May 2010 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7.
JODIE AND BILL COWAN OF OCEAN PURSUITS
ROCKLAND – There is no question that there are a number of interesting people along the coast of Maine. Most stay quietly hidden, pursuing a living and not looking for the lime- light. Two such people are Jodie and Bill Cowan owners of Ocean Pursuits in Rockland.
There in the northwest corner of Rockland harbor, just above Prock Marine’s operation sits their small, full service boat yard, which they started back in 1992. Origi- nally the property was used for a cheese factory, which moved their operation up onto Route 1. Since this was not a marine related operation, Bill said, “We started from scratch. I had several customers that I was taking care of so when we got this property, they moved here and we’ve been growing ever since.” He added, “We had to decheesify the place, because it still had the structures in it for the vats and freezers. I cut all those out and made this our work shop and offices. The other building is for inside dry storage and then up on the hill we have outside storage. We then put the launching ramp, pilings for docks and moorings in. So we have been slowly building it up.”
They have 69 storage customers and Bill explained, “That is pretty much the number we stick to. We have the physical ability to take more boats, but we don’t. It is worked out fine, because we have a steady crew and that number seems to balance out well with the number of boats.”
Well, how did Bill get into boating? He said it was hanging around his grandfather, Horatio Cowan, Sr., and working and sailing on his converted 36-foot lobster boat. His grandfather was a banker, an ice cream dealer, but he loved boating and was one of the starters of the Rockland Yacht Club. His
father, Horatio Cowan, Jr. is a Maine Maritime Academy graduate who sailed in some of the convoys during World War II and continued in the merchant marine after the war. Bill did not attend Maine Maritime Acad- emy, he opted to go to college and study economics and business. During the sum- mers he sailed on the schooners. He started on the MATTIE, then the MERCANTILE followed by the MARY DAY and the VIC- TORY CHIMES. He worked his way up from deck hand to first mate and was on board as first mate on the JOHN LEAVITT when she was lost on her maiden voyage.
He then joined another schooner, which sailed out of Boston. He stayed on her for a couple years making voyages to Greenland, and then down to the Caribbean and South America. Next he sailed on board the three- masted topsail schooner ALEXANDRIA out of Alexandria, Virginia. He sailed her up to Québec City for Québec ’84 where he would meet his future wife Jodie. She was so taken by the schooner and Bill that she quit her job. Jodie grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts and summered on Cape Cod. She had learned to sail there on a Lightning.
Together they left the ALEXANDRIA and joined the EDNA, a steel topsail ketch, which was carrying a cargo from California to the Philippines. Bill said that it was a great trip, although they got struck by lightning in Hawaii and spent six weeks there making repairs and then they ended up in a shipyard due to problems with the ballast tanks in the Philippines.
Jackson's Hardware & Marine BUY A BOAT!
They returned to Rockland and were there about a week when Bill got a call from Renny Stackpole offering him a position on the schooner BOWDOIN. He accepted and headed to Boston harbor where she was
Annual GIANT Tent Sale
Saturday May 15th 8AM-2PM
Come Early as We Will Sell Out!
The tent will be set up in the parking lot between Jackson Hardware and Marine and Port Harbor Marine, Maine’s largest boat dealer.
Rain or Shine
(located on Union Street, Rockport) Bidder registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Auction begins at 10:00 a.m.
Rte 1 By-pass Kittery
Look for the BIG TENT!
Jackson Hardware and Marine 207-439-1133
Port Harbor Marine
www.portharbormarine.com
Moose Island
853-6058
MARINE
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INDOOR · OUTDOOR · POWER · SAIL 16 to 45 ft. Haul out to 40 tons
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Shrink Wrap
Hours: M-F 8-4:30 · Sat. 9-2 Online store:
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The Ned Kyle
sitting. He added, “She got towed down there, because there was some agreement with the Boston Globe and they wanted the boat to be down there. That fell through, so the boat was sitting behind the CONSTITU- TION at the naval shipyard. We were there for months getting the boat to the point where we could get the engine running and get some accommodations in her to get her back to Rockland. We came back here and ended up at the shipyard and Perry Holmes over there was great. He let us sit there and do the work on her.”
Getting her back into shape took about a year and half, during which time she would sail to different ports to do fundraisers. That next winter they spent going through the Coast Guard certification process. This was a long process since she was the first vessel certified as a sail training vessel. Once this was completed they did a lot of sail training trips and worked with schools.
After about two more years of sailing around on the BOWDOIN, Jodie and Bill decided to buy an old farmhouse in Rockland
Continued on Page 21.
SOUTH SHORE BOATS
STORAGE & REPAIR
Now excepting storage boats for 2010/11 season.
647 Shore Road, Northport, Maine
(207) 338-4004 (207) 240-8035
Bill Cowan
SATURDAY JUNE 12th
at the Penobscot Bay YMCA
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