TAMPA, Fla. — It is expected to be a chilly, windy day as pirates invade Tampa for Gasparilla. While it may be rough for people on the sidelines of the parade, boaters also could face challenging conditions.
"The whole atmosphere is just electric," said Scott Padeni. "You get hundreds, if not thousands of boats, and it's just a lot of fun."
WATCH: Experienced boaters, law enforcement share message before people head out on the water for Gasparilla
Padeni has been a captain for 25 years.
His plans this year?
"We are going to probably go out in the morning with our smaller boat when the conditions are pretty good," said Padeni. "We're staying put in the afternoon."
Tampa Police said they expect the waters to be rough on Saturday.
"We're going to be getting gale force winds tomorrow, and even for a professional, it's very, very challenging," said Padeni. "For someone who's a weekend boater or just an occasional boater, I highly recommend they come and watch it from shore."
Officials warned that if you have a small vessel, you can expect to be tossed around.
Tampa Fire Rescue pointed out with small vessels that like to tag along with the flotilla, the biggest danger is bumping into each other, leading to crashes on the water.
"If you're inexperienced, you may not know how to steer the boat as well, you'll probably have other people on that vessel, and you're going to be in a very crowded atmosphere, so that's what we want to avoid, so if you're inexperienced, if you're renting a boat for the day just to come to Gasparilla, don't do that. Come land side, you'll get to see everything in the parade, and you'll have a better experience," said Robert Collins, the special operations division chief with Tampa Fire Rescue.
Just down the dock in Tampa, Tampa Bay 28 met Les Ares, the GM for Freedom Boat Club.
"The weather's not looking good, unfortunately, so we've had many cancellations across the bay, but we are trying to reroute those folks to safer areas, like Rick's on the River or here in Harbour Island," said Ares.
If you're boating, all other safety precautions need to be in place.
Fire Rescue said to ensure you have life vests for everyone on board, don't drink and drive and don't overload your boat with people.
"Just be safe out there, enjoy yourselves, and just recognize your own limitations," said Padeni.
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