Advertisement

New pirate-themed water taxis create easy connection between Riverwalk attractions

 
Sam and Donna Grubbs wait to board the Pirate Water Taxi. The Bellingham, Wash., couple were in town to visit their son.
Sam and Donna Grubbs wait to board the Pirate Water Taxi. The Bellingham, Wash., couple were in town to visit their son.
Published March 11, 2016

TAMPA

Capt. Bill McClendon steers the mustard yellow boat up to the dock at the Tampa Convention Center where yellow and black-checkered flags flap in the breeze on a sunny Wednesday morning.

"Arrrgghh, welcome aboard," McClendon said to the couples hopping on board.

His co-captain, Eric Cline, quickly sticks all-you-can-ride bright yellow bands on their wrists, selling tickets from a tablet also encased in yellow.

It only takes a few minutes to get the new riders situated, and before anyone can say "shiver me timbers" McClendon and Cline, donning feathered hats and black bandanas, drive the new Pirate Water Taxi vessel to the next destination on the Riverwalk tour.

Pirates can now be seen navigating the Hillsborough River throughout the year, not just during Gasparilla.

Tampa's Riverwalk helped to connect downtown businesses, restaurants and attractions, but still requires walking to get one from place to another.

Yacht StarShip, which provides fine dining experiences aboard its Channelside-based luxury boats, came up with a solution to Tampa's sore feet woes: a pirate-themed water taxi.

"Pirates are our biggest celebration here in Tampa, the theme was just natural," said Troy Manthey, Yacht StarShip CEO. "It needed to be more than just a taxi though."

The sunset-yellow taxis can be seen docked at the Tampa Convention Center every hour, taking passengers to lunch at Ulele, for drinks at Rick's on the River or to one of downtown's many museums.

There is another water taxi company in downtown Tampa, but it doesn't offer scheduled services or pirates.

"It's a heck of an investment on our behalf because it takes a lot of money to have scheduled service," Manthey said.

With 14 stops in total, there's plenty to see and do.

A $15 wristband is all that's needed to get on and off one of three taxis throughout the day.

"In a year we'll probably have 20 (stops) and we don't have any idea what those stops will be yet," Manthey said.

A dock at the Florida Aquarium is in the works and is planned to be ready for service in a few months.

With the southernmost dock at the Tampa Bay History Center and Channelside, and the northernmost stop at Rick's on the River, those aboard have more than an hour of travel time to hear historical trivia from the captains.

Riders get the story of D.P. Davis, his Gasparilla Queen, his mistress and his namesake islands. They also get to see where Babe Ruth hit longest home run and hear how Kennedy Boulevard earned its name.

If there are just locals aboard, the captain will turn up the reggae music for a dance party.

Earlier in the day during the week, the boats carry mainly tourist families and snowbirds enjoying the weather in shorts in sandals instead of boots and coats.

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter

We’ll deliver the latest news and information you need to know every morning.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Sandy and Bill Wieland, 80 and 83, used the new pirate taxi service to show Sandy's brother, David Roesch around Tampa's riverfront.

Roesch, 75, from Cleveland spends a few months with family in the area each year, and road the full-hour tour with his sister and her husband before docking for lunch at Rick's on the River.

Also on board for this particular ride is Ben McCluskey, who is using this tour as an interview for a potential captain spot. Cline and McClendon help McCluckey learn the route, docking and how to spice up trivia with personal stories.

"That's the Marriott Waterside Hotel where my favorite bar, Champions, is," McClendon said. "The Straz Center is where my wife and I recently saw The Lion King."

Though not touted as a wildlife excursion, it's not uncommon to catch a glimpse of native animals in the Hillsborough River.

"This is not a dolphin tour, but seeing one is always a bonus," McClendon said, pointing to the pair of dorsal fins peeking out of the water.

Manthey's goal for the boats is to have them not just be taxis from one place to another. He wants the ride along the river to be an experience in itself.

Both children and adults can don hats and patches to join in on the pirate theme, and Manthey plans to have face painters for families in the future.

Toward the end of the year, Manthey already plans for haunted tours during the Halloween season. Taxis will pull alongside old anchored boats for passengers to jump on and hear ghost stories.

Though the taxis only sell water and soda right now, passengers can bring Riverwalk cups on board from approved places such as the Sail Pavilion.

"Happy hour components will evolve. We're plugging in to places like Jackson's and Splitsville, Ulele for a special water taxi flight of beer on their non-busy nights," Manthey said. "We want to be the connecting piece to get people flowing back and forth (between the bars and restaurants)."

In its first week of business earlier this month, that connection proved strong.

"They (the boats) reached capacity on the first weekend," said Clein, a 39-year-old Okeechobee native. "We thought they'd do about 100 passengers but we did 380."

Contact Chelsea Tatham at ctatham@tampabay.com. Contact Arielle Waldman at awaldman@tampabay.com.