Nestled in the foothills of the Diablo Mountain Range is one of Morgan Hill’s best-kept secrets: Morgan’s Cove. What started on a whim nearly 15 years ago has blossomed into a destination for anyone with an inner marauder just waiting to capture the booty.
Rich Firato has created a pirate’s hideaway at his home in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
The pearl of an idea began in 2000, after Firato, his wife Julie and their children Nick, Gia, and Alyssa moved into the one-acre home that needed remodeling. Firato hired Tim Barci—a pirate enthusiast—and his crew to re-do the kitchen. While taking a break, Firato and Barci went into the backyard where there was a hot tub under an old gazebo. Barci convinced Firato to remove the hot tub and put in a wooden deck, an area Barci called “Captain’s Quarters.”
Up to this point, Firato was not a pirate, much less a captain. But a member of Barci’s crew—an artist who went by the name Fisherman Doug—had a knack for creating items out of what many people might consider junk.
“Fisherman Doug would sit in the Captain’s Quarters with a cigarette in his hand, taking a puff before he would describe what he envisioned: ‘perhaps a pirate scene over there,’” Firato recalled.
According to Firato, Fisherman Doug suggested they build an island as if they were stranded in Morgan Hill. They’d search for building materials around creeks and dumps and would only “go to Home Depot if we need something to support the structure.”
“Everyday we would ask what would we need if we were stranded? Shelter? So we built shelters and huts,” Firato said. “I would come home from work and we would think about what we could do next.”
The ship Lady Morgan, named after Morgan Hill and the street on which the Cove is located, was added to Morgan’s Cove in 2011. A hole the size of a swimming pool was dug, support fixtures were laid and the ship—weighing 2.5 tons—was lifted by crane over the trees surrounding Firato’s property.
“After the ship was positioned in the hole, the hole was backfilled with rocks and we crossed our fingers,” Firato said.
Firato found the ship—designed and built by pirate hobbyist Terry Renner in British Columbia—for sale on YouTube. He contacted Renner and described Morgan’s Cove, sharing videos of the area. Impressed, Renner agreed to ship the “ship” to Morgan Hill and assist with the installation.
Morgan Cove’s other ship, “Bernadette,” was found in a junk yard.
Visitors to Morgan’s Cove are told a story about pirates who, in the 17th century, sailed up the Pajaro River and through creeks, which have all dried up, and ran aground in Morgan Hill.
Firato uses Morgan’s Cove for various fundraisers including the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Morgan Hill, a 12-month class offered for leadership training to anyone who may someday want to give back to the community.
“It’s a pirate’s cove full of treasure,” Firato said, adding he and his team spend about 130 hours a month maintaining the site. “We are driven and committed. Morgan’s Cove is a vehicle to raise funds.”
But the unique spot isn’t always used solely for such events.
“There was a wedding ceremony here a few years ago, when an elderly couple once again exchanged their wedding vows,” he said.
Firato hopes to make Morgan’s Cove a landmark site, envisioning it as a tourist destination and has looked into ways to build on the theme. He is currently awaiting the final script for a motion picture project, which would use Morgan’s Cove as a filming location.
“My family thinks I’m crazy,” Firato said. “But it’s my passion.”
For more information, visit Morgan’s Cove on Facebook.
