Pirate’s Pride Begins Rebuilding Famous Candlewood Lake Pirate Ship
What started as a Fourth of July celebration on Candlewood Lake quickly turned into a disaster when the Pirate’s Pride pirate ship was battered by a late-day storm, sending crew members overboard and leaving masts crashing into the water.
The incident happened right outside the iconic Down the Hatch Restaurant, and the shipmates were eventually able to regain control of the vessel and tie it up to a swim platform to keep it from being pushed farther into the middle of the lake.
After finally getting the ship towed back to shore, the damage could be assessed. Sadly, very little of the ship was salvageable, and construction has now begun to rebuild the popular lake attraction in time for the 2027 season.
The Candlewood Lake Pirate Ship has become a landmark for many families in the local community. Parents love the whole lakeside lifestyle feel, while kids love the eccentric pirate garb, free beads and the occasional fanfare when the cannons are fired. There’s something for everyone about seeing those pirate flags flying across the water in the distance.
In fact, the pirate community is a pretty big one, particularly in the Florida region, according to Dina Badaracco, better known as “Lady Karma,” who helped organize a fundraising event at her father’s restaurant, Pulchinella’s Restaurant in Brookfield. The event featured plenty of pirate-themed fun, including best pirate and wench costume contests, raffles and kitchen specials inspired by the swashbuckling era. All of the proceeds went toward helping rebuild Pirates Pride.
If you’re interested in donating your time, materials or funds to help bring the Candlewood Lake pirate ship back to life—or if you simply want to learn more about Pirate’s Pride—you can find more information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PiratesPrideCandlewood.
Here are some pictures from the fundraising event at Pulchinella’s, featuring the one and only Captain Charlie manning the helm.
You may recognize him as a repeat contributor to our annual Camping for Cans event benefiting the Hillside Food Outreach.
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