Ahoy, mateys, it's time for another International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Be ye ready to talk like a pirate for the day? Well, buckle on yer cutlass, don yer feathered cap, and get ready to repel all boarders! At Tropical Paver Sealing, we love when this annual pirate festival rolls around. Maybe that accounts for our website's pirate theme. Arrghh! 

According to National Today, this festival celebrating pirate language started in 1995 as a joke among a small circle of friends in Oregon. Once they shared their holiday parody with famous syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry, the idea took off. Now people all over the world use this day to practice their best pirate lingo! Dressing up like a pirate is optional, but highly popular with celebrants.

Ideas for Celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day:



• Choose a pirate name (there are pirate name generators online if you need help)
• Attend costume parties
• Enjoy buffets featuring pirate-inspired foods like fish (of course!) and cannonballs made from cheese
• Make (and drink!) grog cocktails that use a mixture of rum and water with sugar and citrus juice added
• Watch favorite pirate movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Treasure Island", and "The Pirates of Penzance"
• Participate in pirate-themed scavenger hunts and/or trivia games
• Send and receive messages using a pirate translator (with perhaps a few good pirate insults added for good measure) Arrgghh!

In the Greater Tampa area, we take things even farther with a celebration of our very own special pirate — the fearsome marauder known as Gasparilla. Hope to see you Saturday, January 28, 2023 for the Gasparilla invasion. 

The legendary pirate captain Gasparilla (born Jose Gaspar) and his crew supposedly terrorized the Gulf Coast from the late 18th century until his capture in 1821. Historic Mysteries reports that this notorious pirate was planning on retiring in luxury after one last raid. Unfortunately, his final "victim" turned out to be a U.S. Navy pirate-hunting warship in disguise, and Gasparilla's crew were killed or captured instead.

The captain himself was said to have wrapped a heavy anchor chain around his leg and thrown himself into the Gulf waters rather than allow himself to be captured. A wise choice perhaps, considering that 11 of the 12 survivors from his crew were hung. Only a young cabin boy was spared.

Are your paved areas starting to look and feel like cobblestone roads straight out of the Golden Era of Piracy? Maybe it's time to seal them! At Tropical Paver Sealing, we love celebrating the Gasparilla Pirate Fest with other locals and then getting right back to work making hardscaping in the Greater Tampa area look its best. Visit our About Us or FAQs pages or contact us for more information. Fair winds and following seas t' ye, mateys!