Crocker's Marine Story

Kay Crocker was born 1939 in Selma NC. Growing up on a 100 acre tobacco farm, Kay’s parents were dedicated to hard work. This background was the start of what would later lead into the backbone of Crocker’s Marine.

It was not until high school that Kay first had a chance to see and visit the coast. His employer chartered several fishing boats and took all of his employees fishing with Captain Eddie Hanneman at Wrightsville Beach. This started a love for Wrightsville Beach as well as a love for fishing.

After high school, Kay attended Wake Forest University and graduated in 1962. During his college years, Kay visited Wrightsville Beach as much as possible. Coming from a tobacco farm in Johnston County, Wrightsville Beach was heaven, so it did not take long to decide this is where he wanted to live. Immediately after college, Kay moved to Wrightsville Beach and started teaching and coaching girl’s basketball at Topsail High School in Hampstead, North Carolina. After having spent two years at Topsail High teaching and coaching, he spent the next three years teaching history at New Hanover High School. When Kay was not teaching school he was actively fishing, working as a mate for JP Miller, a fellow teacher who had a charter boat docked at Carolina Beach.

While Kay was still teaching, he bought a 38 foot Harkers Island Charter Boat and started running charters on the weekend and during the summer. This lead to Kay being offered a job as an Apprentice captain (1st mate) on the Krispy Kreme Corp. Motor Yacht, a 53-foot Mathews. Paying $200 more a month than teaching and having all expenses paid when traveling, it did not take long for him to accept. This offered a good opportunity to pursue his love for boating. Kay ran yachts for three years at which time he met a lovely young girl named Emma Sue Hawes from Rose Hill, N.C. who later became his wife. Running yachts north and south was not conducive to married life so Kay and Emma Sue decided to start their own business. Emma Sue was a school teacher at Wrightsville Beach Elementary.

Kay decided to go into the yacht brokerage business and named his first company Wrightsville Yacht Brokerage. After living off Emma Sue's teacher's salary, it did not take long to realize the brokering yachts in Wrightsville Beach would not generate enough of an income. Kay had spent time admiring the beautiful Grady White boats making their way around the waters at Wrightsville Beach and in the fall of 1969 he went to Greenville, NC to discuss the possibility of obtaining a Grady White Dealership. On Kay’s first visit to Grady White, he met with Eddie Smith and from there, a wonderful relationship was formed. They both agreed to a dealership, but throughout the years it has developed into a cherished friendship. (continue...)

Story Navigation

• The Story of Crocker's Marine
• Yacht Brokerage at Crocker's
• Crocker's Marine
• Looking to the Future
• Crocker's Sponsored Events