12 boats, 10 canoes, 100 members or so, at the Pirate Club on Rosedale at Gilbeys WharfWay before elven safety was invented, you didn't have to have a lifejacket as long as you could swim ok in your clothes, or something like thatVoluntary work on the canal means you also get out of it what other people put inBefore the towpath had road access to Oval RoadBefore the flats were built opposite usA Skipper aboard Pirate QueenThe Lord Mayor let us lock him in our dungeon and his ransom helped pay for the Pirate CastleAs Charles will be our king one day, they didn't let us ransom him, even just for fun