Tampa gets soaked in pirate invasion!

[JonathanBelles]

TAMPA - At high noon today, the second event of Gasparilla week's revelry kicked off with volleys of stale Cuban bread and jets from water cannons as the brigands loyal to the mayor of Ybor City cleared the way for pirates to invade later this week.

The ceremonial battle, dubbed the Ybor City Naval Invasion, has been part of Gasparilla week since 1954. After a wet hour that littered Garrison Channel with chunks of bread and left most participants soaked, a ceremonial truce was reached. The navy will withdraw and pirates will meet little resistance invading Tampa.

There is something to be said for an event when a loud speaker warns participants against premature hosing 10 minutes before the official start.

According to Sandra Morgado, this year's honorary Ybor City mayor, the tradition goes something like this: Pirates hire the mayor of Ybor City and flotilla to get the navy out of the way for the invasion while the navy and Tampa try to fight off the Ybor City forces. Meanwhile, the Tampa Fire Department is supposed to help defend Tampa but gets paid off by Ybor City and turns on Tampa.

Get it?

This year the forces of Tampa and the navy were stationed aboard SS American Victory and were armed with washtubs full of Cuban bread and a fire hose or two.

"It's a Tampa tradition," said Scott Sims who's defended Tampa three of the past four years.

A pair of tug boats and a city fire boat represented the Ybor City attackers. Others in pleasure craft that hovered seem to have loose alliances and did battle with anyone in range.

For about an hour people lining the American Victory railing pelted the vessels that in turn sprayed the boat with their water cannon. Twenty minutes into the fray, the Tampa defenders were running low on bread.

Standing on part of the ship in theory free of assault from the water cannons, Christi Clolinger watched the wet battle for the first time.

Standing in the line of fire along the rail, she was there with her two sons and a friend who also brought her two boys.

"I didn't want to get wet," Clolinger said just as a torrent of water cascaded over her sanctuary. "It's a neat family outing. I'm glad we came," she said.

Actually, it's likely the seagulls were the ones glad everyone came as they swooped over the channel littered with floating chunks of bread.