For the second-straight year, overcast weather did nothing to dampen spirits for the 14th annual Pirate Parade on Lake Sinclair.
And similar to last year’s turnout, about 20 pirate-manned boats made the approximate four-mile trek by water from Little River Marina alongside Hwy. 441 to The Grill at Crooked Creek Marina.
“Considering we had a semi-bad forecast for rain in the morning, and a lot of folks were posting on Facebook, which is primarily how I talk with them for this thing, I think it was a pretty good turnout,” Pirate Parade Captain Emmett ‘Jerry’ Arnold said Saturday afternoon.
“A lot of them were asking what we were doing? What do we do in case of bad weather? Is there a Plan B? And I just said, ‘It looks like it’s going to be okay during the time period that we need and we’re moving forward.’
“Now, of course, if there was any lightning on the water, I told everyone to exercise good judgment, go home, or don’t even come out. But fortunately, everything went well, and I think everyone who did come out had a great time.”
Following the pirate flotilla’s arrival, prizes were handed out by Arnold, donated by local businesses, including restaurants The Grill at Crooked Creek, Aubrey Lanes, Los Magueyes, The Vault, and Duke’s Dawg House and Lounge, as well as Sinclair Marina, The Club at Lake Sinclair, Five Star Toyota of Milledgeville, Little River Marina, Love to Letter, and Sinclair Power Sports.
After four or five years of entering, Greg King, captain of the “Queen’s Lair,” won the prestigious Pirate of the Year award.
“I believe the teeth did it for me this time,” King said, picking at them with his hook for a hand. “This is my dentist, my lovely wife, Peggy. I owe it all to her.”
King’s boat came in second for the coveted 2025 Best Pirate Ship honor, behind only the “Altered Course” entry of first-time entrants Louis and Penney Werner.
“The boat’s called ‘Altered Course’ because that’s what life brings you, an altered course,” Louis Werner explained. “The theme is from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ with the skeletons and the cannons and the American flag and even the Trump flag. We built the boat yesterday (Friday), so about a six-hour project.
“We spent half the night just admiring our work,” he added. “It’s our first event here, but we’ve been living on Lake Sinclair for five years now after we retired, and we love it.”
Stacy Black, a visitor from Tampa (“Pirate capital of the world,” she claimed), and a member of the all-women crew led by Captain Linda aboard the “Pour Choices” entry, earned Pirate Wench of the Year honors.
“I am happy to be the Wench of the Year for my friend Beth Edwards, who owns an amazing property here on Lake Sinclair, and I’m so thankful for her inviting me to join in these festivities,” Black declared.
Meanwhile, a second member of the “Pour Choices” crew, Kelley Wolfe, made it back-to-back wins with her second-straight Sea Hag recognition.
It clearly was a welcome accomplishment for the Tampa resident, who proudly sported a 2024 Lake Sinclair Sea Hag beauty queen sash signifying her win by acclamation last year.
“I don’t know why the ladies did not want to compete for it last year,” Wolfe said. “I was like, I’m proud to be named Sea Hag. I sent pictures to my family. They were like, You’re happy with that? And I said, ‘Hell, yeah!’ So, this year I had competition, but damn, I still won it, so yeah, I’m pretty excited!”
Each of the children attending in pirate costumes was named Pirate Kid of the Year, and “Murphy,” a nine-year-old, one-eyed, poodle-Bichon mix, successfully defended his Best Pirate Pet crown from last year’s event.
“I just want to thank all the sponsors, who are local businesses,” Arnold pointed out as the pirate ships departed from Crooked Creek Marina. “They’re not chains; they’re all local businesses that I walked up to and asked for things to give away. And they were all generous enough to trust me and give me stuff or coupons that were worth a lot and that people want to win. I just really want to thank them all.
“And if anyone wants to take over running this deal, look me up,” he added. “I’d be happy to show them how it works.”