Ahoy Gulfscapes travels to South Padre to visit pirate ship

On our way to SPI to write about the new pirate ship in Port Isabel for Gulfscapes. IT was made in Florida and is sailing across the Gulf to begin tours from Port Isabel. Photos and a story will be in the next issue of Gulfscapes Magazine.

According to their website: The original concept for the Black Dragon pirate ship arose in 2006 with Bob Tyler Jr., one of the three operating partners of Osprey Fishing Trips, a sport fishing operation. He proposed to the other two partners, Phil Calo and Bob Tyler Sr, that they consider combining the established popularity of theme parks with the magnetism and romance of piracy, which was undergoing a great resurgence of interest at the time. After consultation, Dave Friedman, owner of the Pirate’s Landing of Port Isabel, Tx, agreed with enthusiasm to provide the dockage and shore facilities necessary for the project to go forward. Thus Texas Pirate Adventures was born.

Calo and the Tylers have a combined 94 years experience in various aspects of the marine hospitality industry, while Friedman counts some 27 years in restaurant management and related waterfront activities.

It is an authentic reproduction of a 18th century pirate galleon coupled with today’s advanced entertainment technology. Add to that an experienced and professional troupe of pirates, 4 restaurants, shopping, dolphin watches, fishing, a marine biology center, museum, and the historic Port Isabel lighthouse, and we expect to have one of the premier pageants in the state of Texas.