You've heard of the "pirates of the Caribbean," but what about the pirates of Plymouth? They're looking for a few good kids to help defeat an enemy pirate ship and search for hidden treasure. In this week's Great Escape, 7's Chikage Windler takes us on a pirate cruise in Plymouth.
Though summer's fading fast, there's still time for a little family fun. Just load up your little buccaneers and head to Plymouth. You can get there on less than a tank.
History buffs visit Plymouth to see the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. But kids have a whole other incentive for coming here.
"I'm gonna give you a beard and mustache", says a pirate cruise worker.
All visitors can get made up to look and feel like a pirate.
Once we're all in costume, it's time to board the pirate ship.
"We're going to be heading out. We're going to be looking for treasure, " says Paul Quintal , the pirate cruise captain.
Captain Quintal makes sure every pirate knows where to look.
"A very special treasure map, this one washed up on the beach over the winter" says Quintal.
And "X" marks the spot, so we head there right away.
We sail through Plymouth harbor aboard "lobster tales," looking for anything suspicious, and pointing it out for the others to see.
The ship captain says, "we've got ourselves a big problem. I think I've found the treasure. The bad news, it has been captured."
It's an enemy pirate ship!
And that's when the real fun begins.
8-year-old pirate Elizabeth Fuentes says "it's really fun and you get to find treasure and there's this bad guy that you get to fight with cannons that spray water out."
"We got to hit him in the eye and he goes like this to you and then he picked his nose", tells 7-year-old pirate Zachary Perry, "we want the treasure, we want the treasure"!
Though the pirate fights back, he's no match for us.
The captain says, "we got a white flag...he gave up!"
And to the victors go the spoils...the treasure!
"Heave ho!, Heave ho!"
With the treasure chest safely on board, everyone's all cheers.
The victory party is on.
Pirate cruise mate Kevin wants the kids to "dig in there, grab all the gold."
And for the big kids too.
Michael Fuentes, a parent, says "it was great, a lot of fun great family fun for the kids."
"Why not? That's what adds to the fun, for the kids and for me!" Says parent Ginny Cushing.
Hip hip hooray!
And there's nothing like a buccaneer brew to celebrate success on the high seas in Plymouth.
Boston to Plymouth and back, just 81 miles. In my next great escape, purgatory is a lot closer than you think. Purgatory chasm, that is. Are you up for the hike? I'm Chikage Windler, 7News.
Lobster Tales Pirate Cruise
(Copyright (c) 2005 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
