SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. – Smith Mountain Lake’s annual Pirate Days celebration will take place entirely on land this year as the lake remains about 5 feet below its normal level, forcing organizers to adjust one of the area’s signature summer events.
Organizers Commodore P.J. and Lady Cristina Nagel, owners of Capt. Party in Roanoke, said they have been planning Pirate Days for the past 10 years and have never before had to move the event completely off the water.
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“We’ve added some new stuff, but it’s just not going to be on the water,” the Nagels said. “We’ve been monitoring it (water levels) for a year, and we realized that it’s not something that’s going to change overnight.”
The unusually low water levels have created hazards for some boaters, exposing rocks and shoals that are typically submerged.
Barry Bridges, a local boater and Sea Tow captain who has lived on the lake for 26 years, said the prolonged low water is unlike anything he has experienced.
“I’ve lived out on the lake for about 26 years now,” Bridges said. “I’ve not seen it this bad. I’ve seen it close back in the early 2000s, but I’ve never seen it last this long.”
Bridges said he recently responded to a call after a boat became stranded on a shoal in the middle of the lake.
“It happens at night when people are maybe going a little bit too fast to be able to watch where they’re going, and they’ll run up on the shore,” Bridges said. “Thankfully, we haven’t had any serious injuries so far.”
Despite those incidents, Bridges said the vast majority of Smith Mountain Lake remains safe for recreational boating.
“Probably 95% or 98% of the water on the lake is perfectly safe to be boating in,” he said.
Although the traditional on-the-water activities have been canceled, organizers said attendees will still have plenty of pirate-themed entertainment.
The event will feature a pirate dunk tank, water gun battles between children and pirates, and kiddie pools for children ages 3 and younger.
Additional water-themed activities are planned throughout the weekend, including a water battle at noon at Goodhue Boat Company Blackwater, formerly Crazy Horse Marina, and another at 1:30 p.m. at Portside Marina with the Virginia Dare.
Pirate Days will have events all weekend long, starting with the Pirate’s Ball on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mango’s Bar & Grill, and continuing on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at Wind Vineyards.