Pirates of the Bay Ghost Tours

03/20/2026

Need a summer job?☀️ Stop in and apply! 🛥️

03/03/2026

We have to share this beautiful photo by Jim B. Thank you for letting us share it!

Rock Hall Pirates & Wenches Weekend is August 8th and 9th this year! And we are on the Festoon Your Fort committee! So, if you live in Rock Hall, you know this means a house decoration contest! Pirate themed, of course!

Pirates of the Bay Ghost Tours aka Rock Hall Ghost Tour will be Friday, August 7th at 7pm.

Stay tuned for details...

02/25/2026

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🏴‍☠️ THE PIRATE WHO LITERALLY STOLE MARYLAND (Yes, really.)
​Welcome back to Part 2 of our Pirates of the Chesapeake series!
​We all know Blackbeard sailed the ocean, but what about the rogues hiding in our own backyards? As Sidelines to Shorelines trades the soccer fields for the Bay, we are exploring the exact same hidden coves where these local legends used to hide.
​Forget the Caribbean. Here are the true, verifiable local pirates of the Chesapeake:
​⚔️ The Rebel of Kent Island: William Claiborne
​The Vibe: The ultimate squatter. Claiborne set up a trading post on Kent Island in 1631. When the King gave Maryland to the Calvert family, Claiborne refused to leave.
​The Bay Connection: He actually fought the first naval battle in North American waters right here in the Chesapeake Bay (on the Pocomoke River) to defend his turf!
​🔥 The Guy Who Stole the Capital: Richard Ingle
​The Vibe: Pure chaos. In 1645, Ingle sailed his heavily armed ship, the Reformation, straight into St. Mary’s City (Maryland's first capital).
​The Bay Connection: He literally took over the government! He forced the Maryland governor to flee to Virginia and spent two years raiding plantations along the Bay in a period historians literally call "The Plundering Time."

​Tomorrow in Part 3: We are fast-forwarding to the 1800s to cover the most ruthless gang in Maryland history—the infamous "Oyster Pirates." 🦪💥
​⛵️ JOIN OUR CREW!
​We are Sidelines to Shorelines, documenting our "second act" as new boaters learning the ropes on this historic Bay. Our YouTube channel officially launches this April!
​Help us hit our goal of 500 followers by the end of this month! 1. FOLLOW this page so you don't miss Part 3 tomorrow!
2. SHARE this post with a proud Marylander.
3. COMMENT: Did you know the first North American naval battle happened right here in Maryland? 👇
​

02/24/2026

We talk about this during our Rock Hall Ghost Tour!

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🏴‍☠️ You think summer traffic on the Bay Bridge is scary? Try the Chesapeake in 1718.
​We are Sidelines to Shorelines. After a decade as soccer parents, we are trading the turf for the surf! As we navigate our "second act" as new boaters on the Chesapeake, we’re exploring the wild, verifiable history right beneath our keel.
​Welcome to Part 1 of our new series: Pirates of the Chesapeake.
​💀 Blackbeard’s Bay Blockade (1717–1718)
Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was the ultimate bad boy, terrorizing the shipping lanes just outside the Chesapeake Bay.
​The Boiling Point: By the fall of 1718, Virginia's Governor finally had enough and funded a secret naval expedition to hunt him down.
​The Gruesome End: On November 22, 1718, the Royal Navy cornered and killed him. They sailed triumphantly back into the mouth of the Bay (Hampton Roads) with his severed head hanging from the front of their ship!
​🎩 The Mid-Life Crisis Pirate (1717)
In 1717, Major Stede Bonnet, a wealthy landowner, got bored, abandoned his family, bought a ship named the Revenge, and played pirate with zero sailing experience.
​The Rookie Mistake: He eventually crossed paths with Blackbeard, who quickly realized Bonnet was clueless and basically took over his ship. Bonnet was captured and hanged by December 1718.
​(Honestly, trying to dock our boat for the first time made us feel a lot like Stede Bonnet! 🤦‍♂️⚓️)
​TOMORROW IN PART 2: Forget the Caribbean—we're covering the local rogues who literally stole the Maryland state capital!
​⛵️ JOIN THE CREW & HELP US HIT 500!
​We are officially launching our boating journey on YouTube this April! Today is February 24th, which means we only have FOUR DAYS LEFT to hit our goal of 500 followers by the end of the month!
​Help us clear the wake:
​FOLLOW this page so you don't miss Part 2 tomorrow!
​SHARE this post with a Chesapeake history buff.
​COMMENT: If you had to name a pirate ship today, what would you call it? 👇
​ #1718

01/19/2026

12/29/2025

This is a long shot, but last night I received a mesaage from the departed from a Frank M. for someone here in Rock Hall, MD.

Might be the last name Manone or Mahone.

Text me if you think the message might be for you. 301-991-0265. It's a good, short message.

12/30/25 Update. I believe I have found who Frank is and discovered who the mesage is for. The message is actually from Frank N. And his message is this:

"Keep playing. Keep practicing." It is a message for anyone that knew him and is feeling down, to keep playing and practicing, to lift their own spirits.

10/25/2025

Happy Witches Weekend, Rock Hall! Wish I could be there!

09/09/2025

09/01/2025

The Sharpsburg Ghost Tours has a story about a ghost cat named Elvis.

08/30/2025

Ghost orb seen near drinking fountain WATCH CLOSELY