Mission:
Your mission is to search the seas for fat bankers who have too much money.  "Avast ya bloody, nat brain, pigeon gut, lying weasel, double talking politician!  Yer money or yer life."  First you gotta learn how to talk like a pirate.

A proper pirate boat needs lots of villains, scoundrels and rotten eggs.  You need to build a crew of ugly, nut head pirates from an assortment of nuts, foam rubber, feathers, and cloth.  You can make your pirates dance using motion modules from the library of Build-It-Blocks.

Ship plans are next.  A Build-It-Yourself  crew of 8 scurrilous rascals built this remote control pirate ship.  It's over 2 feet long. It's got a walkie talkie on board, a working water cannon and a mess of dancing pirates ... all controlled by a LEGO Mindstorms computer. When the boat stops, the pirates say, "Hand over your treasures or suffer our measures!" If you don't unload a quarter into the treasure chest in 10 seconds, the water cannon fires. If you give willingly, the pirates do a jig and play music.

Davin made sails from cheese cloth died in tea to make them look weathered.  

Max made the captain's cabin from Popsicle sticks glued around two  4" round raisin container lids.  Inside the cabin is a treasure map and a bottle of whiskey on a table.

Davin made the treasure chest.  It has a quarter slot and a light sensor.

Matthew made the water cannon and the gang plank.  

Zach made the anchor, the skeleton masthead, an accordion player, and a soulful water monster.

Ben, Esam and Rowan made a deserted island.  A bird circles the island and the mermaid waves to admiring sailors.

Matthew, Max and Davin wrote a very clever multitasking program.