It is that time of year again! The annual Gasparilla Pirate Invasion and Parade! Mark your calender for January 26th! The pirates will invade by ship (Jose Gasparilla - a fully rigged pirate ship). The ship will enter Tampa via Hillsborough Bay at around 11:30 in the morning! Hundreds of smaller boats will accompany the pirates as they enter Seddon Channel and come up along side Tampa General Hospital!
When I was a kid we used to go out in our family boat and watch the invasion from our 'front row seat'! It was something I looked forward to each year!
Jose Gaspar (nicknamed Gasparilla) is believed to have been born in 1756 in Spain. Originally a member of the Spanish navy, he later became a pirate that roamed the Florida coasts from approximately 1783 to 1821. He looted ships and towns, taking his booty to the island off the coast of Charlotte County called Gasparilla Island. He was a true pirate - male prisoners were either killed or agreed to become pirates. Women were taken to Captiva Island (off the coast of Lee County) where they were either sold as concubines or ransomed by their families. (And we celebrate this guy????????)
Some historians question the legend, but it lives on and the City of Tampa has been celebrating this man since 1904, when the Gasparilla Festivities first started. The event grows each year! It is well worth seeing and if you get the chance you really should pack the family in the car and head to Tampa for a day you will not forget! How often in your life do you think you will bear witness to a pirate invasion???
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