Pirates Take Over Bluewater Boathouse

BLUEWATER BOATHOUSE CELEBRATES
“TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY”

CORONADO – Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill has been hijacked by pirates. On Saturday, September 19, Bluewater Boathouse will pay homage to “Talk Like A Pirate Day” by greeting customers for lunch and dinner in pirate attire and taking their food and drink orders in pirate-speak.

Special gifts and discounts await guests willing to dress and talk like a pirate. “We thought we would have a little fun with Talk Like A Pirate Day,” said Steve Ewing, general manager at Bluewater Boathouse.

Erin Briggs and Arthur Skorepa, employees at Coronado’s Bluewater Grill, serve lunch to guests in preparation for “Talk Like A Pirate Day,” Saturday, September 19. Their “captives” are, from left, Darlene Iversen and Sylvia Base, on vacation in Coronado. Special discounts and gifts await customers willing to dress and speak like a pirate that day. All photos by Joe Ditler.

“We’ll be offering a traditional pirate drink to guests for lunch and dinner. It’s infamously known as pirate grog, but we call it, the ‘Painkiller.’ Any customers willing to give their order in pirate-speak will get a free clam chowder with their entree’. If they dress as a pirate they’ll get 15% off their meal.”

The restaurant also plans to raise the dreaded skull and crossbones, aka “Jolly Roger” flag, atop the cupola of Bluewater Boathouse. The restaurant is located in the original 1887 Boathouse, over the water on Glorietta Bay. It’s a building that predates the Hotel del Coronado by one year.

No telling what residents at the Coronado Shores thought when Bluewater Boathouse hoisted the Jolly Roger last week for this photo shoot. At least one called the City of Coronado out of concern. The skull and crossbones flag will fly again Saturday, September 19.

The funny thing about pirate-speak is, once you start, you can’t stop. “Arrrrrrrrrgh. What be your pleasure, matey? ‘Tis rum we serve from the galley … Aye …. Nelson’s blood. So strong it’ll melt the barnacles off’n yer hull.”

Two Oregon men, Mark Summers and John Baur, developed the concept of Talk Like A Pirate Day. The good friends were playing racquetball in the 1990s, and began screaming back and forth at each other between points in pirate-speak.

Erin and Arthur moaned and groaned about this photo shoot, but they really got into the spirit once they had donned their pirate costumes. Here they are seen demonstrating “pirate face.”

What launched them into infamy was a mention by Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Dave Barry, in a September 2002 column: “Every now and then, some visionary individuals come along with a concept that is so original and so revolutionary that your immediate reaction is, ‘Those [guys] should be on medication.’”

Since Barry’s column, Talk Like A Pirate Day has taken on a life of its own. It is celebrated annually, around the world, on September 19. That first year it was traced to 19 million people on seven continents. Those numbers have multiplied greatly over the years.

While the upstairs of Bluewater Boathouse many be closed due to a private event, the downstairs will be lively, as waiters and waitresses dress and talk like pirates for “Talk Like A Pirate Day.”

Summers and Baur went on to have more fun than should be legal in observing their special day. They have a website and FaceBook page, and have authored books on the subject – “Guide To Talking Like A Pirate,” and “Well Blow Me Down.”

The celebration is so uniquely accepted in any language that it’s regularly featured on CNN, FOX, National Public Radio, All Things Considered, the BBC, Irish National Radio, the Australian Broadcasting Company, and newspapers, TV and Internet blogs around the world.

“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.” Special pirate drinks, called Painkillers,” will be served to guests Saturday, September 19 at Coronado’s Bluewater Boathouse. Guests dressing and/or talking like a pirate will receive discounts off all food and drink.

The ultimate validation came when singer/songwriter and King of the Parrot Heads, Jimmy Buffett, announced Talk Like A Pirate Day from the stage of his concert.

Coronado’s Bluewater Boathouse is located at 1701 Strand Way, across from the historic Hotel del Coronado. For more information, or for reservations, call (619) 435-0155.

Coronado’s Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill is located in the 1887 Boathouse, on Glorietta Bay. The restaurant has been a huge success since opening in June 2014. Their popularity is largely due to the sustainable seafood they offer, along with their professional staff who serve it. But, even the most professional of staff must take time to celebrate “Talk Like A Pirate Day.”

You can also follow Bluewater Grill on Facebook and Twitter. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., serving lunch, brunch and dinner. For more information visit Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill on Facebook, or their website at www.bluewatergrill.com/locations/coronado.

To study up your pirate-speak, visit the Talk Like A Pirate Website at, http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html.

This promotion was prepared by Part-Time PR, serving all of Coronado’s public relations needs. To find out how your business can reach larger audiences, write or call [email protected] or (619) 435-0767.