Pirate Regatta brings out people’s inner marauders

MOSES LAKE — The shores and docks at Camas Cove were awash in buccaneers, swashbucklers, hearties and scurvy dogs Sunday for the eighth annual Camas Cove Pirate Regatta. 

“It’s a perfect day for a giant water gun fight and a piratey race,” said Kathleen Parr, co-owner of Camas Cove Cellars and the regatta’s primary organizer. Parr was decked out in a tricorn hat and a black body suit with a skeleton printed on it, sort of a walking Jolly Roger. 

The weather hovered just short of three digits and the sun blazed on the lake, but the heat didn’t slow down the racers. This year’s regatta had 21 boats entered, up from 13 last year, ranging from single-occupant kayaks to rafts and paddle boats crewed by half a dozen or more. Almost anything that could float was allowed, provided it was human-powered. Even floating was negotiable; one boat sank halfway around the course and there was a prize for the least seaworthy vessel. 

The Sons of Norway had won that dubious honor last year, said their captain Jamie Casteel, who was getting the organization’s boat, the Midgard Mud Skipper, ready to hit the water. The Midgard Mud Skipper carried an inflatable palm tree, but wasn’t nearly as impressive as last year’s entry, Casteel said. 

“We had a big, beautiful pirate ship built around a paddle boat,” she said. “We had a kraken with its legs attacking the boat, and the kraken head was behind it. It was very intricate. Trouble was that we had too many shipmates and not enough buoyancy … so we ended up sinking and swimming back to shore.” 

“We already had to plug a couple of holes in one of the boats here with corks,” Parr said.  

The race consisted of two laps around a triangular course. The first turn was around what Parr called the “bogey boat,” a sailboat that rode at anchor and pelted the pirates with a water hose. Then the boats made another turn around a buoy and a mad dash back to the dock. In true pirate fashion, competitors weren’t especially scrupulous about how they got ahead, and several encounters came to resemble a game of waterborne bumper cars. 

The spectators weren’t just on land; boats both motorized and not stood at a respectful distance on the water as their occupants cheered the buccaneers on. The John Owens Pirate Drum Crew kept up a percussive rhythm that added to the excitement. 

Back on shore, there was plenty going on as well. Porky’s Hot Dogs and Risen Indeed Bakery kept the crowd fed, and the Seven C’s pirate band sang nautical numbers. The Sons of Norway brought their Viking longboat parade float, decked out in pirate gear, and the Tow Mater truck was there as well. Kimmy’s Children’s Entertainment was out at the regatta for the first time, offering face painting as well as balloon swords and pirate hats for young marauders. And of course, there was plenty of wine to check out in the tasting room. 

“People look forward to it,” said Camas Cove co-owner Nancy Parr, who was pouring samples. “It's just a fun event.” 

    Linda Rosenow of Moses Lake paddles her boat, the Sleazy Mermaid, across the finish line in the Pirate Regatta at Camas Cove Cellars Sunday.
  

    The Black Hog, one of 21 entries in the Camas Cove Cellars Pirate Regatta, looks like it could go under at any minute, but the crew made it around the course unswamped.
  

    Competitors in the Pirate Regatta occasionally found themselves doing battle, as they made their way around the course.
  

    Shawna Sloane bites off a piece of duct tape while assembling her boat, the Risen Indeed, for the Pirate Regatta Sunday at Camas Cove Cellars.
  

    The Seven Cs Pirate Band plays at the Camas Cove Cellars Pirate Regatta Sunday. From left: Anna Birge-Carter, Mary Conway, Clifford Bresee, Jim Hamm and Steve Close. Obscured behind Close is Stacy Bresee.