About the Captain and Wound Tight Charters
A third generation Chesapeake Beach Charter Boat Captain, Shawn grew up in Chesapeake Beach and began working as a mate on his grandfather’s charter boat “Why Not” in the spring of 1992. Through part of his middle school years and through high school and college, Shawn worked each summer as a mate aboard the Why Not. After graduating High School in 1996, Shawn attended the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he played lacrosse and earned a Bachelor degree in Psychology. In 2000, Shawn officially became Captain, earning his USCG 100 Ton Masters License.
Captain Shawn helped his grandfather, Pop Green, run charters and continued to work as a mate until taking a fulltime Captain position on the 46’ Markley, “Dianna Lee” in 2002. After 2 successful seasons on the Dianna Lee, Shawn purchased the 40’ Morgan, “Crack of Dawn” from longtime friend Captain Bill Gingell in June 2004. The “Crack of Dawn” had been sitting in Capt. Bill’s back yard in Wachapreague, VA for several seasons and required some rehab before hitting the water.
Over the course of two years Shawn, with the help from friends and other Captains, rebuilt and transformed the “Crack of Dawn” into the first “Wound Tight”. This challenge taught Shawn several valuable lessons, BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand, and you find out who your true friends are when it’s time to grind on fiberglass! After many yards of fiberglass, gallons and gallons of resin, new paint and a new pair of Caterpillar diesel engines, Wound Tight Charters was up and running in 2006. Captain Shawn ran her from Rod n Reel Marina in Chesapeake Beach for 2 seasons before moving to Herrington Harbor South in Rose Haven, Maryland. The “Wound Tight”, formally “Crack of Dawn”, returned to the ocean in 2007, 2008 and 2009 for a few months each of those summers where Captain Shawn guided Offshore trips for Tuna, Marlin, Wahoo and Dolphin. She was a fun boat to fish aboard, but Shawn knew it wouldn’t be big enough for what he had planned.
In 2010, Captain Shawn purchased and renamed the 46’ Markley “Patrick” from Captain Alex Williams. Almost identical to the “Dianna Lee”, the “Patrick” was perfect for guiding larger groups on the Chesapeake Bay. The bigger “Wound Tight” accommodated larger groups and helped grow the business as she was roomy, sea worthy and a fish magnet. The 46’ Wound Tight operated from Herrington Harbor South before being sold in January 2018 to make room for the current “Wound Tight”.
