Rock Harbor’s storied charter vessel is still first rate.
By James P. Freeman
Photographs Courtesy the Costa Family
Elmer Costa would likely have told his friend Schwind that no explanation was necessary. For Elmer—the youngest of 14 children, born (1929), raised, and educated in Provincetown—was driven to fish, and driven to see people enjoy the pursuit.
He had no choice. It was in his DNA.
His father, John, originally from Portugal, was also a fisherman. In his teens, Elmer was longlining aboard his father’s trawler. By the 1950s, he was working fishing charters. Over time, he began to take a serious look at the form and function of watercraft on Cape Cod.
It became apparent to Elmer that charter boats of the late ’50s and early ’60s were essentially Maine-style lobster boats with spartan amenities. Soon, though, he had an opportunity to conceive a boat that local author Eric Sorenson would later describe as a “fishing machine” and “aesthetically fascinating.” It was christened Columbia.
Built at Taves Boatyard in Provincetown in 1964—the same year The Beatles invaded America—the boat, like the band, set a new standard.
Elmer had a specific vision. He dreamed up a 43-foot charter boat boasting a beam of close to 15 feet, a width unheard of at the time. Custom-built in the yard, the cockpit, pilothouse, and flybridge were smartly proportioned. The forward-flared hull was meticulously crafted of white cedar (fiberglass was rejected early on in favor of all wood).
Notably, the boat was one of the first to advertise its charter status on the back of her deckhouse. With a black hull and white topside adorned in golden accents, Columbia was majestic and stately. Sixty years later, her graceful lines evoke an old-world charm. Elmer’s masterpiece remains a perennial presence.
Still, having the right vessel was only half the voyage. Early on Elmer understood that providing a memorable customer experience—the other half—was paramount. In a sense, he anticipated what we now call the “Instagram moment.”
Nautical nirvana was once solely about hauling in dozens of fish on a single charter and showing them off on dock. Today, showing has been replaced by sharing—sharing of meaningful, everyday, real moments. It’s more about sentiment than size. Prized fish are simply part of the moment, not the moment.
Elmer passed away peacefully in 2006. An accomplished fisherman and exceptional charter boat captain, he also owned and operated Captain Elmer’s Fish Market and Restaurant in Orleans for decades.
“No one has ever been able to explain quite fully why people go fishing…”
— Phil Schwind, author and angler,
Striped Bass & Other Cape Cod Fish (1972)
His legacy flourishes to this day, and Columbia operates much like she did in 1964. (Transistor radio not included.)
Marc S. Costa, Elmer’s second son, carries on the family tradition. He’s been fishing Cape Cod Bay since the early 1970s. Boating and fishing are embedded in his bones. Now Columbia’s captain, he loves working on boats. Over a three-year period, beginning in 2009, Marc gave Columbia her first major overhaul. The restoration effort ensures she’s got “another 40 to 50 years left in her,” he muses.
The skipper looks straight out of central casting. In his early 60s, Marc retains a youthful look, betrayed by some softly chiseled facial lines gained from years at sea. He speaks with such gracious, infectious reverence about Columbia, his father, and his family that you immediately feel part of the story. He’s not in the fishing business; he’s in the people business.
With measured pride that radiates, he notes that the grandchildren of Elmer’s earliest customers regularly book charters today. And the boat still live-lines for stripers. Some things need not change.
Operating a charter is hard work and fraught with challenges: costs, regulations, weather conditions, and fish stocks, just to name a few. But Marc knows—from the knowledge, drive, and charm of his father—that these impediments are just workarounds. Customers always come first.
As a fourth generation of the Costa family to earn captain status, Marc looks back with fond memories on decades of experiences and friendships. However, when asked what Columbia means to him and his family, he responds with wry fisherman gallows humor tinged with humility: “My dad always said, ‘If you take care of her, she’ll outlast you!’ ”
From the beginning, Columbia has called Rock Harbor, Orleans, home. As a bonus, the harbor’s unique location provides spectacular sunsets for boaters and visitors alike. Which means more Instagram moments.
Visit columbiasportfishing.net for charter inquiries.
