Capt. Larry Credle has seawater in his veins. He’s lived and worked on or near the sea all of his life–just like his dad, his granddad, and generations of Credles before them. Several of his ancestors even sailed with Capt. Edward Teach, the notorious Blackbeard.“There were three Credle brothers on Blackbeard’s boat, the Queen Anne’s Revenge,” he explained. “Our family was based out of Oregon Inlet in North Carolina. We’ve all got the sea in our blood.”
Credle’s father, George, brought the family to the Georgia coast in 1964. Shrimping here was decidedly easier than in North Carolina. “There, you’d leave on Sunday and stay out on the water until Friday afternoon,” Credle said. “Here, you could work from dawn to dusk and have some quality of life.”
Back then, you could make a decent living as a shrimper. “In 1964 we got $1.25 a pound for shrimp, and fuel cost between 13 and 24 cents a gallon,” he continued. “Today, we get about $1.60 a pound for shrimp, but fuel is around $4.00 a gallon. It’s just about impossible to make a living as a shrimper. It’s a dying industry.”
When he was 14 years old, working aboard his dad’s trawler, Credle had an idea. “Even then, I said people would pay to do this. Everyone thought I was nuts.”
Turned out his idea wasn’t crazy at all, though he had to jump through some big hoops to prove it.
Three years ago, Credle had the opportunity to purchase a 60-foot, steel-hulled shrimp trawler. He jumped at the chance to turn his dream – of providing excursion cruises aboard a genuine working shrimp boat – into reality.
The boat was built in 1987 and sailed on the Gulf of Mexico, where it routinely went on 38- to 40-day cruises. In 2002 it was purchased and brought to Fernandina Beach, where the owner used it first as a commercial fishing boat, and later as a passenger boat. Credle bought the boat, christened Lady Jane, at the end of 2004 and began the arduous process of attaining U.S. Coast certification for passenger transport.
“At first they told me it was impossible, that no working shrimp boat had ever been certified to carry passengers,” Credle explained. “We proved it could be done and finally, after two years, we received our USCG certificate in April 2007.”
According to Credle, Lady Jane is the only working shrimp boat in the United States that is USCG certified to carry 49 passengers, up to 20 nautical miles offshore. The boat carries a species collection permit from the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources. The DNR permit allows the craft to drag a small net and bring the contents aboard for study.
That ability forms the centerpiece of the “Let’s Go Shrimpin’” experience. Capt. Credle began offering shrimp boat cruises on an experimental basis in 2006, departing from the Golden Isles Marina. Last summer, he moved his operation to the dock behind Spanky’s on U.S. Highway 17 in Brunswick, and began offering a regular schedule of cruises.
Each cruise lasts about two hours. Cruises generally follow the creeks and rivers that flow through the Marshes of Glynn, and don’t venture into open water. This provides a much smoother sail with little or no chance of seasickness for passengers.
During the cruise, the crew drops and drags the 20-foot “mongoose” net. After 15 minutes the net is brought aboard and its contents are emptied onto a stainless steel table. Passengers crane their necks to see the shrimp, stingray, horseshoe crabs and other creatures that comprise the “catch.” All are spellbound as Capt. Larry’s 15 year-old son, Clifford, identifies and talks about each animal.
This activity is repeated three times during a typical cruise. Occasionally, the net will yield other “treasures,” such as abandoned crab pots, anchors and other long-forgotten items. Shrimp from the catch are prepared, cooked and served to the passengers. “We’re not kidding when we talk about fresh Georgia white shrimp,” Credle says. “You’re not going to get it fresher than this.”
The cruises have been a huge hit, according to Credle. “People just love it. They’re able to take pictures, touch and occasionally hold animals they might never have seen before. It’s really rewarding to see the expressions on their faces, especially the kids.”
Lady Jane cruises are a wonderful way to enjoy the abundant beauty of our coastal waters, and to learn about the birds, fish and other creatures that rely upon them for food, shelter and nesting grounds. You’ll also get a sense of life aboard a working shrimp boat – a lifestyle that is vanishing with each passing day.
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Lady Jane cruises are generally offered daily during June and July at 4:00 pm, whether permitting, unless the boat has been chartered by a private group. From August - May, cruises are generally offered Wednesdays and Saturdays, weather permitting. Capt. Credle advises passengers to contact him at least a day ahead of time, to confirm availability and cruise times.
