Shiver Me Timbers! It’s The Black Pearl!
Aaaargh, me hearties! No, it’s not Talk Like A Pirate Day, just the news that Captain Jack Sparrow’s ship, The Black Pearl, will be in town this Saturday. What better way to spend the weekend than stumping around the infamous pirate ship on your wooden leg, drinking rum and making scurvy dogs walk the plank. Or whatever it is pirates get up to these days. Details of the visit are as follows, Jim-lad…
“Hollywood’s most famous ship - The Black Pearl - arrives in Liverpool this Saturday. Members of the public are invited to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow to help raise funds for the fire-damaged Cutty Sark.
In real life The Black Pearl - of the blockbusting Oscar-winning Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy - is a full-size replica of the original HMS Bounty.
It was actually built for the 1962 film ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’, starring Marlon Brando, which looked at the infamous Royal Navy mutiny of 1789 in the Southern Pacific Ocean.
HMS Bounty will dock in Liverpool at the South Quay of Canning half-tide dock, facing the Merseyside Maritime Museum, on Saturday August 18.
It will be open to the public between 10am and 5.30pm and tours feature costumed characters from the two famous films.
The 91ft long Tall Ship is making a world tour to help raise funds for The Cutty Sark which was damaged by fire on May 21 this year. Adults will be charged £5 to board and children (under 16’s) go free, all proceeds go towards The Cutty Sark restoration appeal.
As part of the visit there will also be pirate themed street entertainment, provided by the Albert Dock Company.”
Somehow this notion that the Hms Bounty is the Black Pearl has somehow ’steamrolled’. Yes, - - Bounty WAS in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies,
but she played a cargo ship called the “Edinburgh Trader”. She was the ship in the second movie that
got eaten by the Kraken (mythical sea monster).
The promoters of these UK boat shows must be terrifically THRILLED to have these wrong facts promoted for their boat shows.
I’m a former crew member of the Bounty and I know what I’m talking about. Literally dozens of news articles, both online and in print, now proclaim Bounty to be the Black Pearl, but it is SIMPLY NOT THE TRUE FACTS.
- sincerely, Dennis Stephens, in Florida
August 16th, 2007 at 7:53 pmAvast there, fact fans! Seems like an old deck hand has poured salty water over whoever wrote that press release! A black spot to that hyperbole hack! Aaaarrrgh!
A-hem…well, go and see the ship any way. It’s a day out, after all. It also gave me an excuse to include a pic of lovely Keira.
Thanks for the info, Dennis of Florida. Double rum for you!
August 17th, 2007 at 7:18 ami see that the bounty (black pearl) will be docking in liverpool on saturday. i would like to know how long the ship will be there for ie. is it still possible to visit on sunday. looking forward to your reply. shaz
August 17th, 2007 at 2:25 pmThanks for your question. Most of the publicity I’ve seen only mentions the craft being open to the public on Saturday, but if you look on the Bounty’s website (http://www.tallshipbounty.org/schedule/) is says the ship will be docked in Liverpool until the 19th, which is Sunday. However, it may not be open to visitors then, possibly, as they may have to splice the main brace or de-barnacle the cabin boy or whatever they do.
Further research finds this article in the Post (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpoolecho/news/echonews/tm_headline=black-pearl-sails-in-on-mersey-mission&method=full&objectid=19631392&siteid=50061-name_page.html) which says: “Hundreds of visitors will be able to board the vessel during a seven and a half hour open period on Saturday.” So it looks like it will only be open on that day. Sorry!
Thanks again,
August 17th, 2007 at 2:37 pm