Pirate Ferry Boat

The inaugural Treasure Island Cruise took place in July of 2006, where a party of pupils from Briars Wood school, under the auspices of locally based charity PROPS (www.props4ward.org)  took to the high seas of Bristol’s historic Floating Harbour.

If the Long John Silver Trust were lucky enough to create a Treasure Island Trail of sculptures around the docks, it would like to see the Trail also evolve into a  water borne attraction by getting our own Pirate Ferry boat. This way, the Trust believes, the whole concept would become totally inclusive.

One of the reasons the proposed artworks are positioned where they are is to make them both visible from the water and to tell the story of Treasure Island in sequence.

Therefore, to try out our theory, we commissioned the lovely ‘Brigantia’ from the Bristol Ferry Boat Company www.bristolferry.com , to take us onto the briny. We embarked from the Castle Park Ferry stop to start our voyage, and the special facilities onboard enabled us to load up with our happy band of pirates.

A reading of Treasure Island was the main reason for our voyage, and, as you can see by the pictures below, the narrator was ably assisted by Blind Pew (too frightening to show) and a hairy Ben Gunn. After one and a half hours of enjoyable cruising – which seemed to fly by – we were back at Castle Park.

As the educational aspect of our project is very important to us, we would like to undertake more ventures of this kind. So if any other school, club or society is interested in a water borne reading of Treasure Island around the docks, please contact the Long John Silver Trust.

This particular voyage was sponsored by Brunel Health Care www.bruhealth.co.uk, to whom we’re very grateful, along with our hosts, The Bristol Ferry Boat Company.

Assembled pupils, teachers and LJS Trustees cast off.
The narrator and his assistant begin.

The narrator in full flow.
Ben Gunn arrives to help.
The audience bask in the sunshine after the performance.

Jethro and Jordan enquire about the narrator’s hat.

‘Driver’ Mike from the Ferry Boat Company, kindly allows the 2J’s
 to rap over the boats tannoy. The lads done good.