Once the Atlantic Ocean was filled with ships bearing flags with the skull and crossbones. Some of our greatest fantasies have to do with swashbuckling pirates looting merchant ships and carrying off great hordes of gold and prizes. Well for the most part, this is exactly what happened.

Piracy has been around for literally thousands of years. It got so bad during the Roman Republic (65  BC) that Julius Caesar's arch rival Pompey was sent with the largest Roman fleet ever assembled to sweep the Mediterranean Sea. And he did. But, piracy continued.

In the American colonies piracy took on a unique look. The islands of the Caribbean look peaceful.  They are now. But in the late 1600's they were the scene of intense competition from a number of countries such as Spain, Britain, Holland, Portugal, and France. What were they after? TRADE in products the Caribbean was producing - chief among them, sugar. Spanish raids on the local farmers and possibly their own failure to make a living provided ample recruiting grounds for piracy. People began to realize that piracy paid a lot better than scratching in the dirt to grow crops.

Most of these pirates were of English, Dutch and French origin. Spanish holdings were a favorite target. In fact, it became so common for pirates to sail freely in the Caribbean and up the American coastline that they set up (or took over) small cities to make bases. Some of the best-known pirate bases were New Providence, in the Bahamas from 1715 to 1725, Tortuga established in the 1640s and Port Royal after 1655. Among the most famous Caribbean pirates are Edward Teach or "Blackbeard" and Henry Morgan.

This program is great for students.  They love it when Deks comes in dressed in a colorful coat and carrying the equipment of a pirate of the Caribbean in 1720. He does some role playing, showing how pirates operated and dresses students as pirates and civilians of the period.  They learn about life onboard a creaky, leaking wooden ship, and get to sample ship's fare. It is a blast to see the kids dressed in eye patches and pirate hats.

You will also hear stories of famous pirates and their adventures. Did you know that many pirates had a banking system which would take care of those who were killed during their piracy? Or how about that countries like England and Spain would often 'hire' Pirates to work for them by attacking ships from other countries? One amazing fact is that a number of women served as pirates as well, some even commanding their own ship.

Deks weaves a fascinating story of the intrigue, hard life and rewards of these 'buccaneers of the sea'. It is a program which will delight people young and old.

"Oh the joys of swordfighting. As a boy, I would often make swords out of cardboard and have big 'battles' with my friends. Now, I do choreographed demonstrations of how pirate duels took place." - Deks on Pirates of the Caribbean