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- "Aye, Whitecap Bay! Every worthless seaman fears the name, and rightly so, though few know why or dare to ask."
"Be the stories true?"
"Say what robs you of your staunch heart Gibbs, or forever leave it to the wider fields of fancy."
"...Mermaids, captain?" - ―Hector Barbossa and Joshamee Gibbs
Whitecap Bay, often stylized as White Cap Bay, was a large cove on a mysterious island. Doom awaited any misguided mariner who sought out these perilous waters, as the Bay was where mermaids have been known to gather for hundreds of years, thereby striking terror in the hearts of all sailors and pirates.
Myths tell of mermaids lurking beneath the pale, foaming breakers, but few knew that these briny beauties were actually flesh-eating creatures. The remote lighthouse at Whitecap Bay served as a beacon, as man-made light could attract these sirens of the sea. Whitecap Bay was most notably visited as the beginning of the journey to find the Fountain of Youth, where Blackbeard and his crew engaged these denizens of the deep on a mermaid hunt. On the verge of luring a mermaid for her tears, a battle ensued as Blackbeard's crew found themselves surrounded by vengeful foes consumed with rage against mankind.
History[]
Legend[]
- "Mermaid waters, that be our path."
- ―Hector Barbossa to his crew
According to myths and legends, Whitecap Bay was where mermaids have been known to gather for hundreds of years, notably for attacking passing ships and sailors.[1] Stories made concerning mermaids in this mystical place strike terror in the heart of all sailors and pirates, even if it was just a brief mention of it.[2] Not even the cove's rocks could offer refuge from mermaids. They can survive long enough on land to drag a human back into the sea where they can entangle their foe in a powerful grip.[3]
The remote lighthouse at Whitecap Bay was of an ancient design, having been made by the English. In front of a whale oil-fired beacon stands a convex lens, doubling as a harbor light. Legend has it that man-made light and song could attract the sirens of the sea.[3]
Quest for the Fountain of Youth[]
First mermaid attack[]
- "The old moon in the arms of the new one. First of the summer. Perfect for hunting a mermaid's tear."
- ―Angelica to Jack Sparrow
During the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard journeyed to Whitecap Bay with Jack Sparrow, Angelica and many other of his crewmen to capture a mermaid. Legend had it that mermaids were drawn to man-made light, so Salaman fixed the abandoned lighthouse where it could light up and aimed it on the longboats in the water, sent on a mission to lure a mermaid for her tears. In one longboat, Philip Swift, Scrum, Derrick, Purser, Ezekiel and the Cabin Boy were used as bait. Scrum was forced to sing, by the zombie crewmen Gunner, to lure the mermaids out. Scrum would sing the sea shanty My Jolly Sailor Bold for an hour until Tamara appears.[2]
Tamara continues singing Scrum's song, which attracts more mermaids to surround the longboat. The mermaids try to seduce the pirates, which ends with Tamara showing her true form to Scrum. A fierce battle breaks out between the mermaids and the pirates. Blackbeard's crew attempt to lure the mermaids into the shallows, until Blackbeard himself used his sword to unleash Greek fire from the Queen Anne's Revenge on the mermaids, driving them to shore where the others were waiting with nets to capture them. However, the mermaids started using seaweed lassos to haul the pirates out of reach into the water. Jack Sparrow ran up to the top of the lighthouse and lights up the whale oil, causing the lighthouse to explode, scaring the mermaids and saving the remaining crew. Shortly after the battle, Blackbeard's crewmen were able to capture a young mermaid that would later be named "Syrena".[2]
Second mermaid attack[]
- "Whitecap Bay, sir. We must hasten—"
- ―Theodore Groves to Hector Barbossa prior to another mermaid attack
Later, Hector Barbossa, Joshamee Gibbs, Theodore Groves, Gillette and most of the crew of the HMS Providence would later come ashore during a storm. Barbossa and Groves would examine a mermaid's corpse. Suddenly the mermaids returned and attacked the HMS Providence off the coast. Groves thought that they should save the men aboard, but Barbossa denied it and had them continue their journey on foot. Before they had their heading, they had to watch the Providence sunk, along with most of the crew, by the mermaids. The remainder of the Providence's crewmen continued the journey towards the jungle-infested areas of the island.[2]
It is unknown if anyone attempted to venture to Whitecap Bay again.
Locations[]
The Lighthouse[]
- "Smell that? Whale oil. Stuff burns like a miracle from God."
"Can you make it work?"
"Made by the English. Let's not get our hopes up." - ―Salaman and Blackbeard
The remote lighthouse at Whitecap Bay was of an ancient design, having been made by the English. In front of a whale oil-fired beacon stood a convex lens, doubling as a harbor light and beacon. Legend has it that man-made light could be used to attract mermaids, the sirens of the sea. The Bay's lighthouse would be destroyed by Jack Sparrow, who blew it up to scare the vicious mermaids during the battle at Whitecap Bay.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Whitecap Bay is where mermaids have been known to gather for hundreds of years, thereby striking terror in the heart of all sailors and pirates. You might say that there's a love-hate relationship that the pirates have with the mermaids. Love because they're the most beautiful women on earth—and hate because they're absolutely deadly."
- ―John Myhre
- Whitecap Bay was filmed in three locations for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The scene where Hector Barbossa and his crew are ashore was filmed in Halona Cove in Oahu, Hawaii. The scene where the mermaid attack against Blackbeard's crew occurred was in an extraordinary set the size of two square city blocks, designed by John Myhre and built with great skill by U.S. construction supervisor Greg Callas and his team at the "Falls Lake" section of Universal Studios in Los Angeles.[1] The exterior of the longboat at Whitecap Bay scene was filmed in the H stage at Pinewood Studios.
- Early in the development process of On Stranger Tides, Whitecap Bay was going to be named Crow's Nest Bay.[4]
- On August 2010, Tim Powers, the author of On Stranger Tides novel, visited the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with his wife Serena.[5] They drove to the Universal Studios set where the Whitecap Bay filming took place.[6][4]
- Other than Whitecap Bay, mermaids also lived in Isla Sirena.
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War (In flashback(s))
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization) (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Storybook
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
- The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide p.54-55: "Whitecap Bay"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Disney Second Screen: Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides
- ↑ The Works of Tim Powers » On Stranger Tides Set Visit
- ↑ Johnny Depp Reads Message Board -> Tim Powers - our Follow up interview