Well let's see, it's an island, and it's on a river. I guess a boat would be a great help unless you feel lucky and can walk on over. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question.

We go out in November and February, that would be the seasons of Fall and Winter. Yes it's pretty much cold weather.Although we do get lucky sometimes thanks to Global warming trends.

Yes, there has been a rat population on the island. It varies year to year.We try not to leave any extra food on the island in Nov., but the summer picnic boaters leave enough to draw rats. Ed B. still doesnt believe me about the rats, I only hope he pulls on a pair of boots and finds a few in his boots heavily engaged in the act of copulation. MORE INFO ON RATS SEE THIS LINK BELOW : RATS

Plan on spending the night. With few exceptions, there is no 23 hr shuttle service back to the main land. A sleeping bag and waterproof boots are vital , unless you want to freeze while trying to pass out, or get  wet feet.(why wet feet? refer to  question #1)

Don't bring anything you can't afford to lose or have destroyed before your eyes.Shit happens. Things get lost. Don't pack a camoflague wallet either, that's not a good color choice.Pick a bright orange one instead.

The Island trip is a communal event. As Pirates we share and share alike. There is a communal dinner and breakfast buffet. When in doubt for food , bring a pie for the Midnight Coffee Break. If you bring something to cook, remember to bring the neccessary utilities to prepare it(ie: pots,frying pan,steamer etc) It's not a TV 12 cooking show out there with a stocked kitchen.

Unless otherwise noted, the trips are B.Y.O.B. although some Nov. trips we do get a keg, in that case a collection is taken amongst everyone to cover the cost of the keg. (in case you have'nt figured it out yet, we're not funded by a Fortune 500 corp. we're working people, bring some cash if you wanna drink from the keg)

If you would like to sleep in a tent, bring one, otherwise, sleep on the ground. If it's raining bring a tarp.Come prepared.

No, there might be but I really don't know. Refer back to the previous rule: Don't bring anything out there that you could not bear to lose or have destroyed.  Don't start pissing and moaning when your Iphone/blackberry gets blackened and destroyed. The Island is not Laptop friendly place, We burn harddrives,I don't mean copy them, I mean we really burn them , in the fire.

The Fall trip will be Nov. 21-23 2009. NFL schedule should be Washington @ Dallas,,oh boy I can hear Kevin now...blah blah blah...New york Jets @ New England,,hope it snows  and finally Philadelphia @ Chicago. Could they try to win one this year out there. The Island record is not good for the birds,,unless you mean geese and seagulls.

 

Can your boat handle icebergs? Its an aluminum boat with a 25 hp engine, we have a couple of extra oars, and hammers, and rope.Get in and ride up front.Keep a good lookout, we're not as big as the Titanic.

Well , basically when we go out there, WE DO.  We don't care who claims to own the island, possession is 99% the law. IT'S OUR ISLAND. Whether it's really NJ's or PA's doesn't matter. Face it , in Nov and Feb. no one wants that ratty little piece of shithole island anyway. Its a dump,riverborne industrial waste collection site.  

Well I hear this one quite a bit. After a miserable night of rain and soot, and sand and dirt and trash and debris, or even on the nice non rainy trips, many people will wonder how do I get the hell off this island? "Can I leave really early? "

 

The answer is probably NO. I mean sure you can leave early the next day, but don't get ridiculous. The Pirate crew just stayed up boozing and laughing all night till probably 3:00am or later, do you really think they want to wake at 0630am to take your  carcass back home? Most shuttles home begin after 9:00am, probably 10.00am. Don't worry the boat won't turn into a pumpkin, although the motor has been known to turn into a broken chunk of steel. Course that was the old days, now we have a nice new engine. Just try to be patient, you'll get off the island. 

Ok, it's simple. Yes 10 years ago , we would just take out the oars and row out to the Island with everyone, and all the gear. That was in the old Pirate boat. It was designed to be a row boat, not a powered boat. Our new vessel is a wide bodied Dory , designed to be run from an engine source. It only has one set of oar locks, and takes 2 people to operate them, and does not have a rudder to steer. It is just not practical to attempt to row a crew of plus 10 people over and move 1000 lbs of gear in this boat. The logistic time would be in hours, and manpower would be exhausting. It is better to re-evaluate the situation. Never question our determination to make a trip happen. We're the same dedicated crew, we have become wiser with age.