Capt. Jamie Wescott came by his profession naturally. With a total of 13 generations of Manteo ancestors in his family tree, it was a pretty good chance he would end up working on the water. His great grandfather, Capt. Johnny Wescott, was once the chief of the Coast Guard Station at Oregon Inlet. His father, Stuart, and his brother, Kevin, both have been involved in making a living as watermen on the Outer Banks.
After growing up on the docks and marinas around Oregon Inlet, Jamie decided that he was ready for a career as a charter and commercial fishing captain on his own boat. In 2001 he bought the 45-foot Risky Business, and that was the start of a successful guiding business that continues to this day.
Jamie and his longtime commercial crewman, Wesley Peele, converted the Risky Business from charter boat to ocean gillnetter and fished her commercially throughout the long winter off the coast of the Outer Banks. Little did Jamie know that soon his life would change with the addition of a new boat and a completely new type of professional guiding.
Opportunity came knocking when Jamie’s father, Capt. Stuart Wescott, was ready to retire from his dolphin-watch business. Capt. Johnny’s Dolphin Watch Cruises was one of the very first dolphin-watch businesses on the Outer Banks, beginning operations in 1995. Since Jamie’s father was going to sell the successful boat and business to somebody, Jamie thought, “Why not me?” In 2019 Jamie began learning the dolphin-watch business from his dad, and in 2020 he purchased the Capt. Johnny operation and took over the family business.
Since one man cannot run two vessels at the same time, Jamie turned over the running of his charter boat, Risky Business, to his veteran mate, Wesley. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place when, in 2022, Jamie converted Risky Business from a fishing charter boat to full-time use as a waterman experience vessel. A waterman experience trip is where Capt. Wesley takes a group of six people out on the calm inshore waters to experience what it is like to be a commercial fisherman. Customers experience the actual use of commercial gear. They might drag a shrimp trawl or pull a string of crab pots. Watermen charters are the fastest-growing segment of our local charter/guide industry. Ideally suited for kids, the trips are short and run in calm inshore waters. And as a bonus all seafood captured is the property of the charter!
So where does all this shake out today? Capt. Jamie runs the 55-foot Capt. Johnny from the Manteo waterfront. The boat holds a maximum of 49 people and specializes in two-hour tours in local sound waters surrounding Roanoke Island. But Jamie took a page out of his dad’s notebook on multitasking. The Capt. Johnny also does specialty trips when needed. You can charter the whole boat for evening cruises, weddings, birthday trips or even scientific research regarding dolphin observation. Marine biologists often use the Capt. Johnny to help identify certain dolphins that are recognizable by their fin shapes and other markings.
Meanwhile, Capt. Wesley is aboard the Risky Business docked at the Shallowbag Bay Marina in Manteo. From there he guides the waterman charters in the beautiful waters of our local sounds. He and his mate, Cain, run three-hour trips for groups of six people or less.
Both Jamie and Wesley are as experienced as any professional waterman could be. Both have worked on many kinds of working commercial boats, charter boats and guide operations. This is important because the educational part of these voyages is what clients say is their favorite part of the trip. A good guide has experience working with kids and novices to make the trip a family experience they will never forget. Also keep in mind that the trips are short in duration and make a great way to introduce newcomers to the boating life. With kids especially, it's best to introduce them gradually to open water fishing in areas where there is always a calm lee somewhere to operate.
Jamie shared with me that his son, Noah, is even taking part in the family tradition and works as a deckhand when needed. If you are keeping track, that would be the 14th generation of Roanoke Islanders making a living from the sea.
(252) 473-1475
OuterBanksCruises.com
(252) 473-1475
RiskyBusinessOuterBanks.com
