Today Is Talk Like a Pirate Day

Is it true that all landlubbers think all sailors talk like pirates? Regardless of how much exposure the public gets to sailing in movies or any other media, the first time they step aboard a sailboat they’re likely to say, “Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum,” or “Aye, matey.” No landlubber steps aboard and says, “Tighten the leech line,” or “Snub up the spring line.” It’s just the way it is.

Pirates have been memorialized in hundreds of films and books, and it’s a perception all sailors have to live with. Or party with. To add to the fun, Talk Like a Pirate Day was created in 1995 to elevate the status of pirate talk to expand the good times. It’s been held every year since on September 19. So now pirates are more than just a Halloween costume. If you get into an aaaargument at the office today, you have a good excuse.

There are pirate festivals all over the globe and calendar, though October 31 probably remains the biggest pirate costume day of the year.

Whether you’re inclined to say, “Walk the plank,” or “Ease the cunningham,” September 19 is the day to perpetuate the myth that we’re all pirates.