Take 10: Swashbuckling on the high seas of Hyannis – Cape Cod Times (subscription)

Sean F. Driscoll @SeanFDriscoll

HYANNIS When Than Drake initially bought a 30-foot boat with the intention of doing day sailing trips, it didnt catch on. The boat was rough, too rough for the clientele he was trying to capture out of Hyannis Inner Harbor.

So instead of providing posh rides for adults, Drake switched gears to a swashbuckling adventures for young kids. Now he owns Cape Cod Pirate Adventures, a business thats kept him on the high seas for more than 20 years.

I said to myself It looks like a pirate ship, he said. So I credit the boat with helping me with the idea.

Drakes boat, the 40-foot Sea Gypsy VIII, can carry up to 45 passengers, with a typical sailing being a mix of 20 kids and 20 adults, he said. He and his crew run as many as five 75-minute trips a day during the summer, giving kids age 4 to 8 a chance to wear pirate gear, battle a rival crew and find some buried treasure.

What is the most important thing your business does? It opens up (kids) imaginations. We throw a lot of questions at the kids that never get answered about where are we going, where do you think the treasure is, what do you think it is? We really get them to wonder, because for a lot of the kids they think its real and they really strain their brain thinking about whats going to happen.

How long have you been in business? Since 1995.

What did you do before? I wasnt making much money as a carpenter. I painted houses and stuff, but I didnt really have a career going on at all. But I went to a boat-building school that helped with the construction of these sea gypsies and I did other things working with kids, so I saw the importance of focusing and prioritizing on them and making a trip for them and not adults.

How big is your staff? Five to operate the boat, and two in the office.

How has the market changed since your business started? Business fell off in '07-'08, and it never came back to the prerecession years. Now there are more things for the kids to do, there are more kid activities on the Cape. It just gets diluted.

What are your plans for your business' future? I build these boats for other people, and they have a license agreement for Pirate Adventures. Theres seven or eight similar boats up and down the East Coast. It keeps the association going and pays the legal bills for maintaining the license.

What's your most memorable moment with this business? Its that one-on-one with children. One reason we do the face painting is it allows us to get close, to get in that comfort zone with children and make eye contact with them. Its just a precious time. They are full of anticipation and excitement.

Video:Take 10 feature with Than Drake, owner of Cape Cod Pirate Adventures

What advice do you have for someone starting out in business? Focus on the kids. A lot of people get into boats for the sunset cruises and the adult trips, and people think dealing with kids is difficult. I think its more difficult to deal with inebriated adults.

What's the biggest challenge about having a business on Cape Cod? The weather, of course. A hurricane can end the season abruptly. My business has a smaller window than most, so if I miss a day in August, its gone. It never comes back.

What's the best thing about having a business on Cape Cod? That its a short season. Its nice to be done by Labor Day.

Follow Sean F. Driscoll on Twitter: @seanfdriscoll.

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Take 10: Swashbuckling on the high seas of Hyannis - Cape Cod Times (subscription)