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"The situation was grim. The not-very-often heroic Will Turner had handed himself over as Barbossa's prisoner. While I was marooned once again on Rum Island, this time with the lady Elizabeth at me side, which improved the view dramatically. Nevertheless, we've no hope of escape."
Jack Sparrow[src]

Rumrunner's Isle, also known as Black Sam's Spit, Rumrunner's Island or Rum Island, was a small desert island in the Caribbean Sea. It was located northwest of Tortuga, and in relative proximity to Isla de Muerta. Rumrunners used the spit of land as a cache, and Jack Sparrow was marooned on the island following the first mutiny on the Black Pearl by Captain Hector Barbossa.

History[]

Early history[]

"Well, I overheard this one smuggler telling another how he was havin' a spot of trouble getting his rum from Rumrunner's Island to Port Royal. He was always caught, and his barrels seized, no matter what he did. And a fierce battle always ensued—he lost more employees that way, if you take my drift. He even tried dressing as a lady once, all in skirts and finery, but he never could fool the authorities. So I say to him, 'Look here, mate—what you need is a real lady to smuggle in yer rum for you!' He hired me on the spot."
Laura Smith[src]

Little was known of the early history of this desert island, other than that it was associated with rumrunners, who had a hidden cache of rum on the island. For unknown reasons, the island earned the name "Black Sam's Spit" for a time. Mostly known among sailors and pirates as "Rumrunner's Island"[6] or "Rumrunners Island",[7] "Rum Island",[8] as well as more commonly as "Rumrunner's Isle", the island was located northwest of Tortuga,[3] and in relative proximity to Isla de Muerta.[2] The infamous pirate Left-Foot Louis attempted to smuggle his rum from Rumrunner's Island to Port Royal, but he was always caught and his barrels seized.[6]

Jack Sparrow[]

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Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann marooned.

"Last time I was here a grand total of three days, all right? Last time...the rumrunners used this island as a cache. They came by and I was able to barter passage off. From the looks of things, they've long been out of business. You probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that."
Jack Sparrow to Elizabeth Swann[src]

Jack Sparrow and several members of his family were very familiar with Rumrunner's Island. One time they organized a barbecue on the island to celebrate Grandmama's seventy-fourth birthday. Their friend Joshamee Gibbs also attended the party.[7]

During their voyage to Isla de Muerta, the First Mate Hector Barbossa led the crew of the Black Pearl in a mutiny against Captain Jack Sparrow. They marooned Jack on the island and left him for dead, but Jack later escaped the island. In order to improve his own mystique and legend, Sparrow fabricated numerous elaborate stories about his escape from the island, most famously that he had roped together two sea turtles (using hair from his back as rope) to fashion an impromptu raft. In actuality, Sparrow had simply resigned himself to his fate, discovered the rumrunners' cache and spent three days lying on the beach drinking rum. The rumrunners then arrived and he was able to barter passage off the island.[1][2]

Jack Rumrunners Isle COTBP

Jack after Elizabeth burned his rum supply.

About ten years after his legendary escape,[2] Jack was marooned on Rum Island by Barbossa once more, this time with Elizabeth Swann at his side,[8] following the destruction of the HMS Interceptor. By now, the rumrunners had long abandoned their cache, possibly due to James Norrington's efforts to eradicate piracy in the Caribbean.[2] As the night fell over the island, Elizabeth saw a light in the jungle and went to investigate, but was attacked by a vicious tree spirit. Jack saved her and killed the creature by burning it.[9] Back on the beach, Elizabeth taught Jack a pirate shanty she heard as a child,[1] and got him drunk on rum. The next morning, as Jack had no plan of escape, Elizabeth took matters into her own hands by burning the island's palm trees (their source for food and shade) and the rum supply to create a smoke signal over one thousand feet high for the British Royal Navy to know their location. Elizabeth raced around a patch of palm trees, throwing barrels of rum into an already billowing fire. As they landed in the heat, the barrels exploded, sending splinters of wood flying high into the air. The plume of smoke was spotted by the crew of the HMS Dauntless, and the two were quickly rescued.[2]

At some point prior to the Fourth Brethren Court meeting, a map to the rum locker was drawn amongst the pages of the Pirata Codex.[10]

Behind the scenes[]

Rumrunner's beach

The beach of Rumrunner's Isle as seen in Pirates of the Caribbean Online.

"Sam, who works upstairs at Disney, is a huge PIRATES fan, so when we were asked to put a name to the tiny sandy island where Jack and Elizabeth are marooned, we called it 'Black Sam's Spit.' Sam was delighted, and then a year or so later, she sent Susan this sweet e-mail: 'Will you thank you guys for me? You have all made me something of an unknown immortal. In the new Monopoly game, there is a card about the marooning titled 'Black Sam's Spit'. I may just swoon.'"
Terry Rossio[src]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

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