Pirate ship sale nets $80K
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Introducing Gypsy Rose II, a 12-meter pirate ship created by U.S. boat builder, Captain Tim Woodson.
The remarkable vessel could be found cruising along the Mississippi River, which is perhaps better known for it’s paddle steamers than pirate ships.
Woodson recently sold the converted boat to the History Channel for $80,000, after advertising it on classifieds website, Craigslist. “It looks like a ship that has been to many islands and picked up many treasures along the way,” the 54-year-old told CNN.
The Gypsy Rose II is one of six pirate ships built by Woodson (pictured with girlfriend “Wench Maria”), and sailed along the Mississippi River as part of sightseeing cruises.
Woodson uses old house boats as the base for his pirate ships, covering them in planks of wood and staining it in varnish to “make it look like something from 1689.”
“It’s like being a kid again,” said Woodson. “Everybody just stops and stares — people in boats, standing on the shore. It brings a smile to people’s faces.”
Among Woodson’s six converted pirate ships is another 12-meter boat now lined with 18 bunk beds for school trips. “We can thank Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain Jack Sparrow for the renewed interest in pirates today,” he said.
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Editor’s note: MainSail is CNN’s monthly sailing show, exploring the sport of sailing, luxury travel and the latest in design and technology.
(CNN) — The Mississippi River: home to grand old paddle steamers, blues music, Huckleberry Finn, and… pirate ships.
With its skull-and-cross-bones flag flapping in the wind, and swashbuckling captain at the helm, this is perhaps the last boat you’d expect to find on America’s most famous inland waterway.
But the 12-meter Gypsy Rose II is just one of six pirate ships built by 54-year-old Captain Tim Woodson and setting sail on the iconic river.
Now the buccaneering boat has been sold to the HistoryChannel for $80,000, after being advertised on classifieds website Craigslist.
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“It’s probably the most photographed ship on the Mississippi River,” Woodson, from St Louis in Missouri, told CNN.
“We get a lot of kids running along the shore, trying to catch the cannonballs as we go by,” he said, referring to the 4-inch sponge balls shot from the ship.
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Dream boat
The professional boat builder first started making pirate ships five years ago, converting ordinary house boats into fairytale vessels.
“I wanted to find an old boat that I could transform into something really cool,” said Woodson.
“My girlfriend asked: ‘What are you going to do?’ I don’t know where it came from, but I said: ‘I’m going to build a pirate ship.’”
That’s exactly what he did, adding fake masts and covering the boat in planks of wood stained with varnish and black spray paint.
“As you walk on board you see a skeleton wearing an eye patch — that’s the old captain we pillaged the boat from,” said Woodson.
“The sails are all torn with cannonball holes,” he added. “Inside, the first thing you see is a hand-drawn map, globe of the world, and an old desk covered in treasure.”
Luxury living
The remarkable boat may appear to be something out of a 17th century European fable, but inside it has all the luxuries of a modern ship.
Read: The circus family living on a sailboat
Woodson spent just over two months building Gypsy Rose II, which can hold around 30 passengers.
It features two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and putters along at 30 kilometers per hour.
“The galley is fully functional but is stacked with rum barrels and pewter mugs,” said Woodson.
“It really is a modern-day pirate ship with 1600s treasures scattered throughout.”
Costume drama
With his battered hat, ripped vest, and dangling earring, Captain Woodson is every inch the pirate of old.
Alongside his girlfriend, Wench Maria, he can be found steering his fantastical vessels from Missouri to Illinois as part of sightseeing tours down the murky Mississippi.
Groups can also rent the boats for pirate-themed parties, with one elderly woman recently celebrating her 99th birthday on board.
Read: Back to the Future for Richard Branson boat
“When I was a kid, pirates were cool and that hasn’t changed,” Woodson said. “It’s about that feeling of being free, of being an explorer.”
“It gives you an excuse to be the bad boy.”
One man’s fleet
Among Woodson’s six converted pirate ships are a former 21-meter U.S. troop carrier and another 12-meter boat now lined with 18 bunk beds for school trips.
Once complete, each boat is advertised for sale on Craigslist, with the History Channel snapping up Gypsy Rose II for its TV series Ax Men, which follows the history of timber cutters.
Other boats have been bought by cruise operators and restaurateurs.
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“When I was building my first ship, people would say I was crazy,” said Woodson.
“But five years, six boats, and probably 200 cruises-a-year later — they’re not telling me I’m crazy now.”
Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/23/travel/man-builds-pirate-ship-craigslist/index.html?eref=edition
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/DpH4QpuXeJw/pirate-ship-sale-nets-80k
Introducing Gypsy Rose II, a 12-meter pirate ship created by U.S. boat builder, Captain Tim Woodson.
The Gypsy Rose II is one of six pirate ships built by Woodson (pictured with girlfriend “Wench Maria”), and sailed along the Mississippi River as part of sightseeing cruises. 
Woodson uses old house boats as the base for his pirate ships, covering them in planks of wood and staining it in varnish to “make it look like something from 1689.”
Among Woodson’s six converted pirate ships is another 12-meter boat now lined with 18 bunk beds for school trips. “We can thank Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain Jack Sparrow for the renewed interest in pirates today,” he said. 
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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads. 
Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.
The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.
Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down. 
Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space. 
Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads. 
Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.
The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.
Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down. 
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Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.
A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21. 
A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.
People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.
Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.
A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.
A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.
A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.
A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.
A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.
A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.
Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.
Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.
A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.
A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.
An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm’s winds topped 200 mph as it carved a 17-mile path of destruction through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:
The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.
Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating — the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.
The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.
A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.
The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.
A group of homes was reduced to rubble.
Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around. 
In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.
Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.
Large trees were uprooted and flattened.
Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.
Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.
In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013′s twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.
A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.
The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.
The scene — block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools — left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma’s infamous tornadoes reeling.
View more galleries: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area and The devastating Oklahoma tornado of 1999.
Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School after a massive tornado destroyed the building in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20. The death toll continues to climb as rescuers search for survivors. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View more photos of the aftermath in the region.
A teacher hugs a student at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City on May 20.
Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.
People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.
Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.
Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.
Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.
A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.
A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.
A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.
A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.
A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.
A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.
A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.
A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.
A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.
Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.
Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.
Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.
Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.
A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.
A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.
Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.
A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.
A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.
President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.
Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.
Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee. 
Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.
A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.
A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19. 
Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.
A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.
Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.
A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.
A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.
Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.
Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.
Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School after a massive tornado destroyed the building in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20. The death toll continues to climb as rescuers search for survivors. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. 
A teacher hugs a student at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City on May 20.
Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.
People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.
Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.
Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.
Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.
A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.
A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.
A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.
A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.
A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.
A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.
A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.
A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.
A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.
Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.
Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.
Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.
Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.
A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.
A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.
Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.
A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit 
A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.
President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.
Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.
Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee. 
Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.
A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.
A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19. 
Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.
A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.
Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.
A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.
A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.
Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.
Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.
