Ahoy, Mateys: Iconic Pirate Ship Returns at Playland’s Castaway Cove

Shiver me timbers! He’s back.

The iconic pistol-wielding pirate at Playland’s Castaway Cove has been resurrected, four years after a raging fire at the amusement park destroyed the landmark character and his decorative ship overlooking the Ocean City Boardwalk.

While Boardwalk crowds watched intently, work crews Wednesday began installing a modernized fiberglass version of the pirate ship on the roof of Playland’s new arcade building in front of the park.

A construction crane lifted part of the ship into place by Wednesday afternoon. The eyepatch-wearing pirate, his trusty parrot and a new giant octopus that will be part of the colorful ship tableau will be installed by the end of the week, probably Friday, Playland vice president Brian Hartley said.

Hartley noted that the pirate ship was a beloved part of Playland before it met a fiery end during a massive electrical blaze in January 2021 that also destroyed the arcade building overlooking the Boardwalk at 11th Street. The Playland arcade has since been rebuilt and made its debut last Friday.

Immediately after the fire, Playland’s customers wanted to know if the pirate ship would be rebuilt to once again serve as the park’s signature attraction along the Boardwalk, Hartley said.

“Thousands, literally thousands. There were emails, social media comments and phone calls,” he said of the number of times that customers had questions about the pirate ship’s return.

    Robert and Susan Dugary, longtime fans of Playland's Castaway Cove, check out the new pirate character before it is installed.
  

Playland fans Robert Dugary and his wife, Susan, said they dearly missed the pirate ship. The Marmora couple took photos of the new pirate, the parrot and the octopus while the colorful, oversized characters were lying on the sidewalk on 10th Street, awaiting their installation.

The Dugarys recalled the thrills that the first pirate ship gave them before it was destroyed.

“Needless to say, when there was a fire, we were devastated,” Susan said.

Robert noted that the pirate ship’s special effects and music had a Disney-like quality, making it even more enjoyable for him and his wife.

“We all thought that it was the closest thing to Disney,” he said.

Hartley pointed out that the pirate ship’s return was always planned – but in a more modern and stylized design.

The old pirate ship was made of wood, making it vulnerable to the salt air and harsh winter weather at the shore. Hartley explained that the old pirate ship needed a lot of upkeep. The new ship, the pirate, the parrot and the octopus are fiberglass figures that will be much more durable, he said.

    Brian Hartley, Playland's vice president, shows off the colorful parrot that is part of the pirate ship attraction.
  

Playland’s Castaway Cove is owned by Scott Simpson and has been a fixture on the Boardwalk since 1959. In addition to the new pirate ship, Playland will have two new amusement rides this year. One of them, called Storm, will feature a spinning tub and breakdancing theme. The other new ride, WindStarz, will be a giant whirling kite flyer.

Playland is currently open on Saturdays and Sundays and will add Fridays starting on Memorial Day weekend. It will ramp up to seven days a week for the summer tourism season starting the first week of June. Half-price tickets are available through April 27. 

This summer is expected to be pivotal for Playland because it will be the only major amusement park on the Boardwalk following the closure last October of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier.

Hartley said Playland has been moving some of the rides in the park to create more room for the possibility of bigger crowds this summer. He added that Playland has been “getting the word” out on social media to let customers know that there will be plenty of room.

Despite being a Boardwalk landmark owned by his family since 1965, Mayor Jay Gillian shut down Wonderland Pier amid lingering financial difficulties.

Developer Eustace Mita bought the Wonderland property from Gillian and has proposed building a 252-room luxury resort hotel on the site at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk. Mita is expected to formally submit his controversial hotel plans in May to City Council.

    A rendering depicts the elements of the new pirate ship. (Courtesy of Playland's Castaway Cove)
  

    The iconic pirate ship is shown in its former glory.

    Firefighters spray water on the Boardwalk entrance of Playland's Castaway Cove to extinguish the blaze in 2021.