Wejack charter boat still going strong

Despite its 41 years, the 55-foot Gloucester deep-sea-fishing charter boat Wejack not only remains active and successful, but continues to please, catch fish, turn heads and impress.

Owner Capt. Joe Arsenault Sr. of Bradford and his crew deserve most of that credit.

No doubt, the Wejack's late builder and former owner, Philip L. Fessenden of Ipswich, is looking down from the Pearly Gates at his old boat and its current operation with a huge smile.

"Phil told me 'Wejack' is an American Indian term for 'good fishing,'" the senior Arsenault explained. "I kept the name because it was known by a lot of people who chartered the boat through Phil."

Fessenden "was a boat builder who built 20 odd boats in his shop in Ipswich, and he custom-built this one as a sportfish boat for himself, mainly to tuna fish," explained the current owner's son and Wejack's regular captain, Joe Arsenault Jr.

"He participated in the Bailey Island Tuna Tournament from 1968 to 1982," he added. "Phil had been around Gloucester from the 1940s until he passed away in the early 1980s. This boat has been in Gloucester since it was built in 1968."

Locals Peter Mondello and Jim Garron also fill in as captains, while Chris Osier, Dave Mero and Dan Sullivan alternately work as its mates.

"Danny Sullivan is our ace," said the younger Arsenault. Hugh "Yogi" LePage and Jimmy Flannagan team up to maintain the Wejack.

Fessendon " ... went to Maine and picked out trees (later milled and used in Wejack's construction)," said the younger Arseneault. "It's (the hull) all 11âÑ2-inch (thick) mahogany planking over white oak frames (spaced apart) every 10 inches on center. The planking is fastened with silicon bronze screws.

"The deck house is mahogany planking all through-bolted to the deck," he added. "You can't lose the pilot house this way. Fessendon incorporated the best wooden boat-building methods and materials into the Wejack."

The Wejack is a Royal Lowell design.

"It's real deep up forward," Joe Jr. explained. "The bow has a lot of flare. It's a very heavy boat, and it's very comfortable. This boat doesn't pound."

Royal Lowell also designed the many 35-foot, 42-foot and 55-foot Bruno & Stillman fishing boats that still work out of Gloucester.

A recent fishing trip on the Wejack impressed former charter boat captain and inshore and offshore commercial fisherman Brett Clayton and his son, Ross, from Gloucester.

"The wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph out of the northeast that day," said Brett. "I knew what to expect out there. I had second thoughts about going because of the weather. But, the weather turned out to be no problem for the boat. Its seaworthiness stunned me.

"The feel of the boat under your feet made you feel comfortable," Brett said. "You knew you had a solid boat under you."

He said he was also amazed by how clean and well-maintained the Wejack was.

A galley, head, shower, seven large bunks and a varnished mahogany wheelhouse with a high ceiling further add comfort to customers at sea.

"Phil was a tall guy," said Joe Jr.

Twin 325-horsepower (8V-71) Detroit diesels fed by two fuel tanks holding 600 gallons give the Wejack a 19.5 knot cruising speed.

"The boat originally had a pair of 6-71s (smaller horsepower Detroit diesels). It was repowered with the 8V-71s in 1979. Detroit (the engine company) was on strike then, and you could get new 8V-71s, but no 6-71s," said the younger Arsenault. The Wejack's team has rebuilt the current engines.

"Phil retired and sold the Wejack to my father in 1982," said Joe Jr. "He approached my father and wanted him to buy the boat, knowing he could also maintain it."

The senior Arsenault had previously run summertime tuna and groundfish charters, mainly out of Newburyport, and repaired wooden boats winters at his shop in Bradford.

"I've been with my father ever since he bought the Wejack," said Joe Jr., who also occasionally skippers other area party and whale watch boats. "I crewed on it as mate from 1982 to 1985 and then got my 100-ton passenger license and began captaining it."

The Wejack generally runs 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. charters from April 1 to Oct. 31.

"We have started as early as March and run as late as New Year's Day," Joe Jr. explained. Once on the grounds, which are normally within 25 miles of Cape Ann, customers can fish with either jigs or baited hooks from bow to stern on the Wejack. Customers have especially had success hooking haddock this year.

"We will fish in 30-, 35-mph winds and 6-, 8-foot seas. But, it's generally not worth going out under those conditions and beating the customer up," Joe Jr. said.

"We get anybody from novices to experts — men and women from every age group (as customers). If we can help a customer out, and it's legal, we will do it," he added.

The Wejack has conducted whale watch, harbor and around-the-Cape cruises, special charters for ash dispersals at sea, and movie and photo shoots.

"This boat is licensed for 46 people. There are very few boats this size that take out over six passengers," said the younger Arsenault. "Most charter boats today are either the smaller 6-passenger ones or the big boats — the 100-footers with 1,200-hp. We were the big boat in the 1960s."

Few groundfish charter boats today are also made out of wood, versus metal or fiberglass, and take the shape of a sportfish boat.

Wejack customers can also leave the dock reassured they are on a solid, well-maintained vessel.

"We brought the boat home to my father's shop in Bradford three years ago, and we did a real good inspection," said Joe Jr. "All of the woodwork, fasteners and mechanics were fine."

The boat is also Coast Guard inspected regularly, he added.

It looks like the Wejack can look forward to a long life doing what it is doing.

Gloucester lobsterman Peter K. Prybot writes weekly for the Times about the fishing industry and related issues.

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