Pirate Themes in Nanaimo
Nanaimo dabbles in "pirate" themes, because it can.
Our Gulf of Georgia is like the Caribbean was: an archipelago on the frontier, a string of lights along a dark coastline. And come to think of it, our peoples are similar to those who took to the water 400 years ago: a blend of romantics and isolationists, at odds over how to enjoy the spoils available in the beautiful wilds.
The resemblance might end there. Nanaimo is hardly Port Royal 1660, and while our Bastion was always prepared to defend us againts marauders, we never got to use its cannons. However, there are many forces in Nanaimo that consciously recreate the light-hearted pirate culture of Treasure Island and Pirates of the Caribbean. And why not? We have boats, and alcohol, and open space, and money. We should really play this up more.
Some businesses are doing their part. Pirate Chips down on Victoria Crescent pays a sassy tribute to peglegs and walking the plank, and the Harbour Chandlery on Esplanade even has some sort of kids' play ship out front.
But nowhere in Nanaimo will you find anything that attempts to serve real "pirate" fare. We have no "pirate show" or even a "pirate playground", and Pirates Park has a dock, but no flags or sloops. No, everything here that's pirate is tongue-in-cheek, and that's fine with us. It's a lot of fun on the waterfront in our motley boats during the Marine Festival, or walking around Protection Island, where placenames are deliberate: Captain Morgan's Boulevard, Spyglass Lookout, Billy Bones Bay, Treasure Trail.
It's mostly thanks to Frank Ney that we can pull it off without feeling silly. He was so off-the-wall in his pirate regalia, whether it was at a child's birthday or a city council meeting. Frank was the one who bought and subdivided Protection Island with its pirate themes. He also organized the Bathtub Races and was "admiral" of the Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society. Today, a statue of Frank Ney watches over our holy-of-holies, that most public of Nanaimo places: Swy-a-Lana Lagoon and Maffeo-Sutton Park.
We should definitely have some kind of pirate olympics on the Lagoon, and his statue should be turned so he can see it.