Piratical promotion

Deepa Bharath

Don’t be surprised if you see cannons blasting off in Newport Harbor

two weeks from now.

Don’t be surprised either if you see pirates let out battle cries

as two tall ships bearing wild buccaneers of yore fight it out in the

harbor, normally home to modern pleasure boats and yachts.

It will all be part of the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum’s

Pirates of Newport exhibit, spurred by the phenomenal success of the

Hollywood blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

One of the tall ships to be featured in this weeklong event is the

Lady Washington, the actual HMS Interceptor in the movie.

“If you love the movie, you’ll certainly love the real thing,”

said Glenn Zagoren, president of the museum.

During weekdays, the tall ships -- the Hawaiian Chieftain and the

Lady Washington -- and their costumed crew will be available for

educational tours.

The ships will engage in battle reenactments once a day on Jan. 31

and Feb. 1. Passengers will go on a three-hour cruise of the harbor

during which time the “battles” will take place, Zagoren said.

The pirate theme is something new for the nautical museum, he

said.

“Everybody loves tall ships,” he said. “It gives people a taste of

what the harbor was like in the past.”

It also educates children about their heritage, Zagoren said.

“Newport was not always what it is today,” he said. “It used to be

a bustling commercial harbor with active trade going on. It’s good to

learn about all that. The pirates just make it all a lot of fun.”

The ships and crew try to make the experience interesting and

educational for children and families, said Lynn McFarlane,

spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Chieftain.

The main goal is to teach history and heritage, McFarlane said.

“We make it all accurate,” she said. “We even follow California

history curriculum.”

They don’t usually use the pirate theme, she said.

“But this year, because of the movie and because of our ship’s

involvement, we thought it would be appropriate,” McFarlane said.