Buried treasure

NEWPORT BEACH — His newborn son’s room is done up in pirate decor, down to the crib sheets and the tiny pirate ships on the mobile. He has another room a few doors down with replica swords, treasure chests and even a skeleton in pajamas in the bed. Among his happiest memories is the day he heard the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie was in production.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the satirical holiday that celebrates pirate lingo and culture worldwide. For Matthew Stone, however, it’s just another day in the life.

Stone, who lives in Newport Beach, makes a full-time living from Sea Wolf, a pirate-clothing business he founded 17 years ago. Today, he’ll be in demand in Studio City, where the owner of a tattoo parlor has invited him to set up a merchandise booth and join a pirate holiday bash. The holiday, though, doesn’t spell the beginning and end of Sea Wolf’s business. With trade shows, online sales and pirate festivals, Stone keeps busy all year long.

“I’m probably one of the most grateful people in the world that I get to wake up every day and do what I love,” he said.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day, celebrated every Sept. 19, was founded in 1995 by two friends who concocted it as a joke and sent their idea to humorist Dave Barry. When Barry wrote about the holiday in his column, it grew in popularity — at least among beer drinkers, fraternity brothers and people who can recite pages of “Treasure Island” from memory.

Stone, though, was in the pirate business long before the holiday emerged or Johnny Depp first donned a bandanna. He fell in love with pirate culture as a child and realized as he grew older that there was a market for his passion.

“Pirates represent adventure,” he said. “They represent freedom, excitement. They were the rock ’n’ roll stars of the era. That’s what they were. They were the heroes of their time.

“If you look at Sid Vicious as the epitome of punk rock, Blackbeard is the epitome of piracy.”

For many retailers, Sea Wolf is also the epitome of pirate chic. Krystal Rains, the manager of the Enchanted Diva’s Last Wish pirate shop in North Hollywood, said Stone’s products were among her most popular — both due to their low prices and their attention to detail.

“Everybody loves Sea Wolf,” she said. “They even bought the flag out of my window.”

Stone conducts much of his business online, but occasionally he gets to meet other pirate enthusiasts in person — and those are the moments he treasures.

He recently set up a booth at the Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point and plans to feature at the Ojai Pirate Faire this weekend.

“The most wonderful thing is the kids who believe we really are pirates,” Stone said. “They have no clue whether it’s the 1800s or 2007, which is really cute.”

Visit the store at www.seawolfonline.com.

TALK LIKE A PIRATE

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Here’s some basic vocabulary to get you through the day.

Hello: Ahoy there, matey

Stop: Avast!

Go, proceed: Look smartly, men!

I’m amazed: Shiver me timbers!

Yes, I agree, I’m happy: Arrrr!

Friend: Mate, matey, chum

Child: Poppet

Pirate: Sea wolf

One who stays on land: Lubber

Stop bothering me: Be damned with ye!

You jerk, imbecile, coward, etc.: Ye scurvy scum!

For more on Talk Like a Pirate Day, visit www.talklikeapirate.com.