Each year in late October, the Cayman Islands - considered by many guidebooks to be the most conservative and genteel of the Caribbean island nations - buckles its swash and raises a grinning skull 'n' crossbones flag, letting loose with street parties, snorkel treasure hunts, pirate singalongs and, the jewel in the Pirates Week treasure chest, a mock invasion of the islands' capital, George Town, followed by a parade.

And listen up, thrifty buccaneers: most of the Pirates Week events won't cost you a single doubloon - they're free and open to the public.

Pirates Week began in 1977 as a way to drum up tourism during the low season, and also to give the locals an excuse to let their hair down. But the celebration, which this year runs Oct. 29 through Nov. 7, has historical roots that stretch back centuries.

Christopher Columbus sailed past Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, the two smaller islands of the three-island nation, back in 1503. Impressed by the number of tortoises he spotted in the waters offshore, he named the islands Las Tortugas, Spanish for turtles.

The Cayman Islands, sometimes called "Tortuga," quickly took on near mythic status as a hangout for pirates and privateers.