More sparrows than parrots

Whitby's Tortuga Pirate Festival is now in its third year. It succeeds in raising much-needed funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. But the Pirates of the Caribbean series of movies has a lot to answer for. Gone are the wooden legs, black spots and shoulder parrots of Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins. Gone are the alligator-feuding Captain Hooks, Smees and Tinkerbells, and instead there's a plethora of Captain Jack Sparrows. The rattle of flintlocks and cutlasses on the streets of Whitby was augmented by dreadlocks, bandanas and the ubiquitous leather tri-cornered hat. Captain Jack Sparrow it seems is the only cool pirate.