Gasparilla pirates invade Tampa, keep 121-year tradition alive

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TAMPA, Fla. - It’s the invasion everyone’s been waiting for.

The backstory:

"It’s kind of the signature event for Tampa, so it's amazing," Shamus Warren, a pirate in the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, said.

The Gasparilla Invasion, where more than 800 pirates took over the city and captured its key. A tradition that's lived on for more than 100 years.

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"It started in 1904. The society editor for the Tampa Tribune wanted to kind of generate interest for tourism in Tampa. And so, they found this great mythical story about this legendary pirate, Jose Gaspar. And they built, he missed a crew of Gasparilla around him," Warren said. "And here we are 120-something years later. And it's just grown every year. And we've got a fully rigged pirate ship that will invade the city. And over 200–250,000 people will see us today, even though it's a little chilly." 

No matter what comes their way, these swashbucklers stormed the choppy seas and braved the cold temperatures this year.

What they're saying:

"Pirates have no concerns with the tough seas. We've been sailing the Caribbean since 1904 with our founders, and it's not an issue for us. But we are going to be taking precautions for the small craft advisories, the small boats. It will be windy out there. So heed all the warnings of all the public service announcements. People really need to pay attention to that and be safe. But we're pretty bulletproof as pirates," Captain Pittman of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla said.

Whether they're a captain.

 "We’ll be successful. We haven't been unsuccessful since 1904, when we started Gasparilla, and we will take the key to the city," Pittman said.

Or a king.

"So captain is the working man's job. As you can tell, I'm now the royalty. So I've moved on. I've graduated," King Truett Gardner of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla said.

Or any part of the crew, the legacy and excitement continues on as one of Tampa’s greatest traditions.

"It’s in stages. So this is always a great party, seeing everybody get made up. The flotilla is amazing. The parade is amazing, so it's just the continuous day," Gardner said.