Edwards Boat Yard has been a staple in the Upper Bay for many years. During the 1960s, the yard was building boats for the Martin Marietta Corporation (founded in 1961 through the merger of the Glenn L. Martin Company and American Marietta Corporation).
The Edwards family owned much of Edwards Lane, the street where the business is located, during the boatyard’s heyday. But in the early 2000s, the family decided to sell the property. It was purchased by the Bissell family in 2003—Bill, Jane, and their son Billy—just two weeks before Hurricane Isabel struck. According to Billy, it was “an absolute disaster.” But the family managed to push through in the face of the adversity.
The boatyard had been such a part of their lives, even years before purchasing the property, that they weren’t about to let it fall to the wayside. “This marina has been in our life forever,” says Billy. “Even when we didn’t own it, we were customers here.” His father Bill had been going to Edwards since he was a teenager. And when he was just six years old, Billy got his first boat, a 1903 Pan Am that was repaired at the boatyard.
When the Bissell family first took over the yard, the marine railway was still there. After cleaning up after Isabel, they removed the railway to put in a 50-ton Travelift. They are a full service facility, and much of their business focuses on shaft and prop work, long-term storage, and do-it-yourselfers.
Located on Frog Mortar Creek on Middle River, Edwards is less than three nautical miles from the center of the Chesapeake Bay. Today, Edwards operates much as it did in the days of old. Billy describes it as almost “stepping back in time,” the way they do business. “We never write service orders. We operate on hand shakes. You can leave the keys in your boat and never have to worry about it.” And that’s one of the reasons customers continue to come back, year after year.
In late August Edwards was already quite full, and they fill up every winter. The busiest time of the year for them is October/November, because as Jane says, “everyone wants to take that last boat ride of the year but sometimes underestimate the cold.” Some boatyards want the last boat hauled by Halloween, but Jane appreciates the need for that last fall ride. So Edwards continues to haul boats through December.
When I asked Jane about her favorite part of the business, she told me it was the people. “When people come here, they’re usually in a good mood because they want to enjoy their boats.” The view isn’t half bad either. “It’s also nice to see the water 12 months of the year!” The next time you’re in Bowleys Quarters, look them up.