Our Crew & Tiki Boats
Our Captains at Cruisin' Tikis Beaufort
Our captains have years of boating experience and a keen understanding of the Beaufort area. Let our expert captains take the helm as you enjoy your boat tours, take in the sights, and relax!
Captain Ken
Captain Ken has been boating waters of the Crystal Coast for over 30 years, initially coming to the area while serving as a Marine tank officer. He is not only a licensed Coast Guard captain, but also is a licensed pilot with nearly 3000 hours in planes and helicopters. He has been boating on local waters for over 30 years, and has a keen understanding of the ecology and history of the unique Beaufort area.
Captain Jose
Captain Jose Ignacio is a USCG Master Licensed Captain with towing endorsement, and has over 16 years of experience navigating the waters of the NC Outer Banks. He is also a volunteer Captain with Bonehenge Whale Center, as as well an officer in the USCG Auxillary. Captain Jose serves as the Senior Captain for Cruisin’ Tikis Beaufort, leading training and passenger safety initiatives to ensure safe and fun trips for all our guests.
Captain John
Captain John is a licensed captain with over 40 years of boating experience. He is a United States Coast Guard veteran of the air and sea rescue team where he also worked as an air flight navigator. As a Carteret County native, he spends his free time rehabbing water craft and fishing. His life long boating journeys in and around the southern Outerbanks have awarded him of wealth of history and knowledge of the surrounding areas and wildlife.
Captain Brad
Captain Brad is a boating professional with over 50 years of experience and as USCG Masters License with towing and sailing endorsements. He started his career working at boat dealerships across the country, eventually working his way to national sales manager for Wellcraft Boats. He is a sailing instructor at multiple yacht clubs, has won multiple sailing championships, and even lived about a boat for a time.
Captain Brian
Captain Brian is a lifetime boater with years of experience on the water. His earlier career – before Tiki Boats – included managing quality, projects, and organizational change across multiple industries. Brian is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a writer, angler, and licensed USCG professional.
Captain Mason
Captain Mason is at home on or below the water, as he is not only a Coast Guard licensed mariner but a SCUBA instructor as well. He knows the waterways of the Beaufort area, and has a passion for the marine environment. Captain Mason also is a U.S. Marine veteran.
Our Tiki Boats
Blackbeard
One of the most famous pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy, Blackbeard – whose real name was Edward Teach – did in fact spend time in Beaufort. His ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was beached in the Beaufort Inlet. You can learn additional information about Blackbeard and his ship at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort, one of Cruisin’ Tikis partners. For more information go to:
Blackbeard Museum in North Carolina | Queen Anne’s Revenge Project (qaronline.org)
Anne Bonny
It was rare in the Age of Piracy for a woman to be able to make her way among the superstitious and male-dominated community of pirates, but one of the very few who were successful was Anne Bonny, who sailed the waters of Beaufort in the 1700’s. Though her father disowned her for becoming a pirate in her teens, Anne was alleged to have burned down her father’s plantation in South Carolina as revenge! She worked closely with John “Calico Jack” Rackham, for whom another of our fleet is named. Anne Bonny was tried for piracy but was pardoned as she was pregnant, and her final whereabouts are unknown.
Calico Jack
The newest addition to the fleet of tikis in Beaufort, as of 2022, has been named “Calico Jack”, whose real name was John Rackham. Calico Jack is famous for two reasons: his design of the famous Jolly Roger flag (a skull with two crossed swords) and for having two female pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, in his crew, eventually marrying Anne Bonny. Calico Jack was captured in 1720 in Jamaica, where he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang.