In case anyone is interested in a collaborative pirate-themed build here is a little something I have been working on for BrickCon 2011: Port Brick Standard.
The idea is to have many builders converge in one display and build Port Royal or Tortuga or whatever you like. It borrows ideas from things like the Classic-Castle City Standard and Moonbase.
It is still a work in progress but it is far enough along to see what I am trying to do (I hope). Comments and suggestions for improvement are gratefully accepted.