Captain Billy Pipkin grew up in a small rural waterfront area of Pasadena, MD. At age five, he had his first vessel, a sailing skiff converted to a rowboat. His father taught him how to fish and crab while ultimately helping him develop a love and respect for the water.
He spent his teen years boating, both as a job and a favorite pastime. The captain commercial crabbed during the summer months from age fifteen through twenty-one. He learned to sail and explored the upper bay from a 16-foot Hobie Cat. With the encouragement of his father to “better himself,” he attended college and pursued a business degree at the University of Alabama. When the time came to work in the business world, the magic of the water lured him back.
The opportunity arose for his father to fulfill his dream to own and operate a marina, so William joined his dad in a business venture in Virginia’s Northern Neck. Although the marina offered the captain an enjoyable life, which included delivering boats along the coast, the urge to fish overwhelmed him.
In 1987, he started a charter fishing business. A few years later, his father passed away. He then opted to purchase the marina and run both operations when given the opportunity. Through hard work ethics, he was able to continue the dream. With the devotion of his family, we have been able to sustain and grow both businesses. The captain has indeed been richly blessed in his life.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
– Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken (1916)