After 3 year in arrrr fine store, we be in need of cleaning up the store to make space fer all the new projects we arrrrr going to begin working on.  So after I spent an entire article last month telling you we don't do sale, we arrrr going to have are very first sale, but none of our regular stock will be in the sale.  

We are cleaning up arrrr shop of the damaged articles, photography equipment from the old store, prototypes samples, old photo props, non-pirate costumes, misc stuff that gathers.  We are taking all these items and selling them on the sidewalk next to the store on Saturday, June 20, 2015 from 10am to 2pm.  If you love deals, this is the one time we are doing this.  If you have any stuff you wish to sell, you may bring that stuff to sell at this Dock Clean Up Sale as well.

Check here on June 18, as we might have a few item available fer on-line sale, before the Dock sale on the 20th, so those that be too far away to visit, might get a few deals.

Every other month the Krewe of Pirate Fashions goes out on a field trip to do something fun or else they might mutiny. Tiger figured that it was time fer arrrr once a year bath, arrrrgh! We had a fun filled day on the crystal clear waters of Weeki Wachee Springs.  We rented some canoes, bought along arrrr paddle boards and mermaid tails. We saw some manatees and even got to touch some of them.

After a very busy Gasparilla season, Tiger Lee had to give his krewe of the Pirate Fashions, a day off or face a mutiny.  We actually do a company field trip every other month, so life be good as a pirate.  We decided to go to Disney's Magic Kingdom, sometimes called "East Indian Mouse Company" or the "Holy Rodent Empire" bent on world domination.  

As you can see we arrrr dispelling the myth that you can't go to Disney as a pirate.  Ye just need to keep to the code and follow the rule (they NOT be guidelines): 

1) You can not dress up as a Disney Character, unless you are under the age of 10. Your pirate outfit can not be too sexy, reveling, torn or smelly. You have to wear some kind of foot gear.  No weapons can be brought into the parks.

2) You can not pose for pictures or sign autographs.  This is a good thing, as you don't really want to be stopped every 10 feet for a photo.  You just need to tell people who ask for a photo, that you are not an Disney Employee and can't pose for photography or you will asked to leave.  They can take a causal photo of you talking or something, but they can not be in the photo.

Ye be asking, why in the seven seas would ye want to dress like a Pirate at Disney?  It be hot, uncomfortable, and bulky to carry n' wear all my pirate or wench garb.  It will get in the way of the rides.  Those be some of the complains my crew members made.

 The simple answer be that ye will have a ship load more FUN!  In the 30 years of attending a Disney park as a regular landlubber, I never experienced a magic moment.  They day my krewe went, we had 6 magic moment in one voyage. Cast Members arrrrr trained n' encouraged to create Magic Moment everyday.  Here be some of arrrrr magic moments: letting us going on the fast pass immediately instead of having to wait 30 or 45 minutes, giving us a extra carrot cake, picking us on the interactive shows, taking a photo of us eating dinner and packing the photo in a nice frame fer dinner, getting to take unique photos with the characters.

Why would ye get more magic moment as a pirate?  My guess be that cast members see thousands of landlubbers everyday.  We always drew more attention from disney cast members than we did with most landlubbers who ignored anything that is not a Disney Themed Character.  I even had the handler fer Gaston want to meet with the Chinese Pirate from the South China Seas. Another ride operator actual recognized us, as he had been a customer at arrrr fine store in Tampa.  We gave a few business cards to people who asked about our fine pirate n' wench garb we be wearing, most of them to Disney Cast Members. You probably won't attract as much attention if your outfit is a Halloween costume.  We had a group of 7 of us, and my Chinese Pirate look is very unique.  You do have to be interesting and try not to outwardly attract attention.

What be the of pirating without weapons or rum? We ye can't going into any of the parks with weapons, but that doesn't mean you can't go into the Pirate's Bazaar Gift Shop n' buy a plastic cutlass n' a metal flintlock pistol n' stick it into yar sash.  Best to go there before you go on the ride, so ye won't be unarmed.

We found many a barrel around the park, but none be filled with rum.  O' why is the rum always gone? No matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find any. We even went into the Tortuga Tavern n' asked fer rum, n' all we got be a pirate coin fer our troubles.  The place you can get some rum, is at the Epcot Center, but none be had at the Magic Kingdom.

So what can you do at Disney as a pirate?  Well the most important treasure be to go on the Pirate's of the Caribbean Ride which opened up in 1967, but will be closing down fer renovations the fall 2015.

I would suggest you skip the Pirate's League, unless ye be a kid or like yar face painted.

If ye be in the area n' have a few minutes to spare, Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial be somewhat entertaining.  They have different shows at different times.

There also be a Pirates Adventure - Treasures of the Seven Seas, which consists of 5 different map that must search through the park to find clues to the treasure.  Unfortunately the machine that allows us to proceed with the quest be cursed (broken fer the time we be there).  The maps do look pretty cool however, arrrrgh!

Well there always be looting . . . I mean shopping.  We randomly picked the least likely shop to find anything pirate, Ye Olde Christmass Shoppe.  A good pirate can discover treasure almost anywhere. Pirate Christmas Ornaments.

They also be having a shipload of pirate trading pins, an idea they stoled (borrowed) from the Olympics. 

Food always be good after a day of plundering.  One of my favorites fer the seafaring types be the Columbia Harbor House.

Pirates alway be lured by mermaids, so go visit The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure as well as Ariel's Grotto meet n' greet fer a personal photo.  Ariel's handlers get upset if ye pull out cutlass during the pictures, but they get over it, arrrrrgh!

Remember if ye don't be following the code, ye might end up in the stocks.

If ye play by the East India Mouse Company's rules, ye'll end up with a quite memorable voyage, but with many fewer doubloons in yar pouch.  Hopefully these tips will result in more treasures in yar next visit n' remember that you can get fine pirate n' wench garb at Pirate Fashions.

Christie Post of The Now Tampa Bay come to visit Pirate Fashions to get a tips on how to dress like a pirate, so we did one of our fabulous lady pirate make overs.  She brought over fashion blogger, Audrey Adair-Keene, who we transformed into a Lady Pirate.  They also show cased two other stores of no worthy mention to a true pirate loving soul, arrrrrrgh!

Tiger Lee transforms News Anchor Women Gayle Buyardo into a Saucy Lady Pirate named Gail Wind Gil.  Watch the Channel 8 New 2 minute piece about outfitting fer Gasparilla.   Gayle later came back n' bought a completely different outfit, yarrrrrr!

It be the start of a new year n' the world largest pirate event.  So we have extended Tampa's largest pirate store from arrrrr traditional Fri to Sun hours.  We have expanded arrrrr parking lot, but it best to come down the back alley way to enter the shop. 

Tiger works his staff of pirates hard, keeping a weather eye out of effective use of time.  Once every other month, he bring his krewe of pirates out fer some pirating fun.  Sometimes it's to shot black powder weapons, visit the Military Museum, but this time it be to rise high up in the air on rope to face yarrrr fear of height.  We visited the Tree Umph! ropes n' zip line course, where they say "The Ground is Overrated".  

In August 2014 Newsletter, I made the prediction that Peter and the Starcatchers was going to be the next big pirate movie series that featured pirates.  The movie is called Pan, I not sure if actually based on the Starcatchers series or a completed different store, as many time moves based on book are completely changed.

It features Hugh Jackmen as Blackbeard, who I love as an actor in some of period films such as Les Miserables and Kate & Leopold. But I am not really like this Blackbeard look in armor n' feathers with the very high hair line. I do love his double barrel flintlock pistol he carries on his baldric.  Here is the first official teaser trailer to the movie.

Everybody be preparing fer the holiday of plentyful treasures.  So here be my paddle board all decorated fer the Tampa Boating Parade of Lights on the Hillsbourgh River.  It be a beauty of a 14 foot Kaholo racing paddle board.  The Flying Tiger be currently brigantine rigged with 2 mast n' a long bowsprit that puts here at 19 feet long n' 6 feet high. Pirate's boats should always be made of hard wood, none of that plastic covered foam fer me, arrrrrgh!  

The strange item in the middle be  a special hand made forward paddling system, as pirates like to see where they be heading.  Most  sculling boats row backwards. Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley had 32 guns n' 44 oars, which would allow them to capture a prize with little or no wind. We rogue arrrrrr alway a bit unconventional in ship building fer faster speeds.  I am planning to rig a sail n' mount some guns on her.  

Well a Spanish Treasure Galleon be in the waters of La Florida, so being pirates, we had to take a visit.  This be replica of the San Pelayo which founded St Augustine n' commanded by Capt Pedro Menedez de Aviles.  It be in Port Canaveral from Nov 14 to 30, so visit this 170 foot beauty while she be arrrrr warn waters.  It is the only fully sized 16th century replica of Treasure Ship that exist today.  

This be one of the ship's featured in the NBC's series Crossbones which we made some firearms for.  This be one of the largest tall ship that I have been on.  It was build in Span in 2004 and has visited 52 countries.