Ghosts, gallows, games, and the grinning shadow of Blackbeard himself.
- Captain Blackquill
- Oct 26
- 5 min read
A haunted ship in Utah, a ghost in Ocracoke, and a board game for brave buccaneers — all this week! Issue #27 – Oct 24th, 2025
Ahoy, Matey
October’s final tide be upon us, and the air smells of rum, gunpowder, and ghost stories. This week we set sail through history’s wildest week — when Blackbeard, Bonnet, and the fierce Anne Bonny all carved their legends into the sea. We’ll cross haunted Carolina waters, board a full-sized pirate ship in Utah, and close the voyage with a plunder pick that’ll turn yer living room into a captain’s cabin.
⚓ This Week in Pirate History
Oct 20, 1720 – Rackham, Read & Bonny Strike the Mary and Sara
Off the coast of Jamaica, Calico Jack Rackham and his two notorious crewmates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, attacked the small trading sloop Mary and Sara. The trio and their motley crew seized rum, cargo, and prisoners before celebrating their capture ashore.
It was one of the last raids before their downfall. Within days, Rackham’s ship was cornered by pirate-hunter Jonathan Barnet — and it was Bonny and Read who fought hardest, cursing the men who hid below decks.
“If ye had fought like men,” Bonny shouted, “ye need not have been hanged like dogs.”
Oct 22, 1718 – Blackbeard and the Good Intent
In the waning days before his final battle, Edward Thatch, ‘Blackbeard’, continued his campaign of plunder along the Carolina coast. On this day, he stopped the merchant vessel Good Intent, stripped her hold clean of goods, and then released her — a twisted act of mercy from a man who’d soon meet his end at Ocracoke.
The crew of the Good Intent later testified that Thatch’s men were “in good humor and well provided with rum,” a sure sign that Blackbeard’s confidence had not yet waned.
Oct 24, 1718 – The Gentleman Pirate Escapes!
Held in irons at Charles Town, the infamous Stede Bonnet — once known as the Gentleman Pirate — made a daring escape. Disguised in sailors’ garb, Bonnet slipped past the guards and vanished into the night.
He fled up the Cooper River, gathering a handful of men in a stolen boat. But freedom was short-lived; within weeks he was captured again, tried, and eventually hanged that December.
Still, for a brief time, Stede Bonnet proved that even a doomed man might outwit the hangman’s shadow.
🎃 Haunted Seas of October
Blackbeard’s Ghost at Thatch’s Hole
In the mist-shrouded inlet of Thatch’s Hole on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, legend holds that Blackbeard met his grisly end — and that his spirit still roams the waters, eternally searching for his missing head. northcarolinaghosts.com
On November 22, 1718, Thatch made his final stand in this channel. His decapitated body, the tale goes, swam around the victorious ship three times before sinking into the depths
To this day, locals and ghost hunters alike report strange lights under the water, phantom cannon fire in the surf, and a chilling cry carried on the wind:
“Where’s my head?”
Fishermen claim that on stormy nights you may glimpse a towering figure in the fog — pale-faced, bearded, and boots dripping seawater — vanishing before your eyes as though the sea itself swallowed him.
So if ye find yourself standing at the edge of Ocracoke’s shoreline after dark, keep yer lantern lit and ears sharp. The Graveyard of the Atlantic holds more than wrecks — it holds restless souls.
📰 Pirate News
A Full-Sized Pirate Ship Haunts Utah
In the desert sands of Santa Clara, Utah, a family has built a full-sized pirate ship for Halloween — complete with cannons, skeleton crew, and glowing treasure chests. The creation has become a local legend, blending Halloween’s spirit with the Golden Age of Piracy.
Visitors say it feels like stepping aboard a haunted galleon; lights flicker, sea shanties echo, and the “captain” greets you with a hearty Arrr!
It may be a thousand miles from the ocean, but this be proof that pirate souls can haunt any shore.📜 Read the full story here
💰 Plunder Pick of the Week
Forgotten Waters: A Crossroads Game
Ready to unleash yer inner pirate without leaving port? Forgotten Waters lets ye sail the high seas from the comfort of yer galley table — part strategy, part storytelling, and all chaos.
In this laugh-soaked, treasure-hungry board game from Plaid Hat Games, players take command of a crew of scallywags chasing glory, gold, and survival through five sprawling scenarios. Each playthrough charts a new course, mixing humor, danger, and unexpected heroics.
Why we love it:
⚓ Endless replayability – Every voyage spins a new tale of greed, ghosts, and glory.
🗺️ Epic location book – Explore ports, storms, and cursed islands straight from a pirate’s daydream.
🦜 Crew up to seven mates – The more the merrier (and louder) the mutiny.
📱 Free companion app – Adds voices, sound effects, and seamless storytelling without page-flipping.
Perfect for game nights, tavern gatherings, or family mutinies, Forgotten Waters brings the pirate life home — minus the hangings and scurvy.
👉 Set sail and claim yer copy here before the next storm rolls in.
🎪 Festival Forecast
⚔️ Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree – Ocracoke Island, NC (Oct 31–Nov 1, 2025)
Set sail for a Halloween fit for a pirate legend! Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree returns to Ocracoke Island, the very place where the infamous Edward Thatch met his end.This two-day festival transforms the island into a living 18th-century seaport with:
Reenactments of Blackbeard’s final battle
Cannon fire over Silver Lake Harbor
Sea shanties, costumed parades, and family treasure hunts
Historical encampments and maritime crafts
A solemn march honoring the fallen crew of 1718
It’s one of the most authentic pirate events on the American coast — and a fine way to end the month of October with grog, ghosts, and gunpowder.
Escondido Renaissance Faire – With Pirate Alley!
📅 Oct 26–27 & Nov 2–3, 2025
California’s longest-running Renaissance faire returns to Escondido’s Felicita Park for two weekends — and this year the pirates are droppin’ anchor in force. Alongside jousts, markets, and merry revelry, the faire features Pirate Alley, where multiple pirate crews gather to swap tales, show steel, and welcome landlubbers to the brotherhood.
Expect costumed buccaneers, sea shanties, pirate-themed shops, and enough rum-soaked antics to make even Blackbeard grin. Whether ye be a knight, fairy, or freebooter, the Escondido Ren Faire be a port worth makin’. You’ll find me there, Capt Blackquill, Sunday the 26th and Saturday Nov 1st at the camp of Pirates of Treasure Cove. Come give ye regards, me hearties.
▶️ More info: Escondido Renaissance Faire
☠️ Captain’s Log
This week’s tales prove that pirate spirits never rest — not in cells, nor graves, nor deserts far from the sea. From Ocracoke’s haunted shores to Utah’s ghostly galleon, the legends keep sailing on the winds of October.
Till the next tide,– Captain Blackquill
🗣️ Share the Spoils, Matey!
Know a landlubber who’d love tales of treasure, ghost ships, and real pirate history? Don’t keep the gold to yerself—send ‘em our way!
📜 Sign up here → https://www.piratefanclub.com/weeklynewsletter-thepiraterepublic
Fair winds and full inboxes!
Sail with us across the digital seas:📜 TikTok: @thepiraterepublic▶️ YouTube: The Pirate Republic
🎖️ Thanks for Embarkin’ on the Voyage
We set sail every Friday, storm or shine. Keep yer spyglass pointed at the horizon...and may yer week be full o’ plunder, parlay, and just the right amount o’ mutiny.
Share this letter with yer crewmates, an if ye find treasure or tales worth tell’n, send them to captainblackquill@gmail.com.
Disclosure: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links, which means we may earn doubloons (aka a small commission) if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Pirate Republic, ya savvy sea dog!
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