"Pull the gang plank and off we go," said Captain Acmayc on a warm overcast Saturday as the Mystic Pink, a black boat flying a skull and crossbones flag, entered the waters of the Susquehanna River.
This be a pirate ship. The ship belongs to a group seen trolling the river called the Pirates of the Susquehanna.
Today, a small crew of four man the ship, including the captain, for this mid-day trip down the Susquehanna.
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JESSICA WELSHANS/Sun-Gazette
Charlie Cannon, of Antes Fort, who is known as Captain Acmayc, decided to create the group out of a love of sailing and wanting to help his community. The idea of pirates came to him while he was in Key West at Fantasy Fest, where a big pirate celebration is held.
"People are surprised to see pirates in the community," Cannon said.
As the ship can be spotted on the river, it may seem like these are a bunch of swashbuckling scoundrels, (which the group doesn't mind), but in reality, they are a nonprofit group.
After their start last year, they have helped to raise about $1,000 for the Jersey Shore Library when funding became low.
Cannon said they are willing to continue to help the community any way they can.
"It's just for fun, to have a good time," he said. "We go up and down the river and stir up interest."
Last year, the group received permission to do a surprise raid on patrons at Haywood's on the Water. They docked and mingled with guests for a time and jumped back on the ship to sail again.
Cannon said when they left the dock, the boat launched an "attack" on the Hiawatha and gave chase, with permission from its captain, of course.
If one finds themselves on the waters of the Susquehanna with the Pirates of the Susquehanna, Cannon gave this tip:
"I would tell people don't aggravate Captain Acmayc or he will make an attack on them," he said, adding to the fun atmosphere.
"We aren't very good actors," Cannon said.
That doesn't stop the whole group from having fun and playing along in a pirate role.
Along the Susquehanna's banks that day, people were coming to docks from river lots, looking curiously at the ship, which was blasting lively pirate music from its decks.
Boaters readied their cameras, smiled, took pictures, happily waved, gave a thumbs up and laughed.
Captain Acmayc raised his sword to passersby and yelled "FIRE," as a small cannon (which is a new addition to the ship) would fire.
No projectiles flew from the cannon, just a little fire and smoke, but the sound caught boaters attention, with some people jumping and laughing all the same.
"When word gets out there are pirates on the Susquehanna, people want to see it," he said.
As the pirates pulled into the docks of Haywood's on the Water, as the skies became threatening, patrons and the staff came to the edge of the banks to see what this was all about.
The group dropped off a hitchhiker, who became the ship's quartermaster that day. As they turned around to head back up the Susquehanna to one of their "hide-outs," they waved at the patrons looking on and waving back.
The group always welcomes new members and current members ages range from 7 to 89 years old.
"We welcome anybody on board," he said.
Cannon said the pirates would like to look into more fundraising for breast cancer and the Jersey Shore YMCA.
"We would like to get enough people together to have pirate carnival and raise money for the community," he added.
The captain would like to remind everyone the ship is fully licensed, completely legal Pennsylvania watercraft, and follows all Pennsylvania and Coast Guard boating rules and regulations.
Interested parties may contact the pirates via their Facebook page by searching: Pirates of the Susquehanna. Fans also may like and follow the antics of skeleton mascots Billy Bones and Anieta Skinner on Facebook, too. For more information, visit www.piratesofthesusqueanna.org or www.facebook.com/ PiratesoftheSusquehanna.
