Event: Pillage & Plunder Cruise

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAMBERT

The inaugural Pillage & Plunder Cruise set sail from Port Manatee, Florida, on Thursday, December 9, 1999, for a four-day whirlwind of porn-related events. Benefiting Pride Tampa Bay, the trip brought together more than 600 gay cruisers from 26 states and such porn superstars as Cole Tucker, Ray Harley, Steve Rambo, Tuck Johnson and many others, some of whom filmed the upcoming Catalina release Voyager onboard.

On Friday, the Regal Empress ship docked in Key West, Florida, for a full day of events, including a happy hour at the Bourbon Street Pub hosted by porn director Chi Chi LaRue. Newcomers Gordon Gage and Caesar performed alongside such porn veterans as Mark Mason, Tucker and Rambo. There were also video giveaways and lap-dancing rooms where patrons making a contribution to Pride Tampa Bay could enjoy a private moment with their favorite porn star. At the Meet the Stars Reception at the Holiday Inn La Concha, LaRue and her porn posse signed autographs and mingled with fans and locals while taking in amazing views of Key West from the rooftop lounge. Later, Pornapalooza by the Sea, a dance party with DJ Abel at the turntables, was held at Conch Republic Seafood Company. This was followed by the Lock-Down Party, a clothing-optional event held at One Saloon, where Catalina’s Tom Walker spun for a hot and horny crowd.

Director Josh Eliot filmed scenes for Voyager on the upper level of the ship on Saturday as curious passengers looked on. Although certain sequences were shot on closed sets, passersby were treated to the sight of new Latin sensation Enrico Vega getting busy with Mike Radcliffe. Other scenes featured Johnson topping Rambo and Caesar plowing Harley.

All of which led up to Saturday night’s main event, a no-holds-barred live sex show featuring Matthew Anders and boyfriend Chris Michaels, Paul Morgan (delivering one of his world-renowned money shots), Johnson, Tucker, Radcliffe and Gage, who performed for an appreciative standing-room-only crowd. Following the anything-goes stage show, the stars signed autographs and DJ Rick Mitchell spun the happy cruisers into the wee hours.

Other highlights of the trip included a silent auction—in which passengers bid for dinner with their favorite Catalina star—and performances by singer Mona Q and drag stars Jackie Beat, Honey West and Joey Brooks. There was also an underwear party and a toga party onboard, plus a model search sponsored by Allboy magazine, which was won by Illinois native Gordon Gage.

“We were ecstatic at the response to our first cruise,” said Pride Tampa Bay president Donald Bentz. “Everyone had a great time, and the porn stars were all very cooperative and did a fantastic job.”

Reprinted from Adult Video News magazine (1999)