SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Business

Young boater cruises to success with tour company

By Amanda McGregor
STAFF WRITER
Published: August 19, 2008

SALEM — Will Cole and his cute black Labrador, Rudder, are a familiar pair around the Salem Willows.

Cole is the captain and owner of Mahi Mahi Cruises & Charters, the boat tour company that he runs from the Salem Willows pier.

In his colorful, 50-foot boat, the Finback, Cole totes passengers daily around Salem Sound and past the shorelines of Beverly, Salem, Manchester and Marblehead. He also runs cocktail and sunset cruises, as well as charter trips.

Cole turned 26 in June and looks the part of a laid-back boater with a rich tan and blond hair. He officially opened his business in June 2006, and it hasn't been easy — and he's lost a bunch of cell phones to the ocean. But he enjoys the good times and loves his location at the Willows. He has five full-time employees.

Cole grew up in Gloucester and went to the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in business and tourism. He now lives in Beverly.

Q: How did you begin boating?

A: My dad and my grandpa are big boaters. Everyone from Gloucester has some nautical knowledge built into the gene pool.

Q: Why a charter and tour company?

A: I spent eight summers working for Essex River Cruises, since I was 14. I started at about $5 an hour cleaning the boat and doing basic stuff. By the time I left, I was captaining.

Q: Did you always envision doing this?

A: I originally planned to go to the Caribbean after graduation and bum around — I already had my captain's license. But the original plan fell through, so I said, "I'll start my own touring company. If I can't go to the Caribbean, I'll bring it up here."

Q: Why Salem?

A: I looked all over in Gloucester and Newburyport. Then I wanted somewhere downtown like Pickering Wharf, and they couldn't let me in.

Q: What do you like about the Willows?

A: It's a great place to run out of. I have (the pier) all to myself, and it's great for my dog.

Q: Anything you didn't expect when you founded the business?

A: It was certainly a learning curve for me, getting a loan and getting all the licenses for CPR, fire safety, liquor, food. ... I have a whole lot of licenses.

Q: Challenges?

A: I had a lot of "learning the hard way." My engine was stolen, my dinghy was stolen, the gangway ripped up. ... At times it was tough. I just kept on learning, and luckily I had some great people to help me like city officials, friends and family.

Q: How did you start the business?

A: Originally we had very select, themed cruises, like dinner, brunch and band cruises, that were two to three hours long. The ticket was more expensive, $30 to $40, and that wasn't working at all.

Q: Have you changed?

A: We've moved to shorter, cheaper cruises with a bar and food, which are really popular. (Adult tickets now range from $12 to $16.)

Q: Where did you get your boat, Finback?

A: It was in Maine. It's an old scallop boat, and it looked completely different. It had a big cabin all the way back (across the deck) and an A-frame for pulling traps. It was white and gray and in kind of tough shape, but I knew with a little TLC I could pull it together.

Q: Now it's bright blue, aqua and yellow, with an open deck, seats, an awning, and a bar and two grills. How long did that take?

A: I bought it in March (of 2006) and worked on it through May. And I'm still working on it today, every day.

For more information about Mahi Mahi Cruises & Charters, visit www.mahicruises.com.

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