Ahoy Mates!

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Welcome to the official website for NOLA Pyrate Week – THE Pyratical celebration of culture, art, food & entertainment in New Orleans. Join us as we rebuild, renew and rise up!

NOLA Pyrate Week happens every spring at about the same time…last weekend o’ March to the first weekend o’ April.

…Dates for 2013 are Mar. 29 – Apr. 7…

All news, events and other special announcements will follow this one…ye can follow the Captain on Twitter or Google+, join the Quartermaster on Facebook, or contact us through the site.

NOLA Pyrate Week – Take what ye can, GIVE something back!™

BTNEP Beach Sweep in Grand Isle

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Volunteers Wanted! Tell ‘em the Pyrates sent ye…

On May 12th at 8:00am the BTNEP volunteer team will be travelling down to Elmer’s Island (Grand Isle, LA) for a Beach Sweep. The event will last until 12pm. Food, drink, and entertainment will be provided by Barefoot Wine Inc. at Bridgeside Marina immediately following the cleanup.

The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary is the fastest disappearing landmass on Earth! You can help save our home by joining us in supporting common-sense restoration solutions and by volunteering to restore our coastal heartland.

For More Info Please Contact:
Joseph Dantin
Public Involvement Coordinator
(985) 228-0358
joe at btnep.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BTNEP
Website: http://btnep.org

Down De Bayou

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This year we were fortunate to have more than one visit with our mates down de Bayou – sharing in their warmth & hospitality as well as their struggles and concerns. The Bayous o’ South Louisiana are the lifeblood o’ the state and their history, ecosystem and culture have an impact across North America.

People o’ many mixed backgrounds have called this their home for generations, though the Houma Nation we likely the first to live here, followed closely by Les Acadiens (now commonly referred to as Cajuns). It was also the centre o’ Jean Laffite’s operation – bringing fresh goods from the Bayou, The Gulf Of Mexico and beyond, upriver to trade. Despite the ongoing damage & destruction caused by “big business” and their disregard for indigenous life, both people and nature still manage to hunt, fish and farm a living as our ancestors did…though in many ways it’s become a struggle for survival – and one we hop to help with in any way we can.

We have the honour o’ being mates to some o’ these folk – and nicer folk ye’ll never meet. Our good mate, Capt. Wendy Wilson-Billiot (aka Bayou Woman) shares her knowledge, experience and hospitality with everyone she can – and graciously shared the lovely Camp Dularge for our home base while we visited! We finally had the opportunity to meet the slightly elusive, yet now famous, “Bayou Fabio” (aka Ricky Verrett) – a French speaking member o’ the Houma Nation who lives on his boat, fishes Alligator Gar and manages an Oyster Bed! Houma Today wrote a good article about Ricky here…and ye’ll soon see him on Animal Planet and possibly National Geographic!

After our adventures in Tibodeaux (BTNEP Bayou Cleanup) we returned to Bayou Dularge for a sunset Wetlands Tour and First Mate Termite took the helm! This young lad (Capt. Wendy’s son) has just turned 16 and grown into quite the young, handsome, baseball playing lad – as well as taking the boats out on his own. The following day, Termite and one o’ his mates went out early in the morning…and returned in the early afternoon with a fine mess o’ Bayou Crabs – shortly after Bayou Fabio had dropped off an equally impressive mess o’ fresh Oysters…Lunch was fantastic!

Is it any wonder people love this region? We certainly didn’t want to leave…

 Camp Dularge Pyrates at the "Camp" Pyrates & "Bayou Fabio"Oyster Shell Mountain  Bayou Crabs Madonna of the BayouRaised home

 

Bayou Lafourche Cleanup

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BTNEP CLEAN UP BAYOU LAFOURCHE EVENT SUCCESSFUL

The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP) would like to thank all the volunteers that came out to the Clean Bayou Lafourche Event this Saturday, March 31st. The event was a huge success with over 1200 volunteers cleaning from Donaldsonville to Leeville…Volunteers picked up items from plastic bottles to tires. Odd items found included a bowling ball, a fireproof safe, a 30-gallon water heater and a MRE.

 

Bayou Lafourche Cleanup

Christopher Jarreau, Christina Rigaud, Capt. John Swallow, Ashley Martinez (Miss Louisiana Pyrate Wench 2012)

NOLA Pyrate Week was proud to be part o’ this hard working group o’ volunteers as our small but mighty crew volunteered to take on one o’ the hottest (and most hazardous) areas – the roadway surrounding the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux (part o’ the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve). Making a hot day even hotter (over 100° F), crouching down to gather hundreds o’ cigarette butts, tin cans, broken bottles, six pack rings, snack bags…and a multitude more in-organic human waste. While this is a hazard to both the environment, ecosystem and wildlife on land, around the Bayou it falls into the watershed and the wetlands creating an even bigger problem. Garbage tossed mindlessly from vehicles on and off the water is a hazard to ALL living things…the water in Thibodaux comes from the Bayou, but if it becomes polluted, what then? This is a common problem everywhere – not just Louisiana – and affects us all.

We must remember that we are not the masters o’ this world, but it’s caretakers. Take care – recycle where ye can, put trash in it’s place, notify someone in charge if ye see a problem so it may be dealt with!

Fun Up To Yer Buccaneers

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Brilliant gathering tonight to launch NOLA Pyrate Week, cheers to all esp. Mr. Irish, Thais & Tony (Pirates Alley Café), The Tumblers, The Westbank Buccaneers,  Diana Allen & her wenches (promoting the coming film, “Pirates; Band Of Misfits”), Dawn Carl…and all o’ ye scallawags who joined us!

Come visit us at BMC Sat/Sun (noon- 7pm) for a fantastic Merchants Market, live Pyrate music with The Whiskey Bay Rovers – and even more bands after 3pm (Sat. – Smoky Greenwell’s Band, Ashton and the Big Easy Brawlers / Sun. – Soulabillyswampboogie Band, Hellbenders, Chapter Soul), Pyrate Wench Pageant, Pyrate Fashion Show, Wetlands Fundraiser Raffle with some very nice treasures to be won…and much more!

Saturday night join us at Pirates Alley Café for a Pyrate Pub Crawl (7:30pm) and then follow us over to The Maison, 508 Frenchmen St. (10pm), to hear our mates Debauche!

Sunday night we travel to Tango’s Bar & Grill (300 Burgundy St. at Bienville) to hear our mate Tony Seville & his band The Cadillacs, serve up some fine NOLA Jazz!

…and then…well, ye’ll just have to keep in touch!

All Hands On Deck!

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Avast, mates! NOLA Pyrate Week starts tonight!

Join us at Pirates Alley Café 7pm as we launch our 4th annual gathering – celebrating the history & culture o’ New Orleans and Louisiana while raising awareness and funds for wetlands preservation & restoration.

Tonight our procession moves from Pirates Alley to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (families/children welcome along the walk); at Lafitte’s we re-fuel and change tack to the Pyrate Pub Crawl, winding our way back to Pirates Alley for a celebration hosted by our most excellent mates, Tony & Thais (proprietors o’ Pirates Alley Café).

Sat/Sun join us at BMC (corner o’ Decatur & Esplanade) from noon to 7pm for the Merchants Market, live music (featuring Pyratical tunes from our mates, The Whiskey Bay Rovers), Louisiana Pyrate Wench Pageant, Pyrate Fashion Show (featuring good from our Merchants), silent auction fundraiser…and much more.

Buckle yer swash…and keep yer powder dry!