🏴‍☠️ Fair Winds, Dolly Parton — A Friend to Pirates Everywhere

This week's Republic begins on a more somber note as we raise a glass to Dolly Parton.

You might not expect a country music legend to have much business in a pirate newsletter—but Dolly loved swashbuckling stories, created Pirates Voyage, wrote music for pirates and mermaids, and helped introduce countless families to our favorite rogues of the sea.

She was a friend to pirates, and this week we say fair winds. ❤️🏴‍☠️ 

Then we'll travel back to 1690, when the Royal Navy discharged a young sailor named Henry Every. Last week we celebrated his birth. This week, His Majesty's Navy lets him walk out the door.

That decision is going to come back to haunt them.

We've also got two pirate festivals happening THIS WEEKEND and, for this week's Plunder Pick, I'm giving away a little treasure of my own—a FREE digital copy of A Pirate in Key West, your boarding pass into the Storm of Time universe.

So raise a glass, grab your cutlass, and come aboard.

There's still one more voyage before August disappears over the horizon.

Today we sail Episode 70 of The Pirate Republic.

🏴‍☠️❤️ Fair Winds, Dolly — A Friend to Pirates Everywhere

This week, the world lost a legend.

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at the age of 80, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of music, storytelling, generosity, and joy.

At first glance, The Pirate Republic might seem like an unusual place to remember one of country music's greatest stars.

But Dolly was one of us.

She loved pirates.

Dolly's fascination with swashbuckling adventure went all the way back to the pirate stories of her childhood. And when Dolly dreamed, she had a habit of turning those dreams into something very real.

That included Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.

Today, her pirate adventures feature full-sized ships, cannon fire, sword fights, mermaids, buried treasure, and crews led by none other than Blackbeard and Calico Jack. Her newest Pirates Voyage opened in Panama City Beach just last year—a massive $60 million production built around a 15-foot-deep indoor lagoon.

And Dolly didn't simply put her name on the marquee.

🎵 Dolly Wrote Pirate Songs

Dolly helped create music for Pirates Voyage, including “Sail Away,” and “Pirates Paradise” written for the show's mermaids.

When she opened the Panama City Beach production in 2025, she spoke about how much she loved being part of the show's excitement and adventure.

Then she explained something that may reveal why this world appealed to her so much:

“Above all, I see myself as a storyteller.”

That sounds familiar around here.

Pirates survive because people keep telling their stories.

And Dolly spent her entire life doing exactly that—through songs, books, performances, and places where families could step inside a story together.

She even joked at the Panama City Beach opening that guests could join the pirate crew and that they'd teach everyone some pirate talk.

Her choice of pirate greeting?

“Ahoy!”

🏴‍☠️ Pirates Voyage Says Goodbye

In the days since Dolly's passing, something touching has happened at the pirate world she helped create.

Memorials have been established at Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach and Panama City Beach, as well as the Stampede locations in Pigeon Forge and Branson. Fans have gathered at the Panama City Beach memorial to leave flowers, photographs, and messages and to say goodbye.

And the shows aren't going dark.

World Choice Investments, Dolly's longtime partner behind Pirates Voyage and Stampede, says Dolly wanted the venues to remain open—places where families could remember her and celebrate her life by continuing to enjoy the experiences they created together.

As Dolly herself would say:

“The show must go on.”

Dolly Parton was many things.

Singer. Songwriter. Actress. Philanthropist. Dreamer. Storyteller.

And, we're proud to say...

a friend to pirates.

She gave Blackbeard another ship to command, gave mermaids a song to sing, and gave generations of families another place to discover the adventure of pirates.

So this week, the crew of The Pirate Republic raises a glass to Dolly.

May the music never stop.

May the stories never be forgotten.

And wherever the next voyage takes you...

may there always be a fair wind at your back.

Fair winds, Dolly. ❤️🏴‍☠️

Pirates Voyage's memorial statement for Dolly Parton

⚓ THIS WEEK IN PIRATE HISTORY

🏴‍☠️ August 29, 1690 — The Royal Navy Lets a Future Pirate King Walk Away

On August 29, 1690, a sailor named Henry Every was discharged from the Royal Navy.

At the time, there was little reason for anyone to remember his name.

That would change.

Every had served aboard the 64-gun HMS Rupert under Captain Francis Wheeler during the Nine Years' War. In 1689, Rupert helped capture a large French convoy near Brest, and Every's service apparently went well enough that he was promoted to master's mate.

When Wheeler moved to command the massive 90-gun HMS Albemarle in 1690, Every followed him.

Then came disaster.

⚔️ The Battle of Beachy Head

In the summer of 1690, England and its Dutch allies met the French fleet off the southern coast of England at the Battle of Beachy Head.

The French won a crushing victory.

Albemarle survived, but England temporarily lost control of the English Channel—and only weeks later, Every's Royal Navy career was over. He was discharged on August 29.

It's worth stopping there for a moment.

Because the man walking away from the Royal Navy that day had already learned how to sail and fight aboard some of England's most powerful warships.

Those skills were going to come in handy.

☠️ From King's Sailor to King of Pirates

Every didn't immediately become a pirate.

The next few years of his life are murkier, and evidence indicates that he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade after leaving naval service.

Then, in 1694, everything changed.

Every was serving aboard the Charles II, a private vessel sitting in the Spanish port of Corunna while its crew waited—and waited—to be paid.

Eventually, the sailors had enough.

They mutinied.

Every emerged as their captain.

The Charles II became the Fancy, and Henry Every began the voyage that would transform an unemployed former Royal Navy sailor into one of the most notorious pirates alive.

Within little more than a year, he would capture the Mughal treasure ship Ganj-i-Sawai, seize an extraordinary fortune, ignite an international crisis, become the target of a massive manhunt...

…and then vanish.

⚓ Pirate Republic Take

There's something wonderfully ironic about August 29, 1690.

The Royal Navy dismissed Henry Every.

Four years later, he became a pirate.

Five years later, he pulled off one of the richest pirate raids in history.

And while the Crown would eventually spend enormous effort trying to hunt him down...

they'd already had him.

Then they let him go.

🎉🏴‍☠️ PIRATE EVENTS OF THE WEEK

🏴‍☠️ THIS WEEKEND — TWO PORTS OF CALL!

If your weekend plans are still sitting becalmed, there are two pirate invasions happening this weekend on opposite sides of the Atlantic!

🇬🇧 Whitby Pirate Festival — August 28–30

Whitby, England

Pirates return to the wonderfully atmospheric seaside town of Whitby for a full weekend of swashbuckling fun. If you're anywhere within sailing distance, grab your hat, polish your cutlass and join the crews taking over the Yorkshire coast.

August 28–30, 2026

🇺🇸 New York Renaissance Faire — Pirate Weekend — August 28–30

Tuxedo, New York

Meanwhile, across the pond, the New York Renaissance Faire hoists the Jolly Roger for Pirate Weekend!

Break out your finest pirate garb and head to Sterling Forest for a weekend of rogues, scoundrels, wenches and assorted questionable characters.

August 28–30, 2026

England or New York—pick whichever requires the shorter voyage.

And if you somehow manage to attend both this weekend, send us photographic evidence.

Because we're going to have questions. 🏴‍☠️😂

💰🏴‍☠️ PIRATE BOOTY OF THE WEEK

📖 A Pirate in Key West — FREE Storm of Time Short Story

This week's plunder won't cost you a single doubloon.

If you've been reading The Pirate Republic but haven't yet ventured into the Storm of Time universe, here's your chance.

A Pirate in Key West is a short standalone adventure—and the digital edition is completely FREE.

Sarah comes to Key West chasing a travel story.

Instead, she finds a three-masted pirate ship sitting in the harbor, centuries-old gold coins changing hands in a beachside bar...

…and a man claiming to be Blackbeard who is very much alive.

As she digs deeper, she discovers photographs from different centuries, missing sailors from Pearl Harbor, and whispers about a mysterious storm capable of carrying pirates through time.

Then Blackbeard makes her an offer she can't refuse.

A Pirate in Key West is part of my Storm of Time universe, connecting to the larger mystery that continues after Pirates of World War II—but you can jump aboard this story without having read either of the novels first.

☠️ Choose Your Plunder

Digital Copy — FREEGrab it directly from my website:

Download A Pirate in Key West FREE

Paperback — just $5For those pirates who prefer something they can actually hold in their hands, there's also a $5 paperback edition.

It's also available through Amazon.

Think of A Pirate in Key West as a free boarding pass into the Storm of Time.

Blackbeard is still alive.

Pirates are turning up centuries after they should be dead.

And whatever is carrying them through history...

isn't finished yet.

🏴‍☠️ The storm is still coming.

😂🏴‍☠️ PIRATE JOKE OF THE WEEK

☠️ Captain’s Log

This week's issue feels a little different.

We began by saying goodbye to Dolly Parton, a woman who understood that the best stories don't merely entertain us—they give us worlds we can step inside.

And perhaps that's one reason pirates captured her imagination.

More than three centuries after Henry Every walked out of the Royal Navy, we're still telling his story. Anne Bonny, Blackbeard and Calico Jack still sail. People still dress as pirates, gather at festivals, sing their songs—and occasionally write new adventures for them.

Stories keep the old crews sailing.

So this week, read a pirate story. Visit a pirate festival. Sing a pirate song.

And raise one more glass to a storyteller who gave pirates another stage on which to live.

Fair winds, Dolly.

And to the rest of you—

May the wind fill your sails, may adventure find your course, and may the Royal Navy never realize what a terrible mistake they made by letting you go.

Fair winds,

Captain Blackquill ⚓🏴‍☠️

🗣️ SHARE THE SPOILS, MATEY

Know a landlubber who’d savor tales of treasure, ghost ships, and true pirate history? Don’t hoard the gold — recruit ’em to the crew.

📜 Join The Pirate Republic here →https://www.thepiraterepublic.com/weeklynewsletter-thepiraterepublic

New voyages, bold stories, and rich plunder await those who sail with us.

⚓ SAIL WITH US ACROSS THE DIGITAL SEAS

📜 TikTok: @thepiraterepublic▶️ YouTube: The Pirate Republic

🎖️ THANKS FOR SAILING WITH THE CREW

We set sail every Friday, storm or shine — delivering pirate history, legends, and lore from across the seas.

Keep yer spyglass trained on the horizon,rest when the winds allow,and may your course be steady, your hold full, and your tales worth telling.

If ye stumble upon treasure, tall tales, or pirate lore worth sharing, send word to:📧 captainblackquill@gmail.com

Disclosure: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links, which means we may earn a few extra doubloons if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for keeping The Pirate Republic afloat, ya savvy sea dog. 🏴‍☠️