A Fun Day For 29 Little Pirates

Although the sun was slightly obscured by the mid-day sea fog, it didn’t seem to bother the approximately 65 children, parents and grandparents who spent a great day on the water onboard the Black Pearl pirate boat. The vessel, under the command of Captain Frank Camarda, sails out of the Rose Marina at least twice a day. 

Last Saturday, it sailed with some of the most seaworthy pirates ever seen in our area. Camarda played host to approximately 29 special children, many of whom are undergoing cancer treatment or are cancer survivors following a long, difficult treatment. 

Two non-profit organizations, Freedom Waters Foundation and Sunshine Kids, organized the trip on the Black Pearl for the children.

The Freedom Waters Foundation provides marine-based social and environmental programs through direct service and community partnerships. It was co-founded by Marco Island native, Debra Frenkel, whose inspiration came while speaking with a friend who was a paraplegic and loved sailing. When she asked him what drew him to the water, he responded, “a sense of freedom.” They collaborated and founded the Freedom Waters Foundation 16 years ago along with her co-founder, John Weller. 

“The Foundation, which was originally founded to deal with children, has extended its reach to deal with adults and veterans with special needs that may benefit from therapeutic boating experiences,” said Meredith Gavin, the Program Director for Freedom Waters Foundation. 

Freedom Waters Foundation coordinated with Sunshine Kids, a nationwide non-profit organization that specializes in children with special needs, to arrange the day’s excursion on Marco Island’s waters. 

Rhonda Tomasco founded Sunshine Kids in 1982. Tomasco had served as a volunteer in a Houston, Texas pediatric cancer facility. She saw the need to lift the spirits of these young children to help them overcome the depression and loneliness that arises during extended cancer treatment and long hospital stays. 

Janet Yon is the Senior Program Director for Sunshine Kids, which is located in Naples and covers the states of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. She coordinated with Meredith Gavin from the Freedom Waters Foundation to make this exciting day for the children possible.

The children were quickly drawn to the female Irish Pirate Ruairi, who, complete with her authentic Irish brogue, led them through a fun myriad of games. The children prepared to fight off an attack by Pirate Pete, who was following the Black Pearl in a small craft of his own. For about 20 minutes, Pirate Pete circled the larger vessel while using a water cannon to attack.

On the Black Pearl, the children gleefully manned their own ship-mounted water cannons to engage the soon-to-be-soaked pitiful pirate. 

Pirate Pete surrendered and handed over the key to the onboard pirate treasure chest. The children quickly opened the chest and enjoyed discovering (and plundering) the treasure it contained.

The children and their families disembarked from the Black Pearl at Rose Marina, where they were treated to a pizza party. Donated in part by Little Caesar’s Pizza on Marco Island and a fierce Northeastern Pirate known as Tom “Salty” Capistron, the pizza was delivered dockside by “Peg-Leg” Ray Seward from the Chesapeake Bay.

After a great day on the water, the children walked away from the picnic table by the Black Pearl while adjusting their pirate hats and gazing upon their gold doubloons. Looking over their shoulders, the children said goodbye to their newly found friends.