How to be a Pirate

How to be a Pirate in 10 easy stages

Stage 1 What kind of pirate do you want to be? To help you decide, here are some famous pirates. A Terrifying Pirate Blackbeard had a long beard which he tied with ribbons. A Wild Pirate Anne Bonny had a terrible temper

A Sneaky Pirate John Avery sailed off with the treasure belonging to other pirates. A Gentleman Pirate Bartholomew Roberts loved fine clothes and only drank tea. A Cunning Pirate Captain and Mrs Cobham got up to all sorts of clever tricks.

STAGE 2 Wear the right clothes Pirate captains often wore smart clothes. The sails of pirate ships were made of canvas. Ordinary pirates often had to use bits of canvas to make their clothes.

When their ship was sailing, the crew had to climb around the rigging. To make this easy, they wore baggy clothes and took off their shoes. They wore earrings because they thought it made their eyesight better. Pirates usually plaited their hair in a pigtail. Then the pigtail was covered in flour and water to make it stiff. Pirates were all sorts of hats and headgear.

STAGE 3 Where to find your crew The inns round harbours were full of sailors. Many wanted to be pirates because it seemed an exciting life. It was also very dangerous. Often, when pirates attacked a ship, they forced the crew from that ship to join them as pirates. You're a pirate now, sir!