In the previous post, my mom and I were going to Eastport to the Pirate Festival. We have successfully gone and now I am back to tell you the tale. Generally speaking, I've never particularly been interested in going to the festival, mainly because of the...well, I don't know...the unhistorical clothes? the drinking? the leering men in eye patches? the children tossing poppers towards your toes? (No, no: I love poppers.) And other than being a port, I'm not sure that Eastport has pirate-y connections.
Anyway, this year was my first complete time there. I'll express it mostly in photos. Saw this    lovely boat as the ferry got to the docks.

We wheeled our bikes up the steep ramp to the main road, where this was going on:                               

Saw some sculptures by a really brilliant light and paper artist lady (I'll post a link to her blog later). 

The day was large dog day as well. There were several, one on the ferry, one walking around the food booths and one walking down the sidewalk. This last one, a great dane, was the largest dog I've ever seen in my entire life. It was also THE Hound of the Baskervilles. Gorgeous, huge and grande, clearly friendly judging by the children hanging off every side of him, but I just could not bring myself to reach out an arm and touch him. I mean, unlike in the Basil Rathbone movie version, there wasn't even a question whether you could outrun this beast, because you wouldn't be able to. That's the kind of dog I'd like to have as a friend, if I ever get a dog. 

Next we wandered around, bought onion rings and cotton candy flavoured mini-melts ice cream, and toured that pirate ship tied up at the docks. It was a reconstruction of the ship (HMS Bounty) used in Mutiny on the Bounty, which I've yet to see. It was magnificent! The masts are made of douglas firs, and everything on deck is completely 18th century. The ship is operated as it would have been in 1780. 

 

It was only after we'd gotten off the ship that I really found out/absorbed that it was the one used in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 as the Edinburgh Trader, which in the end gets crunched by the Kraken. I need to learn more about the history of the ship. I wish I'd known more when I was walking around on deck. There have been an impressive number of film remakes of the voyage, and also two remakes of the ship (we saw the 1962 remake).

Below decks was pretty incredible as well. We only reached the second level: the bottom level was reserved for the crew of 25 people (they sail the Bounty all over the world! It'll tour the great lakes soon, then go on to Europe. Would that I were a sailor!) They keep a blog about their voyages here.
I have to say my favourite part of the 'neath decks tour were the tables on ropes.