Blog de Puree

Randye and I couldn’t have asked for better weather this past weekend. On Saturday, I was weeding a heinous strip of crab grass in our woodchips when our friend Mike called. “Hey,” he said, “I’m heading up to Salem to meet some friends to hang out at a local bar and today is the Maritime Festival. Care to hang out and check out an old ship or two?”

Well, duh. Old boats and booze in witch city? No brainer. So Randye and I showered up and headed off to the action. When we arrived, we met up with Mike and some of his friends at a local hang out called the Lobster Shanty.

From there, we headed to the old Salem piers and boarded the sloop Providence, its most recent claim to fame being filmed in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest. The ship, a 110 foot replica of a Revolutionary War sloop that was originally christened Katy, and was the first command of John Paul Jones.

The sloop was favored by pirates for its speed, shallow draft and ability to pack plenty of cannon for its size. In the movie, the Providence played the part of a merchant ship that was attacked by the Krackon. When the Katy was first commissioned, she too was a merchant and later became a privateer and U.S. warship.

After Randye and Mike witnessed my 30 minute peppering of the crew with a million questions, we made a roundabout way to a dinner of Indian cuisine. Then it was time to hit up a few of the local watering holes.

Also of interest, was one of Mike’s friends who joined us and is a practicing witch. Very nice, and very patient–yes, I peppered her with a thousand questions as well–she gave us a unique perspective of Salem through a witch’s eyes.

Tags: travel