“There was a sound in their voices which suggested rum”*…
While pirates have a reputation for crime and cruelty, they are also known to be flamboyant dressers, if most depictions in popular culture can be believed. And there’s one essential accessory sported by everyone from Jack Sparrow to Captain Morgan: the gold hoop earring.
When exactly men of the sea began to put rings in their ears is anyone’s guess, but there are a handful of legends that claim to explain the fashion. The most popular myth behind the jewelry trend is that sailors would wear gold and silver earrings so that no matter where they died, they would be adorned with a way to pay for their burial. Since gold and silver were accepted forms of payment just about everywhere in the world, having a hunk of it stuck in your ear where it won’t wash away at sea was a pretty solid insurance policy…
Consider the other possible explanations at: “Why Do Pirates Wear Earrings?”
* Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
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As we catwalk the plank, we might recall that it was on this date in 1844 that John Cox Stevens and eight friends met on his yacht Gimcrack, anchored in New York Harbor, to found the New York Yacht Club, usually considered the first yacht club in the U.S. though the Detroit Boat Club pre-dates it by 5 years.
The burgee of the New York Yacht Club