson (first published in the "Tybee Breeze", Oct 2008)

Ahoy, me Hearties! “Hoist yer colors, ye salty buccaneers - the Pirates are comin’, and time's a runnin’ out! The 4th Annual Pirate Fest is comin’ Oct 10th - 11th and the hornswagglen lot soon’ll be invadin’ the island! Man ye Crows Nest, and keep ye sharp eye out for ‘em Swashbucklers tryin’ to slither past them alligators to the entrance! And I’m not talkin’ ‘bout them orange bilge-suckin’ kinda gators, up from Florida - but ye razor sharp toothed kind with hides fit fer ye best pair o boots! The Scurvy Dogs be a tryin to sneak past the gators through the back door by way o the Crabshack! Thar aimin’ to have a Buccaneer Ball and coronation of thar King & Queen on Thursday, Oct 9th (on the eve of destruction), from 6-10 PM!
Leadin’ the invasion, on Friday the 10th, at 6PM, by the long plank of the Tybee Pier, will be the the King of the Swashbucklers’ emself, none other than our head honcho, hog ridin’, swashbucklin’, Tybee’s own, King James, and top cop emself - chief, Jimmy Price! Whether he’s ridin’ in town on his “Hog”, or walkin’ ye down the plank, he’s a swashbuklin’ Tybee Salty Dog from way back! He’ll be lead’n the pack ‘long wit his Krewe of maraudin’ buccaneers and his saucy li’l Queen o’ the wenches, Natalie Gordon, by his side! King & Queen will be riden’ high durin’ the Pirate Parade on Sat. Oct 11th startin’ at 3pm!
Queen Natalie, will be right in her element, decked to the hilt, from the top of her boostia to the bottom of her boots! Natalie, along with husband Mel, owns and operates the Atlantis Inn (an inn for the imagination); and as top wench, she’s right in sync with the romantic themed rooms of the Atlantis Inn! “I just love to play dress-up!”, laughed Natalie. “I was ecstatic to be asked to be the Queen, but - I said, ‘are you sure you’ve got the right person?’ To be included in the same company as ‘you’ former Queens; (yours truly, 2006), Jenny Orr (2005), and Bonnie Gaster (2007), all former Pirate Queens – “you each have really Tybee roots; and you all reflect such great community spirit,” exclaimed Natalie! I’m just proud to have been asked, and to be in such good company”! I’m shocked, I’ve only been on Tybee for nine years!
Active in TAPS (community theater), Tie the Knot on Tybee, Tybee Tourism Council, and Tybee Fest to name a few - this year’s Queen is certainly no slouch where the Spirit of Tybee is concerned! Natalie owned and operated Sea Strands hair salon for a few years; and she and Mel have owned the Atlantis Inn, on the south end of the island since 2005. “Before the Inn, we used to buy up old Tybee cottages and restore them.” said Natalie. “We love keeping the community spirit and charm of Tybee alive!” The Atlantis is located in what was the old Beach Comber Motel. “Every time Mel and I used to drive by that building, he would say, ‘that would make a great themed type Inn’. One day, Mel came home and said, ‘I put in an offer on the Beach Comber building, and we now own it!’” After I picked my stomach up off the floor, the idea began to really grow on me”, professed Natalie! “We, especially Mel, have had a great time in Community Theater on the island; and as I said, ‘I just love to play dress-up’, so the Inn was a great way to let our artistic juices flow! We’ve had a great time coming up with idea, and decorating each of our twelve themed rooms!”
Pirates Fest is “one of the biggest events on Tybee”, said Jimmy Price. We’ve never had any problems; it’s a good safe parade! “The great thing about the Pirate Fest Parade is that it’s family oriented!” No doubt, his little wench on the side (of nearly three decades) wife Claire, who is a wiz on a sewing machine, will be whipping up a fine costume for the chief Swashbuckler, and whole entourage of children and grands! “It’s just fun for all ages”, said Jimmy! “After all, Arghhhh - everybody wants to be a pirate at one time or another! I remember wanting to be one myself, way back in the day; Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins - Treasure Island, wow that was really great! Now, after all these years, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen; here I am… Argh, King of the Pirates!” laughed Tybee’s top cop! “I’ve only got one message for all the lads, lassie’s and buccaneers who’ll be stormin’ the island for the fun and festivities; “ have a great time, don’t lose yer head… and Be Safe out thar Ye Mate'ys!