YAR HAR! He was a varmint, a rogue and a thief. But that doesn’t stop the people of Poole celebrating the life of Harry Paye – their most famous pirate.

Now landlubbers and sea-dogs alike are invited to the fifth Harry Paye Charity Fun Day taking place on Saturday on Poole Quay.

The event is run by the Pirates of Poole – a motley crew of around 60 volunteers who aim to recognise and preserve the town’s important maritime history, as well as raising a few doubloons for charity from the celebrations. Last year the day raised £8,000.

Poole Pirate Roger Laird said: “This will be our fifth charity fun day and we have a packed programme of maritime-themed events, running from noon until 10pm, with proceeds going to the Poole Hospital Charity and the Lewis-Manning Hospice.”

The most swashbucklin’ day in the local calendar coincides with Poole Afloat and The Annual Poole Fisherman’s Regatta, so there’ll be plenty of fun both on and off the water. If you fancy stretching your sea legs, the free boating festival Poole Afloat, starting at 10am, will give you the opportunity to try out a number of different craft, such as power boats, dinghies, RIBs and sailing yachts.

Also on the sea will be The Annual Poole Fisherman’s Regatta, between noon and 3pm, featuring a spectacular parade of decorated boats, as well as watersports and a Fisherman’s Race.

New for 2011 is the Gig Race, where several gig clubs from the south coast will race from The Quay around Brownsea Island and back.

Back on land, hundreds of cutlasses will be a-glintin’ from noon as the famous Parade of the Pirates makes its way from the Quay Thistle Hotel, along Old Orchard, down the Old High Street and finishing on the Quay.

Schools, pubs, clubs, and any other organisations are invited to take part in the parade, so blacken those teeth and start practising your ‘yo ho-hos’. There’ll be loads of prizes given for the lucky winners of the best fancy dress competition.

If you’re not part of the procession, make sure you have some pieces of eight ready to put into the collection buckets.

There’ll be living history re-enactments, street entertainment, children’s rides, tug o’ war, live cannon firing, pirate skirmishes, Viking displays, competitions and three areas of live music.

“The whole Quay gets into the swing of things, with local companies bedecking their premises with appropriate garb,” explained Roger. “Everyone puts in such an effort, we now award prizes for the best-dressed business, pleasure boat and kiosk.”

The fun lasts into the evening with a finale of fireworks blasting off from 10pm. To see proceedings from a different vantage point, a firework cruise sets sail from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.

It’s a fitting tribute to pirate Harry, a resident of Hill Street, who 605 years ago seized 120 French and Span- ish ships after they had pillaged and burned the town two years earlier.

This ‘Paye-back’ certainly benefited the town as Harry distributed the ships’ booty among the residents.

Historians say that one of the vessels was carrying wine which, in today’s money, was worth half a million pounds. It took locals a whole month to consume, amid much feasting and merry-making.

No wonder this has gone down in legend as the town’s biggest party.

The Charity Fun Day on Saturday, however, will have much more of a family focus, appealing to everyone from the youngest whippersnapper to the most barnacle-ridden old sea-dog.

“The day gets bigger and better every year, and we’d like to thank sponsors Sibbett Gregory and Coastal Glazing, as well as the people of Poole who help make it all happen,” said Roger.

So come, ye gentlemen and ladies of fortune – Drop anchor at Poole Quay on Saturday for a chance to remember the fighting men and women of Poole, to have fun, to raise money, and of course, to raise a glass to ‘The Protector of Poole’, Harry Paye.