Save the Harbor Hosts a Literary “Cruise” through the Golden Age of American Piracy in Winthrop

After a rewarding spring, summer and fall of Sharing the Harbor with free cruises to the Harbor Islands, Marine Mammal Safaris and tours of Boston Light, Save the Harbor embarked on the winter phase of its Share the Harbor initiative. On Nov. 28, Save the Harbor, the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, the Friends of Winthrop Beach, and the Winthrop Public Library, hosted author and Save the Harbor Humanities Scholar, Eric Jay Dolin for a captivating presentation based on his newly released book, “Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates.”

Save the Harbor has hosted Dolin on several cruises to give talks about the history of American lighthouses, but this time he took listeners on a “literary cruise” through the Golden Age of American Piracy. During the talk Dolin dispelled many of the familiar myths of pirates as jolly rapscallions from literature and film.

“It’s a tale that any of our past Share the Harbor participants should be familiar with from our All Hands on Deck curriculum,” said Chris Mancini, vice president of programs and operations at Save the Harbor. “While the stories of young sailors and mariners from the Age of Sail can often be engaging and even inspiring, pirates themselves don’t actually make the best role models. However, today, we see many opportunities available to young people on Boston Harbor.”

To kick off the evening, Mancini introduced Save the Harbor’s “Pirates In Residence”, including Kristen Barry, Senior Harbor Educator for Save the Harbor, and Albert Deblas and Ashley Pena, Junior Program Assistants. The pirate crew then introduced the 30-person crowd to a brief history of the Boston Harbor Cleanup, emphasizing that this great environmental success story was only possible with many people working to “Haul Away Together” to accomplish a monumental task. To drive home the point, they led everyone in a rousing (and quickly learned) rendition of “Haul Away Joe”, a traditional sea chantey used by sailors as they worked together to raise the heavy sails of their Tall Ships during the Age of Sail.

Dani Foley, Secretary of the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh then introduced Dolin, who took the stage and held the crowd in thrall. He told tales of renowned pirates like Mary Read, Blackbeard, and the brutal Ned Lowe, who was ultimately captured and put on trial right here in Boston.

“We enjoyed being able to bring these stories to folks here in Winthrop,” said Mancini. “And we would like to thank all our foundation funding partners, corporate sponsors, and the more than 1,000 individual donors who help make our work possible, especially our partners at the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, Friends of Winthrop Beach, Winthrop Public Library, Eric Jay Dolin, and our supporters at Mass Humanities for helping start and support the Share the Harbor Initiative.”