Pirate Adventures at the Jersey Shore

After enjoying an exciting inaugural season, Jersey Shore Pirates is back for another summer of fun and adventure along the Metedeconk River. The Sea Gypsy 2, which sails from Riverfront Marina, on Princeton Avenue in Brick, is ready to engage and captivate your children as they search for treasure.

Owners Rob “Captain Scurvy” Corring and his wife Jessica, have prior experience with boating and buccaneers and have created a true-to-life pirate ship adventure. Families across the New Jersey Shore area are enjoying this unique form of family entertainment.

“The public has had a tremendous response to our Pirate Adventures,” says Rob Corring. “Last year we had a rough start with the inclement weather early in the season but as soon as the weather improved, we really started to see the “word-of-mouth” advertising that is so important to us. Friends told other friends and mothers who sailed with their families returned for birthday parties. It was really great to see the return Pirates. We had some mates sail with us three and four times throughout the season. Our crew puts their heart and soul into every trip and we believe it really shows when you see families coming back for another sail.”

“Captain Scurvy,” is part of the energetic and enthusiastic crew, along with 18-year-old Christopher Hendershot, otherwise known onboard as “Pirate Smee.” While on board, both men lead kids on an interactive treasure hunt and teach the little sailors how to properly read a treasure map. Before they set sail, the kids always listen to a few rules about water safety, which is of utmost importance to the Jersey Shore Pirates staff. The kids will then hoist the ship’s flag and begin their journey. Together, the kids on the ship will work as a team to defeat “Pirate Pete,” who has stolen the keys to their treasure. They will collectively use the ship’s water cannons to defeat the enemy and secure the treasure! At the conclusion of the ride, children will be treated to authentic pirate “loot” as a souvenir of their journey.

For Corring and the rest of his crew, the best part of each trip is watching the kids have tons of fun on this high seas adventure.

“What we enjoy the most is the reaction of the kids on The Sea Gypsy 2,” says Corring. “Nothing is better than watching the mates’ faces when they haul their hard earned treasure from the waters, or when they battle the dreaded “Pirate Pete” with the water cannons. Although we offer several sailings a day, every trip ends up having something new and exciting. The reaction of the kids is always the best part.”

For two consecutive seasons, Corring and his crew have enjoyed watching the reaction of little Jake Vowteras. His maiden voyage last year made such an impression on the young sailor that his mom felt compelled to have his birthday party with the family-owned and operated business.

“I have been listening to him talk about Jersey Shore Pirates ever since we sailed on the ship early last summer,” says Jake’s mom, Kimberly. “For nearly a year, Jake has asked when his pirate party was going to be. There wasn’t even a question of what should we do for his fifth birthday! The party was amazing and everyone had the best time. It’s hard to even say who had more fun. And although it’s a cruise for kids, it’s a really nice time for parents too. You’re out on the water, it’s scenic, and it’s relaxing and so enjoyable, even though 22 kids are screaming “Argh!” the whole time!”

Since preparing for the adventure is a major part of this event, Corring and his staff made a few changes during the off-season to further enhance the customer’s overall experience.

“This season we have expanded our offices so that we can present more of an experience for our families and groups when they arrive at the dock,” says Corring. “We have a larger shop where we offer more retail options. It was really important to us, that when you enter our office, you know that we are trying to improve on what we do, and what our guests experience. It took a lot of work over the winter, but we believe it will improve on the overall experience which is what we want. We will always try to exceed our customers’ expectations.”
Customer satisfaction is one of Jersey Shore Pirates’ top priorities. The crew will go to great lengths to make sure that all of their guests have had a pleasant and enjoyable experience aboard the Sea Gypsy 2.

“One of my favorite parts of the business is when we get someone who is slightly skeptical about what we do and then they approach us at the end of the Pirate Adventure to let us know they had a great time,” says Corring. “They admit that they weren’t sure what to expect when they arrived, but as they watched their mini-mates turn into Pirates right in front of their eyes they became believers. Our PirateAdventure is designed to keep the kids’ attention from start to finish. To anyone who has every tried to keep a 4- year-old occupied for almost two hours, you would be amazed how our crew does it for multiple kids at one time, six times a day.”

The Jersey Shore Pirates adventure is geared toward children ages 3 to 10. They sail from May-October and are available for birthday parties, class trips, and families. During October, they sail on Saturdays and Sundays only, with six different sailing times to choose from.

Before the children enjoy this exhilarating adventure, they first must be transformed into swashbuckling pirates. Upon arrival, kids will be welcomed by enthusiastic staff members who will assist the children in selecting a perfect pirate costume. The little mates will then receive their very own pirate names, learn some valuable pirate lingo, and also have the opportunity to get their faces painted with pirate “tattoos.” Before the kids head down to the dock for their trip, the staff will remind the children to keep a look out for “enemy pirates” in the area.

Prior to sailing times for check-in, face painting, and dress-up. For more information, check out their website at www.jerseyshorepirates.com or call 732-899-6100. Reservations are highly recommended and it’s suggested to that you arrive 30 minutes prior to sailing times for check-in, face painting, and dress-up.

Leave a Reply

Current Issue

Photo Contest