PBS tugboat brings big smile to The Pier

By JON WILSON

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 14, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- Odd garb for a boat, that orange cap.

But there it perches, atop a vessel moored on The Pier's north side. You can spy it a quarter-mile away from Bayshore Drive.

In case you haven't been out to The Pier, the cap belongs to Theodore Too, replica of a PBS cartoon boat, Theodore Tugboat, typically billed as "the lovable animated tug." The boat, which doubles as the National Safe Boating Council's public relations ambassador, is open for visits this weekend, including 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. today.

The 65-foot boat looks like a regular day-labor tug except for its smile and big eyes. So it can't truly be a blue-collar vessel. Don't they always grumble and scowl?

Theodore Tugboat's neighbor is the pirate cruiser Royal Conquest, which has a skeleton named Pino de Guyo sitting up a mast.

It's just for show. I think. The bones still wear a few clothes.

Said Royal Conquest captain Dean Iverson: "He's okay. Just a little dehydrated."

A few blocks south, Mike Perez reports the Port of St. Petersburg is booked solid with mega-yachts visiting for Super Bowl week.

Dock space at the city marina and at the port along Eighth Avenue SE is filled from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31, said Perez, the port director. Visiting boats are expected from Key West, Florida's east coast and as far away as the Texas coast.

The Captain Morgan pirate ship, seagoing advertisement for the rum of the same name, also should be coming in, Perez said.

And a few tugs and barges have recently sought port refuge during heavy Gulf of Mexico weather.

"Word's getting out there's a third port on Tampa Bay," Perez said. The other two, of course, are Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa.

The Port of St. Petersburg's typical dockage rate is $1 per foot per day, with a minimum charge of $100 per day. About 1,200 feet of port space is rentable. A chunk of it was freed when the Russian submarine departed in early December.

Theodore Too's appearance begins a series of weekend events at The Pier that continues almost every weekend at least into May.

A biggie is the Super PierFest Jan. 25-28, a Super Bowl sideshow featuring bands, a Corvette show, art shows, games and various forms of ambulatory entertainment. It's all free.

But here's one to make you howl with anticipation:

The Feb. 3 Purina Dog Chow Incredible Dog Challenge at Spa Beach Park.

Dogs catch balls and flying plastic discs, among other competitive activities. Selected winners go to national finals.

Look for about 2,500 motorcycles to swarm The Pier on Feb. 17 for the Pre-Daytona Bike Show and Motorcycle Extravaganza.

"We promote it as a family event," said pier manager William Griffith.

It's a popular event for The Pier's 42 businesses, says Griffith, because the motorcycle folks like to spend money.

Griffith, by the way, is a Harley rider. He has a 1993 Dyna Wide Glide.

"It's fun," said Griffith, 61. "I've had a lot of different toys in my life, but this has been my favorite."

Speaking of Griffith, he plans to bid on a new five-year contract to run The Pier. It is his first time to go through a bid process, though his company has managed The Pier since 1994.

Several other companies picked up information about the bidding procedure. The deadline to submit a bid is 3 p.m. March 30.

"I'm not saying we're the best, but we've put a lot of blood and guts into this place trying to make it work, which nobody else had ever done," Griffith said.

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