CALLAO, Va. — If you've ever wanted to spend the night on a pirate ship, one Richmond couple has made your dreams come true.
"I made a joke to my husband, I said, 'can I buy a pirate ship?' And he said — not as jokingly — 'sure.'"
Lauren and Kellen DeMarco bought "The Jolly Lodger" at the end of September, and have since transformed the houseboat into a place for guests to feel like they're part of a treasure-seeking adventure.
The two-bedroom boat comes complete with a crew of skeletons ready to set sail, a full kitchen and modern amenities like Wi-Fi and TV. There's also kayaks available to use and a covered, outdoor picnic area.
While the boat does have bathrooms on board, there will also be a bath house with a laundry room available on the property.
The pirate ship was created by a Northern Neck man named Dan Corder. He's a retired firefighter captain who has dedicated his time to restoring old boats into functioning pirate ships — with nothing but talent and scraps.
Many of his finished projects have gone viral online, which is how the DeMarcos stumbled upon the opportunity.
"I figured it's either going to be the best decision I've ever made, or the worst decision I've ever made. But if nothing else, it will always be the cool story of the time I bought a pirate ship," said Lauren.
Buying the boat was the easy part. But figuring out where to dock it inorder for guests to be able to rent it was a bit of a challenge.
They looked into several different marinas around the Northern Neck with no luck. Then, Corder called them with a proposal.
A three-acre, waterfront lot just a few doors down from his own home was up for sale. But it wasn't just any lot. On it is the home that once belonged to the inventor of the crab pot.
Lauren said, at first, they weren't interested, "I said 'well, we're not trying to buy a whole house."
But after viewing the property, she said they fell in love. "It's got a lot of really cool history, you know, not only was the crab pot invented there, then it sat empty for 60 years. So it really is a time capsule. The original furniture was in there. And it's just a really beautiful house."
The house even came with the original patent for the crab pot invention.
The DeMarcos purchased the property, and now the pirate ship lives on the Yeocomico River.
The "Crab Pot House" will also be available for guests to rent once they've completed some refurbishing. Lauren said guests will be able to rent the pirate ship and house separately or together. The ship does not leave the dock.
"I think we hope that it opens people's eyes to some of the parts of Virginia that they may not be familiar with. Every time we tell somebody it's in Callao, they have no idea where we're talking about. And yet, it's such a beautiful small town," said Lauren. "We hope other people go and they can see themselves, you know, kind of having a simpler life, even if it's just for a few days."
And while she and her husband hope to retire in the Northern Neck someday, right now the mother of three is just enjoying being the mom with the pirate ship.
For more information on how to rent the boat or house,head to their Facebook page.
