Ask Margaret
by Margaret Word Burnside
I know about the Gasparilla Invasion,
but what is the Morgan Invasion?
B.C., Lakewood Ranch
The Morgan Invasion, which for the last four years has
been known as the Tampa Bay Hospice Cup, is the largest
annual sailing regatta on the West Coast of Florida and
one of the largest in the state. It brings sailors together
from throughout the Tampa Bay area to participate in
a race and related activities orchestrated by the Davis
Island Yacht Club in Tampa under the direction of the
club’s former commodore Bob Crawford and Morgan
Invasion founder Charley Morgan, with the help of a cadre
of committed volunteers and supporters. This event has
raised more than $185,000 for Suncoast Hospice, which is
a part of Empath Health’s integrated network of care in
Pinellas County, and LifePath Hospice/Charters Health
in Hillsborough County. The Tampa Bay Hospice Cup
was recognized by the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the
Association of Fundraising Professionals with the Tampa
Bay “Spirit of Philanthropy” Award in 2015.
The original Morgan Invasion was started in 1985 by
Charley Morgan and a group of sailors who owned Morgan
Yachts that were designed and built by Charley. The
Invasion was a light-hearted weekend of activities based at
the then-Treasure Island Yacht Club and coordinated with
the help of the club’s longtime dockmaster Les Lathrop.
In order to understand the Morgan Invasion, you need
to know a little about Charley, who is a renowned sailor,
yacht designer and builder. He grew up in Tampa and
opened his Morgan Yachts company during the 1960s,
first where Tyrone Mall now stands and later on Bryan
Dairy Road in St. Petersburg. He built it into one of the
largest sailboat manufacturers in the world, turning out
a completed boat every day. Charley remains the only
person to single handedly launch an America’s Cup
campaign with his 12-meter Heritage, which he designed
and built for the 1970 race. Charley’s talent, charisma
and renown made him the perfect person to shape the
Morgan Invasion into a sailing institution, which he
140 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2017