pirate tour cape cod

Whydah Pirate Museum

Cape cod's authentic pirate ship exhibition in west yarmouth, ma.

Set sail at the Whydah Pirate Museum

General Admission

Come, explore the Whydah Pirate Museum! Visit Cape Cod’s newest interactive science museum featuring real pirates and real treasures. Don’t miss this must-see attraction for all ages!

Our hours of operation are easily accessible, and you can secure your spot by clicking the “Book Now” button.

• Hour Glass 1 hour
• User All ages

Expedition Whydah

The story of the Whydah Gally is also about the explorers, divers, researchers, and archaeologists who raised this adventure from beneath the seafloor and brought it back into the light. The discovery and excavation of the Whydah involves years of persistent searching, historical research, and sustained scientific efforts by dedicated professionals.

Museum Memberships

Whydah Pirate Museum members are essential to everything we do—from supporting our core operations, to sharing the Whydah’s story with family and friends and providing valuable feedback that helps us improve our efforts. Our members are part of the team.

Join our team and help us bring history to life!

Educational Offerings

Whydah Pirate Museum offers curriculum guides and lesson plans to help educators utilize the history and science behind the Whydah’s discovery in their classrooms. The museum has crafted a multidisciplinary Unit Plan that uses the true story of the Whydah to teach upper-elementary school students skills and standards in history, science, and language arts.

Join our crew on a voyage of discovery

When the Whydah Gally was discovered in 1984 by Barry Clifford and his team, the world gained an unprecedented and invaluable resource to study the pirates of the “Golden Age”—one of the most secretive and, consequently, misunderstood societies of the colonial period.

The Whydah Pirate Museum and its affiliated facilities house the largest collection of pirate artifacts ever recovered from a single shipwreck. In addition to recovering and preserving these artifacts, the museum’s mission is to provide  educational content that not only engages and teaches students , but also passes on a story that is an important piece of local Cape Cod history.

When the Whydah Gally was discovered in 1984, the world gained an unprecedented and invaluable resource to study the pirates of the “Golden Age”—one of the most secretive and, consequently, misunderstood societies of the colonial period.

Rated #1 on Tripadvisor's things to do in West Yarmouth

We were pleasantly surprised and amazed at how wonderful this museum is! We found it while looking for fun things to do in the area- and that’s exactly what it was! A fun experience with lots of historical artifacts and information- it was so cool to read true pirate stories! If you’ve ever been interested in pirates, ships, etc- I 1000% recommend a stop by this awesome TREASURE ARRGGHH! Pricing is great and affordable, parking is easy, and staff super friendly and nice!

The Whydah Pirate Museum is a great experience for fans of history and pirate tales. Hundreds of artifacts have been cleaned and restored, giving a glimpse into pirate life of the 1700s. Exhibits are wonderfully displayed and interwoven with the real-life stories of those who sailed on the Whydah and survivors of the shipwreck. We left with a greater appreciation of Barry Clifford and his 40 years of intense effort in revealing the contents and story of the Whydah.

One of the best, most true-to-history pirate-related museums/exhibits. A great number of original artifacts are presented with detailed descriptions and in historical context. No effort has been made to glamorize the life of a pirate. This museum is definitely worth a visit. It is unlikely to take longer than 45 minutes to go through its exhibits, though, and smaller kids might get bored after about 20 minutes. It is also better to reserve ahead.

I love Pirate stories /movies and had heard about the Whydah on a tv documentary. Then I accidentally found out about this museum. Well, I had to go see it and absolutely glad I did! It is awesome! Real artifacts they have found from that ship, including a chest full of pirate treasure!!! It was very informative and interesting. There was a guy( dressed as a pirate) that went around and gave you specific info on any of the exhibits if you had questions. If you want to know about real pirates GO HERE!!

This was surprisingly excellent and a hidden gem. Very good layout, narrative and presentation. They’ve done excellent work here. Any history buff or pirate fan will love this place! It’s more museum than gimmick so probably geared toward older, reading/thinking children.

This museum has the only known real artifacts from the pirate ship Whydah, including silver coins and the ships bell. Very interesting how the ship was located and the delicate retrieval of items. if you are a pirate, come see this display!

The collection of pirate artifacts was absolutely stunning, and the museum itself a delight to walk through. I could have spent all day in the exhibits, and particularly enjoyed the display of how archeologists have been collecting and preserving the artifacts from the wreck of the Whydah. A great option for a rainy vacation day, or any day if you have a big pirate fan in the family. I'll definitely be coming back again the next time I'm in Cape Cod.

This place is amazing!!! Loved that we were able to speak with a member of the expedition team who went above and beyond answering all of our questions and provided us with so many interesting facts!

• The Adventure
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We are hiring! Please call us for more information @ 508.394.9100

a wonderful interactive adventure for children.

AHOY MATES! Take your kids on a swashbuckling adventure, they’ll be spinning yarns about for years. With tattoos and sailor vests our crew of determined mates cast off on a childhood fantasy.

Our adventures are custom designed to make your experience a safe one. Our captains are United States Coast Guard licensed, trained in First Aid and CPR. The Sea Gypsy is USCG inspected vessel equipped with lifejackets for everyone on board. The railings are lined in mesh to ensure our little mates safety. Our goal is to provide summer memories your family will treasure for a lifetime!

We have a new schedule for our voyages! Our five trips now take place at 9:25, 10:55, 12:25, 2:15, and 3:45.

Pirate Adventures BEST FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT on Cape Cod!

SAILING MEMORIAL DAY TO LABOR DAY

I took my 3 year old daughter on this pirate adventure and we had a blast ! The crew members are lively and great with the children. I especially loved the epic music on board! My daughter had the most amazing time and couldn’t stop talking about it! By far one of the best things to do with your kids.

Top Rated Boat Charter on Trip Advisor!

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Take your kids on an old-fashioned, swashbuckling adventure they’ll be spinning yarns about for years to come.

JOIN THE ADVENTURE!! 508-394-9100

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Whydah Pirate Museum - Yarmouth

• 674 MA-28, West Yarmouth, MA, 02673
• (508) 534-9571

Experience Cape Cod’s newest interactive science museum featuring real pirates and real treasures! A must-see attraction for all ages where you will touch, see and interact with the worlds only authenticated pirate treasure, discovered in 1984 off the coast of Wellfleet.

Now the only museum in the world that features authenticated pirate ship treasure, the Whydah Pirate Museum provides an interactive and fun learning experience for children and adults. Truly a must-see collection!

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Real Pirate Relics at the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, MA

Posted on Published: 02/17/2024

Kids have long been fascinated by pirates, as evidenced by the number of pirate movies, shows, rides, and products that exist. But most of these are focused on the mythology of pirates – with things like buried treasure, hook arms, and walking the plank taking center stage.

If you are instead interested in a fun learning experience focused on real pirates, visit the Whydah Pirate Museum, a museum, and attraction for all ages located in Yarmouth, MA (on Cape Cod). There, you’ll see the only authentic pirate treasure in the world and see real pirate artifacts.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and a purchase/click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no cost to you. All opinions are my own. We paid for our own admission to the Whydah Pirate Museum.

Guide to the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, MA

What is the whydah pirate museum.

The Whydah Pirate Museum, which is open year-round, opened in 2016 and is an interactive/science museum and exhibit showcasing the remains of the shipwrecked pirate ship, the Whydah. This ship started as a slave ship and was taken over by pirate captain Sam Bellamy. It was shipwrecked in 1717 off the coast of Wellfleet MA during a terrible Noreaster storm.

In the 1980s, underwater archaeologist explorer Barry Clifford found the remains of the ship off the coast of Cape Cod . Recovery of the ship’s remains is ongoing, although there are so many artifacts that have already been found and restored. These are on display in the Whydah Pirate Museum for the public to see.

The Whydah is a great option to explore when you’ve had enough of the Cape Cod sun or on a cold or rainy Cape Cod day. It’s also the perfect place to visit in the off-season on Cape Cod. Just keep in mind that most people have the same idea on rainy summer days, so you’ll want to buy tickets in advance.

Entrance to the Whydah Pirate Museum

The museum is open year-round, although hours and days in the off-season are limited. Typically, they are open on weekends and school vacations during winter but check their website in advance. Timed tickets are available in advance, and are a good idea to guarantee admission at a specific time (especially in the busy season).

Ticket prices vary based on the season. In the current off-season, they are free for kids 4 and under, $13 for kids 5-15, $17 for adults 16-64, and $15 for seniors 65+. An optional audio tour is also available for an additional fee and can be purchased at the front of the museum.

What You’ll See at the Whydah Pirate Museum

Once you arrive at the pirate museum, you’ll wait in the lobby for an introductory, continuously running five-minute video. The video gives some background about the Whydah as well as information about the recovery of the remains. In that room, you’ll also see the ship’s bell.

After the video, you are free to walk around the museum at your own pace. There are lots of small rooms with various exhibits, including some interactive exhibits. Many of the exhibits do have signs with large explanations. While I enjoyed leisurely walking around and reading all of the signs, younger kids may not.

Despite that, you can still learn quite a bit from reading the headlines and looking at the artifacts. Alternatively, you could purchase the audio tour (we did not, however).

The highlight of the Whydah Pirate Museum is the fact that it offers the world’s only authenticated pirate treasure. Not only can you see a pirate ship treasure chest filled with coins, but there’s also an area where you can actually touch several of the silver coins.

Other artifacts on display include cannons, jewelry, grenades, bones (including a leg bone!), shells, and more. The museum does a great job of explaining the story of the Whydah, including the origins of the ship, how it was overtaken, and how it was shipwrecked during that fateful New England storm.

But, you’ll also learn about how pirates really lived, based upon what was known about their lives from the shipwreck. Myths like buried treasure and “walking the plank” are dispelled.

At the end of the museum is a room dedicated to the ongoing restoration of the Whydah and its artifacts. These exhibits show how items are recovered and restored.

What to Expect From Your Visit

The museum is located right on the main road but is a bit offset. So, when driving, look for the large sign by the long driveway. Free parking is available in front of the museum.

There’s a small gift shop at the entrance, and restrooms are available. The museum is wheelchair and stroller accessible, although these items are not available to borrow or rent. There is no food at the museum.

Food and drink, as well as photography, are not permitted in the Whydah Pirate Museum. However, there is a small area by the lobby where you are able to take photos. It’s not a huge museum, so you should easily be able to get through it without needing something to drink or eat.

Overall, our visit took about 45 minutes. Once you enter the museum, you can take your time walking around. I’d plan on spending about 60 minutes there – more if you really want to read all of the various exhibits. You may also spend more time when it’s busy, because you may need to wait for others to read the exhibits before you.

Where to Stay for Your Cape Cod Vacation

Find the best hotels and click to book directly via this map (affiliate)

Yarmouth is located in the mid-Cape section of Cape Cod and is pretty centrally located. If you aren’t staying in Yarmouth, you could definitely visit for a day trip. There are plenty of vacation homes in the area, and some popular and well-rated hotels (keep in mind that some hotels are open seasonally).

• Red Jacket Beach Resort
• Ocean Club on Smuggler’s Beach
• Red Jacket Riviera Beach Resort
• The Escape Inn

Other popular hotels on Cape Cod include Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster and the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth .

Where To Eat Before or After Your Visit

While there isn’t a snack bar or restaurant in the museum, there are plenty of nearby restaurants in Yarmouth. The closest is Captain Parkers, which is located in front of the Whydah and is open year-round. Our other favorites, Skipper Chowder House and Tugboats, are open seasonally.

To learn more about the Whydah Pirate Museum and to purchase timed tickets, visit their website .

Looking for more Cape Cod travel tips? Click to see our guide with town recommendations, things to do, restaurants, and more in Cape Cod.

Frequently Asked Questions

I think it is, especially if you have kids who are interested in learning about pirates. It’s a unique and interesting museum.

It’s a self-guided tour, so you can go at your own pace. I’d expect it would take about an hour and a half.

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Tuesday 16th of August 2022

What type of things are sold in the gift shop?

Jodi Grundig

A lot of the usual gift shop stuff, replica pirate merchandise, books, t-shirts, etc. They have an online shop too on their website.

TWO ROGUISH WEEKENDS

JUNE 1st & 2nd & JUNE 8th & 9th 2024

10:30am to 5:30pm

y0 h0 it's a pirate's life f0r me!

THE 2024 CAPE COD PIRATE FESTIVAL IS COMING! JUNE 1st, 2nd, 8TH, & 9TH 10:30am to 5:30pm  

Join the crew.  leave your mark. .

GET Tickets HERE!

Swashbuckling Adventure

Buccaneer Theme Days

Pirates’ Market

Food & Drynk

Join the Crew

Arrrr you ready for some fun.

Gather y’arselves together for this 4th ANNUAL pirating event! 

4 STAGES of entertainment offer Swashbuckling Adven tu re!  Rollicking Music, Stormy Shanties, and Buccaneers Galore!  

Try your hand at AXE and KNIFE THROWING! Fer the wee ones we have Barrel of Monkeys Catapults and The Captain's Crossbows!

Raise a pint, me hearties, in Old Tom’s Tavern with yer best mates and winsome wenches!  Where better for bonnie lads and lasses to mix and mingle?

Cast a gander the wares of local and far a' sea vendors as they show off fine crafted wares to satisfy the tastes of the most discriminating corsair.

Attend with your best mates or bring the entire family as there will be entertainment, games and shows for pirates of all ages!

We Rogues of the festival wish to thank our sponsors for savin’ us the trouble o’ havin’ to rob them by freely and willingly offerin’ their generous support

We are proud to participate in the  Card to Culture  program, a collaboration between  Mass Cultural Council  and the  Department of Transitional Assistance , the  Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program , and the  Massachusetts Health Connector , by offering $10 adult admission tickets to the Cape Cod Pirate Festival. 

Accompanying children will be allowed in free. Proof of program participation is required. See the complete list of participating organizations offering  EBT ,  WIC , and  ConnectorCare  discounts.

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Exploring and Preserving Priceless Treasure at the Whydah Pirate Museum

  this is more than a pirate museum. it is a living laboratory that lets visitors share the thrill of the latest 300 year-old discovery. .

How and when to visit the laboratory at the Wyhdah Pirate Museum. Click here .

For educators and groups, click here.  

It’s been 33 years since underwater explorer Barry Clifford discovered the sunken remains of the pirate ship Whydah tantalizingly close to the Wellfleet coastline. Since then, he and his crew of divers, archaeologists and historians have catalogued tens of thousands of priceless artifacts from giant cannons to the tiniest, intricate pieces of jewelry.

Astoundingly, the search continues to this day.

Barry Clifford

Recently, Clifford, now 71, and his team hosted CNN and the Associated Press for another dive – one of thousands over the decades.

As with every other underwater search, they retrieved new treasures – some buried under 10 to 20 feet of sand, but the vast majority are encased in what is essentally concrete – hidden from the naked view, but virtually glistening in Clifford’s experienced and trained eye.

While visitors to the recently opened Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth can’t quite experience a nerve-wracking dive itself, as great white sharks hover nearby, they can literally interact with the newest treasures inside an expansive laboratory that makes learning fun for children to grandparents.

“It’s like being at the Smithsonian Institution,” said one recent visitor, marveling at the combination of technology and hands-on skills in front of her. High-definition screens display X-rays that reveal encased coins and even pieces of silk.

A giant slab of concreted sand and stone weighing tons dominates the middle of the laboratory. From its surface to its deepest core, Clifford and his team will extract ever so carefully thousands of new artifacts over coming months and possibly years.

Certified at 12 years of age as a scuba diver, he has been working alongside Clifford since 1996. “I’ve always been fascinated with shipwrecks along the Cape Cod coast,” he said. “And, it is exciting to also share the history of Cape Cod. When I met Barry in my 20’s, I realized all my dreams.”

After years of rigorous study and certifications, Macort now is both archaeologist, historian and educator. He’s ventured from Venezuela to Madagascar exploring shipwrecks, but his passion is right here on Cape Cod.

The Whydah Pirate exhibition has traveled around the world with National Geographic. Designed by the same artists who developed the King Tut exhibit, the only pirate ship ever recovered has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors at museums from Chicago to Philadelphia.

“Now we can share our world right here at home on Cape Cod,” says Macort, who is particularly excited about interacting with local school districts as far as Boston and Providence.  “We have a wonderful opportunity to teach history and science alongside local educators and merge what we know with school  curricula.”

The Cape Cod Museum Trail recently visited Macort. Here are excerpts from our interview:

What do visitors see when they visit your laboratory as part of their tour of the Pirate Museum?

Chris Macort,, left, teaching at the Whydah Pirate Museum

Macort : When we dive on the Whydah site, we are discovering treasures that go back to the 17th century. But, when we bring them back to the laboratory we are discovering all over again. And this time, museum visitors are experiencing the revelations right alongside us.

It begins with identifying the shadows and shapes of a coin, pistol, a piece of jewelry encased in the concrete. Visitors can view the tantalizing possibilities right on our screens. Then, we have to agonizingly chip away and extract the artifacts with tiny tools.

Look right there, you see. Those are silver Spanish coins, but that long shape that looks like it is wrapping around the X-ray. That is probably a slave’s shackle from when the Whydah was a slave ship.

Why are all the concretions, from the giant one in the middle of the lab to the smaller ones on your workshop – including the one labeled as gun parts -immersed in water?

Macort :  If they are allowed to dry, the concretion surrounding the object begins to fall apart.  Regular tap water works for storage, but rain water and distilled water have a higher PH level that allows them to inhibit corrosion much more efficiently.

How do you remove the artifacts from the concretion?

Once exposed to air and light, it is critical to eliminate all the sodium chloride, salt, which will begin corroding the artifact.

Wood, leather and silk, which we often discover, can begin to dry and deteriorate in a matter of hours if we don’t begin the conservation process rapidly.

What exactly is concretion?

Macort: Concretion is what protects and preserves so many of the artifacts you see at the museum. When iron is submerged in sea water, they undergo electrolytic reactions. The metal starts to disintegrate and combine with the salts present in the ocean water. The metals and salts form a conglomerate that ‘cements’ rock, sand, clay and any other nearby artifacts into a mass called concretion.

While the concretion stays submerged in salt water, most of the objects inside stay relatively stable. But when the concretion is brought to the surface and allowed to dry, the objects inside will deteriorate, as I explained before.

What was the biggest concretion you’ve extracted from the Wyhdah site and brought back to the lab?

Macort : We’ve brought back about 1,000 concretions, some as small as your fist and others as heavy as 13,000 pounds. On average, they weigh about 100 pounds. The big concretion in the middle of the laboratory is about 2,500 pounds and there are enough artifacts encased within it to open up a small museum.

Have you ever been on a trip to the site and not recovered any artifacts?

Macort: Actually, never. And I’ve been diving on the site since 1996.

How did Barry originally discover the Whydah?

Then, one day in the fall of 1984, a diver came up and said he discovered a cannon. Nearby was a coin dated 1684, and a brass trigger guard for a pistol. A year later, they made “the” discovery that changed history. They retrieved a bell that said, “The Whydah Galley 1716. That was the final proof for anyone who had been skeptical up to that moment. You can see the same bell right here in the museum when you first arrive.

How do you explain your job to people?

After you have spent an hour or two watching videos of our dives and then going back in history to 1716, you enter our laboratory. At first, it probably catches you by surprise. Because after living 300 years ago, you find yourself surrounded by high-definition screens projecting X-rays and an array of concretions that begin to reveal everything from a brass-handled flint-lock pistol to a pewter spoon, and gold dust.

I want everyone to feel personally connected to each artifact, and we are right there to explain their origins. So you go from restorer and archaeologist to historian.

There are no exhibit cases in the lab. Everything is out in the open. Often, we will pull a concretion directly from its tank on my workshop desk. We encourage visitors to participate with us, even holding a flashlight while we carefully extract an object. Then, they can actually hold the new treasure.

As someone who is from the Cape, I also get very excited about sharing this totally unique  Cape Cod story. The Whydah’s captain, Bellamy, after attacking and looting more than 50 ships in the Caribbean and up the Atlantic, navigated his ship all the way to the Cape, possibly to reunite with his young lover. Within hundreds of yards of that destination, the Whydah encountered a fatal Nor’Easter. All but two of his crew perished, including Bellamy. And the Whydah slammed into a shallow sandbar with the plunder of all those ships disappearing into the sand.

For nearly 300 years, it remained hidden under no more than 20 feet of sand and concretion.

What I realize is that every visit is a unique experience.

Macort: Very true. That’s because we will be extracting, cleaning, preserving a new group of artifacts all the time. And with each new artifact, the museum itself evolves and adds to the Whydah story.

If you were in front of a high school science class, how would you share the Whydah story?

What I strive to do here in the lab is keep everyone listening and excited. Along with the chemistry, I never want to lose sight that we are exploring actual pirate treasure, the stuff of our dreams and imagination when we were eight year old kids.

Here is a giant rock and inside it is this beautiful pistol covered in brass and bronze.  Where can you go to have a piece of eight placed in your hand and learn it was stolen by pirates 300 years ago to the day?

Do you ever get bored?

Macort: Never bored. But nervous. I am always on my toes when I work with these artifacts. If I get tired or diverted, I have learned to put my work down and walk away. I have to watch all the objects like a hawk; not because I am afraid something will be stolen, but because they are so exposed that they could be knocked over.

What has been the most exciting discovery for you personally?

It had to belong to someone who could read and write and send correspondence. My theory is that it was the property of Captain Lawrence Prince, the original captain of the Whydah before the pirates, led by Samuel Bellamy, overtook and captured his ship. Prince was allowed to return to England on Bellamy’s smaller vessel.

As a history buff, maybe the most exciting piece I have pulled from concretion was stuck to the ship’s main anchor. It was a brass name plate only about six inches long in beautiful script that said “The Whydah Galley 1713.”

It was an immediate mystery because the Whydah Barry discovered was launched in 1716.

After a great deal of research, our late history, Ken Kinkor, discovered that the Whydah shipwrecked off Wellfleet actually was the second vessel captained by Prince with the same name. That one apparently had its maiden voyage three years earlier and also was attacked by a different crew of pirates off Jamaica, where it was sunk.

So Prince lost two Whydahs in three years. He survived both incidents, returning to England both times. I can’t imagine how he explained it all to the ships’ owners.

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Pirate Adventures Hyannis 

On Cape Cod, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could ever grow bored of seeing the iconic sights, the beautiful glittering ocean, or the soft sands. However, kids can often become easily bored by sightseeing tours —unless, that is, they take a tour that’s especially designed for fun and adventure, like Pirate Adventures Hyannis !

Further Details on Pirate Adventures Hyannis

An interactive sightseeing Cape Cod boat tour ripe with intrigue and nautical pirate shenanigans, Pirate Adventures Hyannis takes you and your kids on a family-friendly pirate adventure in Hyannis . From an authentic-looking pirate crew to the awesome pirate ship and even a real battle at sea, children from ages three to ten years old will appreciate this treasure-hunting, thrill-seeking tour the most, though children ages one and older are all allowed on the tour. Unfortunately, no infants under one year old are allowed on these Hyannis boat tours .

Step aboard the ship and watch the fun begin as every child is given costumes and face paint in order to blend in with the pirate crew. Then, kids will be kept busy as pirate shipmates, hoisting flags, reading maps, singing sea shanties, and blasting water cannons on their journey to find treasure.

Food and drinks are not allowed on the boat, other than water. Strollers are not allowed on board, though they can be left with a shipmate at the dock. Bring only what you need to feel comfortable and have fun on the boat, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a jacket or hoodie, and a camera.

Pirate Adventures Hyannis operates their Cape Cod boat tours daily, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, out of the Ocean Street Dock in Hyannis. Adventure tours last for an hour and a half, including pre-tour activities on the dock prior to departing at 9:10am, 10:35am, 12:00pm, 2:25pm, and 4:00pm each day during the season. Reservations are required, and can be made online.

Tickets for Pirate Adventure Hyannis are priced at $25.50 per person for both adults and children. Pirate Adventure Hyannis is also available for charters. Tickets are non-refundable unless Pirate Adventure Hyannis cancels the trip due to unforeseen circumstances or weather conditions.

New England Vacation Rentals – Your Guides to the Best of Cape Cod

Contact our reservation specialists to learn more about Pirate Adventures Hyannis and other exciting activities and attractions around Cape Cod when you book your stay in one of the gorgeous vacation rental properties that New England Vacation Rentals has to offer for your accommodations today.

Book our vacation rentals in Cape Cod here !

180 Ocean Street, Hyannis MA 02601

Tel:  508-394-9100

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• Jonathan Young Windmill
• Forest Beach

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Melissa Mahoney

I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!

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Argh, mateys! Are you looking for a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas this summer? If you said “aye,” then head to Cape Cod to board the Sea Gypsy and get ready to take to the water in search of some underwater treasure.

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Are you ready for a swashbuckling adventure aboard a pirate ship? If so, head to the Cape Cod Pirate Adventures website to book your reservation and follow their Facebook page for updates. Sailings run every day from mid-June until Labor Day.

To continue your pirate adventure, you can also visit the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth to learn about the most famous pirate shipwreck in the world.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Whydah Pirate Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• Category : All Articles , History
• Tag(s) : cape cod history , captain Bellamy , pirates on cape cod

Pirates on Cape Cod: A Captivating History

• March 25, 2024

Pirates on Cape Cod? While most people do not typically associate Cape Cod with pirates, there was a large presence of buccaneers on the Cape Cod coast in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In this post, we look at the history of pirates on Cape Cod, including a deeper dive into some of the infamous pirates who roamed the Cape Cod waters and the Whydah shipwreck.

Were There Pirates on Cape Cod?

Pirates are commonly associated with the Caribbean and Central America; however, like many vacationers today, some pirates like to spend their winters in the south and then travel up to the areas around Boston during the summer.

Pirates played an important part in the transport of goods and currency, even if it was not through legal methods. That is why, prior to the Revolutionary War, places like Cape Cod encouraged pirates to come to their waters.

Pirates on Cape Cod did not always come from faraway lands. In fact, Palsgrave Williams, a pirate known for sailing with the famed Sam Bellamy, was born in Newport, Rhode Island.

What Were Pirates on Cape Cod Like?

Modern-day society has romanticized the idea of what pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries were like. While it is fun to think of jolly gangs of men sailing the seas in search of treasure, the reality is that pirating was a deadly business in which most venturers never gained wealth.

Those who were able to manage success almost certainly did not have chests of buried treasure lying around, with treasure maps leading them back to their hordes of gold. Most plundering was of merchant vessels carrying perishable goods. Those goods had to be sold quickly at port, and any profit was often put into the next pirating venture.

Famous Cape Cod Pirates

While it is not always easy to pinpoint when and where Cape Cod pirate raids happened, it’s clear that there were several notable pirates roaming the seas off the coast of Cape Cod shores. While not every pirate occupying the waters of New England is known to have stepped foot on Cape Cod, they almost certainly sailed the seas in and around the Cape.

Captain “Black” Sam Bellamy

One pirate who we know certainly inhabited Cape Cod is “Black” Sam Bellamy, also known as the “Prince of Pirates” or the “Robinhood of the Sea.” Bellamy is known as one of the wealthiest pirates in recorded history and for sailing the famed Whydah . He is often pictured wearing lavish black coats and four dueling pistols firmly attached to his body with a sash.

Bellamy was born in Devon, England, but traveled to Cape Cod in 1715, apparently seeking some relatives. However, in 1716, he left on an expedition in search of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet on the Marianne , which was captained by Benjamin Hornigold and the soon-famous Edward “Blackbeard” Teach.

After failing to find the treasure, the crew of the Marianne ousted Hornigold and Teach, electing Sam Bellamy as the captain. Bellamy and the crew quickly turned to piracy and captured a second ship known as the Sultana.

Bellamy and his crew were not in possession of the Sultana for long, as in the Spring of 1717, they captured the much larger Whydah. Due to the lack of resistance to Bellamy’s attack, Bellamy left the captain and crew with the Sultana and sailed off to rob in plunder with the Whydah and Marianne .

Unfortunately, Black Sam’s control of the Whydah did not last long either. While sailing back to Cape Cod in April 1717, the ship capsized, killing Bellamy and all but two crew members.

Before he passed, Black Sam Bellamy was accredited with capturing at least fifty-three ships, earning him a place in the history books as one of the most famous pirates to sail the seas of Cape Cod.

Paulsgrave Williams

Paulsgrave Williams was a jeweler from Rhode Island who helped fund and sailed on the initial treasure-finding mission that led to Sam Bellamy’s baptism into piracy. Williams served as Bellamy’s sidekick and sailed Marianne after the capture of the Whydah.

After hearing the news of Bellamy’s death, Williams sailed to the Bahamas and sold the Marianne. He then took a pardon in 1718 for pirating but allegedly began pirating again off the coast of Africa in 1720.

Other Famous New England Pirates

While Sam Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams are the two most commonly associated with pirates on Cape Cod, the following pirates were also active in the New England area and perhaps at some point sailed past Cape Cod:

• William Kidd
• Jack Quelch
• Rachel Wall

Discovering the Whydah

In 1984, the wreckage of the famous flagship of Samuel Bellamy, the Whydah Gally, was discovered off the coast of Cape Cod. This became the first authenticated discovery of a pirate shipwreck in North America.

Among several other artifacts, the ship was found to be carrying copious amounts of indigo, ivory, and gold. Many of the artifacts discovered can now be found in Cape Cod at the Whydah Pirate Museum Cape Cod.

Pirate Activities on Cape Cod

For more swashbuckling pirating fun join the Cape Cod Pirate Festival the first two weekends in June this year in Yarmouth. There will be bucaneer theme days, plenty of pirating games, demonstrations and pub sings.

If visiting the Whydah Pirate Museum has you and your kids wanting to hit the open seas look no further than Hyannis ! Setting sail from the Hyannis Harbor is a pirate-themed boat cruise with opportunities for kids to participate in several pirate-themed activities. If you’re an adult looking for a more relaxing way to experience the open seas, check out some of the other boating excursions in Cape Cod .

• cape cod history , captain Bellamy , pirates on cape cod

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MLB notes: Cape Cod father determined to finish…

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MLB notes: Cape Cod father determined to finish ballpark journey he and late son started together

Catching a game at every major league ballpark is a bucket list goal for many parents and their kids. The chance to travel the country, meet new people and watch different players is a rare and special opportunity to build lasting memories, but few families actually get the chance to make that dream a reality.

For Scott Yelle and his son Jackson, however, it was a journey worth taking.

“It wasn’t really our intention to start, honestly I was just a dad wanting to take my son to his first baseball game,” Yelle said. “I think we had like four or five under our belt. I’m not sure where we were driving, probably to a ballgame some weekend, and I said, ‘Hey, we should see if we can get to all 30 in our lifetime together.’ ”

Tragically, that time proved shorter than anyone could have imagined.

On April 30, 2023, Jackson Yelle was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The 21-year-old North Eastham resident was a junior at Elon University and was on a weekend trip with his club baseball team.

News of Jackson’s death sent shockwaves throughout the Cape Cod and Elon communities, and in the months that followed Yelle spent his days walking around in a fog trying to make sense of it all. But amid his grief an idea came to him, one that would grant him some closure while providing an opportunity to do some good in his son’s memory.

Yelle would finish what he and Jackson started.

A whirlwind tour

At the time of Jackson’s death he and his father had made it to 12 of the 30 MLB ballparks, so Yelle began making plans to visit the remaining 18 they hadn’t gotten to. He and his wife had also recently established the Jackson Yelle Family Foundation, so ideally they would find a charitable organization in each city they could support in Jackson’s honor.

“I started putting it out to my folks who I know in the baseball world, said, hey, I’ve got this idea,” Yelle said.

One of the people he connected with was Trey Wingo, the longtime ESPN reporter who suggested he look into MLB’s Nike RBI Program, which aims to provide baseball opportunities to kids in inner city communities. Yelle did some research and was convinced after watching a testimonial by Hunter Greene, the Cincinnati Reds pitcher who originally came up through his local RBI Program.

“He talked about how the RBI Program helped him with his baseball skills but also helped him as a person with his confidence and public speaking and grades and being a great teammate and how to deal with adversity, all things that were core values of Jackson,” Yelle said. “After watching that video I knew it was the right organization to try and partner up with.”

Once the season began Yelle hit the road, and over the past three weeks he’s already checked eight new ballparks off the list. He saw the Philadelphia Phillies host the Chicago White Sox at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night, and in the coming months he plans to visit four more west coast parks in mid-May before rounding out the last six parks in the midwest over the first week of June.

The journey will conclude on June 9, when he visits Comerica Park in Detroit to see the Tigers host the Brewers.

Last night, Scott Yelle visited @tropicanafield , MLB ballpark #15 on his journey to all 30 – something he and his son, Jackson, started together before Jackson tragically passed away in an accident last year. He is making donations to @MLBRBI programs, including PAL of St. Pete. pic.twitter.com/KJasguGhpC — Rays Community (@RaysCommunity) April 3, 2024

Along the way Yelle will donate $1,000 to each team’s local RBI Program, and if he’s able to raise enough money he hopes to eventually make similar donations to the clubs he and Jackson had visited together as well. Yelle said so far he’s gotten a positive reception in each city he’s visited and that the whole experience has been uplifting for him and the family.

That being said, he acknowledged that there have still been plenty of difficult moments.

“It’s bittersweet,” Yelle said. “I remember waiting for my trolley ride when I was in Dallas going to the Rangers game on the 31st … There was a dad and his son in the 10-year-old range, and I got weepy, it definitely brought back moments and I wish I could finish this with him.

“But it’s also baseball, I don’t know if healing is the right word, but there is definitely a lot of energy that comes from being in a ballpark,” he added.

A coach’s dream

Yelle took Jackson to his first baseball game in 2007, when he was 5 years old. At the time the family was living in San Francisco, so Yelle waited until the Red Sox were in town before taking his son to the Oakland Coliseum to see them play the Athletics.

Even growing up in the Bay Area, Jackson was always a diehard Red Sox fan.

Over the years the family bounced around, spending nine years in Connecticut before settling on Cape Cod full time in 2016. Their love of baseball was a constant throughout, and whether it was taking Jackson along on a business trip or planning vacations around the MLB schedule, the shared ballpark journey helped form the bedrock of their father-son bond.

“In those early years it was a little bit easier to go see ballgames because he didn’t have all his activities going on,” Yelle said. “Sometime around 2010 we started to make a conscious effort to try to get to all 30 at some point.”

Once in North Eastham, Jackson began carving out his own reputation on the diamond. He played varsity baseball at Nauset Regional High School along with the Cape Cod Baseball Club’s Cape Riptide Travel Team, and following his graduation in 2020 he enrolled at Elon to study business analytics. Naturally, he also joined the university’s club baseball team.

By all accounts Jackson was well regarded everywhere he went. Following his death tributes came pouring in, with those who knew him describing him as a positive, happy-go-lucky kid who always put his friends first. Steve Almonte, who coached Jackson with the Cape Cod Baseball Club, described him in an interview with the Cape Cod Times as a supremely gifted athlete, top-notch performer and a fun-loving kid.

“Jackson was humble, strong and confident,” Almonte said. “He was the type of player that every coach dreams of having.”

After the accident Jackson’s club teammates at Elon raised $40,000 on his behalf, which became the seed money that allowed the Yelle family to start his foundation. In addition to the $18,000 being donated to the MLB Nike RBI Programs as part of the ballpark tour, the family also helped purchase a new batting cage for the Nauset High baseball program and plans to support the Elon club baseball and softball teams as well.

The family will also award a scholarship to students from Nauset and Elon, and ultimately they hope to invest in programs that can help promising young people reach their full potential and make a difference in the world.

“We believe the world continues to need young men and women to be our future leaders and make future positive impacts like we think Jackson would have,” Yelle said. “We’re just trying to find ways to be able to give back to communities to put great people into the world.”

For more information about the Jackson Yelle Family Foundation, or to make a donation, visit https://jacksonyelle.com/ .

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