Let’s set the mood with some pirate fun facts.
- The term Starboard comes from the old English or Anglo-Saxon term Steorboard. The universal term in nautical and aeronautical language refers to the rightside of the centreline of the vessel when standing from the rear facing in the direction the vessel is travelling.
- Eye patches weren’t a fashion piece.Apparently one reason to wear them was to help keeping one eye adjusted to night vision to always be able to see below deck.
- A pirate’s treasure did not always look like we know it from the movies. Instead of silver and gold it would often consist of food, clothes, leather and lumber.
Even though walking the plank is the stereotype of the pirates’ way of murdering it’s just a myth. It was more common to kill people straightaway. But if they did want to torture, their favourite ways were ‘keelhauling’ (tying the victim to the back of the ship and hauling him through the water), flogging with a leather whip or simply leaving someone behind on a deserted island.
- Ching Shih (1775-1844) was one of the most powerful pirates that ever lived. Working as a prostitute she had met her husband Cheng I. When he died just a few years later she took over his leadership position and controlled 1,800 ships and 80,000 sailors.
- Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard was as the most feared pirate in the world. As an act of intimidation he used to braid hemp into his beard and set it on fire before capturing another ship.
