Voices of the Bay: Martin Winzer

Like many of us, Bristol resident Martin Winzer decided during the pandemic that the time had come to step away from a desk job and pursue his professional dream. The lifelong fisherman, equipped with an MBA from Providence College, had long wanted to own and operate a guided fishing and cruise charter business. Winzer wasted no time setting out to apply his classroom knowledge to a real-life business of his own, crafting an official plan and undertaking the demanding coursework to obtain his captain’s license. Coastal Current Charters was launched a year ago in July, and Captain Winzer has never looked back.

PUDDLE FISHING: It’s been sort of a pipe dream come true for a long time. My dad introduced me to fishing at a very young age. I tried to find a fish in literally any puddle, and was usually successful. Wherever we went on vacation, my parents would go to places where I could find water.

ANCHORS AWEIGH: I bought an Everglades 235cc off Facebook. I love the features and the build of it. I’ve had it 100 miles offshore and there are not too many builds that can do that. I have all of the extras that went into this model. It’s not a very big boat but it’s a very heavy boat at 7,500 pounds with a full tank of gas. I actually needed to go up to a full-size truck. My biggest trailering experience was with an 18-foot boat, so I hired a company to drive it up from Florida. It was actually cheaper than if I drove it myself and paid for all the gas, oil changes, and wear on my truck. 

HOME PORT: I keep the boat at my house, so it’s very mobile. I added a lane in the driveway which was a cost, but this way I can come home and power wash the entire boat and flush the motors with fresh water. There is a huge investment in technology on the boat, so I like knowing that it’s safe in the driveway. 

GETTING REEL: I basically said the business is either going to work or not. There’s a lot of risk that you take on that you can’t really quantify. If last year I forecasted tourism for this year, I would have been completely wrong because there are fewer bookings this year for hotels. I am not only looking at people who would like to go catch a striped bass, but the tourism industry as a whole because I am definitely part of that. I worked in technology, so I know how to build websites and how to utilize social media and try to use that to my advantage in getting the business out there. Surprisingly a lot of people find me on Google and Google Maps specifically. Learn more at CoastalCurrentCharters.com