by Matthew Watters
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of hauling out in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, you might have come across a hard-working individual in the boatyard who goes by the name of “Pirate.” His specialty is prepping hulls and applying anti-fouling paint. He is known for his work ethic and ability to get the job done on time more than for a lot of talking. But he does have a story.
In fact, this “Pirate” is an ex-mariner, with thousands of sea miles under his belt. Elias Justin has circumnavigated the globe, transited the Panama and Suez canals many times, and sailed the proverbial Seven Seas.
If you manage to distract him from his work long enough to have a chat (or better yet, invite him for a Guinness after work in the boatyard pub), you may hear his tales of maritime adventures – storms at sea, fires onboard ship, collisions with the dock.
Elias first went to sea with Bermuda Star in 1984. Then for many years he was plumber/engineer/chief fireman on Star Flyer, of the Star Clipper fleet, until 2015. He travelled with the ship wherever it was based, spending time in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia), the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey & the Greek Islands), Central America (Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), French Polynesia, the Baltic Sea (Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Russia, Finland), and the Iberian Peninsula.
Ask Pirate what his favorite country is, and his face lights up: “Thailand!”
His colorful personality, augmented by his extensive wardrobe of gold jewelry, made him something of a celebrity on board ship, to the extent that the captain sometimes invited him to mingle with the guests during social functions. One such was English actor Roger Moore, famously known as the fictional James Bond, who had been invited by Star Clipper owner Mikael Krafft to join the ship for a two-week cruise in Southeast Asia. That Moore enjoyed some of the Elias’s seafaring tales is evident in this photo taken by Krafft.
Onboard, he was known as “The Beast,” or sometimes “B. A.” for his resemblance to the character played by Mr. T on the old TV series, The A Team. He only became “Pirate” when he returned to St. Lucia and started a new career in the boatyard, where people took notice of his big gold earring and nautical swagger. And good nicknames stick.
Pirate’s advice for young Caribbean sailors wishing to see the world: Get your STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) qualification, and remember you’re an ambassador for your country wherever you go.
