Gasparilla Pirate Invasion:

Tampa Surrenders to Jose Gaspar and His Pirate Krewes Again!

By Dorothy Riley

The Gasparilla Boat Parade has a long history in Tampa, Florida. It is one of the oldest and most wellknown events in the Tampa Bay area and has been held annually since the early 1900s.

The boat parade is held on the last Saturday in January and is followed by a series of other events, including a pirate invasion and a music festival. This year, the invasion and subsequent parade were held on January 28. The parade is named after the legendary pirate José Gaspar, also known as Gasparilla, and inspired by the pirate’s legendary raids on the west coast of Florida. The parade is traditionally led by the José Gasparilla, a pirate ship (barge) that is the festival’s centerpiece. The Gasparilla events attract thousands of visitors each year.

Many pirate ‘krewe’ ships and hundreds of recreational vessels accompany the Gasparilla up the channel. Boaters often adhere to the pirate theme in dress and consume quantities of alcohol. For this reason, the Coast Guard and law enforcement from all over the state assist in peacekeeping, preventing collisions, and keeping recreational vessels from crossing the Gasparilla’s path.

The Auxiliary plays a significant role. In past years, Auxiliary facilities from all divisions under Sector St. Petersburg provided safety zones for manatees sighted in or near the parade route. This year, Auxiliary facilities from Divisions 7 and 8 assisted in keeping boaters safe in the channel.

Before the start of this year’s Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, Flotilla 74, Brandon’s facility, Miss Daisy, had the distinction of transporting VIPs. Before the start of the parade, Miss Daisy, under the command of coxswain Dean Bell, provided transport to RADM Brendan McPherson, Commander, Coast Guard District 7; CAPT Michael Kahle, Sector St Petersburg Commanding Officer and Captain of the Port; and CDR Shawn Lansing, Deputy Commander, Sector St Petersburg, from the Coast Guard facility on Davis Island to the Incident Command Post near Hooker’s Point. RADM McPherson wanted to meet with the Coast Guard team supporting the event. Coxswain Bell returned these dignitaries to Davis Islands before the parade began so they could join in the Coast Guard morale event. Each year Sector arranges a party for Coast Guard members and their families so they can safely view the water parade.

Serving aboard Miss Daisy were Dean Bell, Flotilla 79, Tampa, coxswain; George Papabeis, Flotilla 74, Brandon; Dennis Smith, Flotilla 77, Polk County, crew; Steve Williams, Flotilla 74, Brandon, trainee; and Miguel Marquez, Flotilla 79, Tampa, trainees.

Three additional Auxiliary facilities assisted in the (Continued on page 10)

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Gasparilla Pirate Invasion. First from Division 7 was Sue-Sea-Q, Tony Novellino, coxswain, Charles Lambeth, crew, both from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach, Tracy Adkins, from Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg, crew, and Jeff Agrall from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach, trainee. The second vessel was Duty Calls, Dean Hoskin, coxswain; Gordon Hornby, crew; Jack Lee, trainee, all from Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg, and Anne-Marie Woolsey from Flotilla 78 St. Pete Beach, crew. The fourth vessel was Idlewild from Division 8 with Walter Jennings, Flotilla 86, Venice, coxswain; Tom Mooney, also from Flotilla 86, crew; and Tom Alvord, Flotilla 81, Manatee, crew.

One of the most important missions carried out by the Auxiliary was radio watchstanding. The Auxiliary team at the Unified Command Post consisted of Dave Rockwell, Auxiliary Sector Coordinator, acting as Auxiliary Branch Director, and the Auxiliary Communications Group (AUXCOM) led by Howard Bush, Flotilla 7-16, Gulfport. Hal Chase, Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg, and Chris Anderson, FL 7-16, Gulfport. Bush adapted one of Sector’s Rescue 21 Go-kits to serve as the control radio station. This eliminated the expense of moving a communications trailer.

Flotilla 75, Apollo Beach’s Ruskin Radio provided transit guard and backup communications led by Elliott Seda, Flotilla 75. Telecommunications Operators assisting were Ray Langley, Judy Clapp, Don Hebert, and Larry Binder. Jim Keene assisted in trainee status. All are members of Flotilla 75, Apollo Beach.

The Gasparilla festival was created by the society editor of the Tampa Tribune in partnership with civic and social leaders in the Tampa Bay area. The event was so popular that the Tampa leaders agreed to organize the parade annually. The first mock pirate invasion by the “Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla” was in May 1904, when the pirates arrived on horseback. The mock invasions continued on horseback and by automobile until 1911, the first year that the pirate

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(Gasparilla-Continued from page 10) krewes invaded by boat.

Until 1988, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival was celebrated on the first Monday in February. In 1988, organizers moved the event to Saturday, and in 2002, to the last Saturday in January. A family-friendly children’s parade and fireworks are typically held a week before the boat parade. Also on the annual calendar is the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, which showcases more than 233 of the world’s most talented artists who “turn Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park into a museum. Sporting events, music festivals, and formal krewe balls occur before and after the main event.

After the Jose Gaspar and crew land at the Tampa Convention Center and take the key to the city from Tampa’s mayor, they march through the city to Ybor. The four-and-a-half-hour parade is viewed by over 300,000 citizens and includes over 50 krewes and 100 floats. Two weeks later, the Knights of Sant’Yago Illuminated night parade serves as the outgoing event for the pirate krewes.

Until after the September 11 attacks, a US Navy ship volunteered to be “attacked” by small boats of the “Ybor City Navy,” who attacked the defender by throwing stale Cuban bread and water hoses. This occurred about two weeks before the Parade of Pirates. The US Navy returned “fire” with their water hoses. Eventually, it surrendered to the Alcalde of Ybor City, who, as the story goes, was hired by Jose Gaspar to clear resistance to his impending pirate attack. After the “battle,” the navy sailors were treated to an evening on the town. This event began in 1956 and was held about two weeks before the Parade of Pirates. While the ‘defense’ was temporarily discontinued after the September 11 attacks, it has been held most years since, with the museum ship SS American Victory standing in for the US Navy.

The Gasparilla parade is the third-largest parade in the nation and is worth seeing at least once. Ahoy, me mateys! Come see us! Ω

Photos from top: Tom Mooney, Flotilla 86, Venice, on board the vessel Idlewild, watches the pirate ship Jose Gaspar and its attendant fleet as it heads up Seddon Chanel into downtown Tampa. USCG Auxiliary photo by Walter Jennings

Ray Langley and Elliott Seda, members of Flotilla 75, Apollo Beach, are two of the Telecommunications Operators who staffed Ruskin Radio during Gasparilla. Langley updated the whiteboard while Seda operated the radio. United States Coast Guard Auxiliary photo provided by Elliott Seda

The Auxiliary facility Sue Sea Q, Tony Novellino, coxswain, Charles Lambeth, crew, both from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach; and Tracy Adkins, from Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg crew, and Jeff Agrall from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach, trainee, patrol Seddon channel during the 2023 Gasparilla boat parade. The USCGC Diamondback is visible behind them. USCG Auxiliary photo by George Papabeis

Howard Bush, Auxiliary Communications lead, sets up one of Sector St. Petersburg’s Rescue 21 Go-kits at the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office Marine Unit on Seddon Channel. USCG Auxiliary photo by Chris Anderson (Both Bush and Anderson are members of Flotilla 7-16, Gulfport.)

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