A couple of Georgetown University field hockey players are operating Carousel Marina and Whale’s Tale Pub. On June 3, former owner Jack Cogswell sold his business to the van der Veen family of Philadelphia  who have lived seasonally on Linekin Bay for 20 years. Jax Van der Veen, 23, is operating the marina and sister Emma Rose, 19, is preparing the Whale’s Tale Pub for an expected June 19 opening. 

Jax is graduating this month with a degree in political science and studied pre-law. Emma Rose is pursuing a degree in global business and international politics. Despite their ages, both have years of experience in the local hospitality industry. “We both grew up and worked here in the summers,” Jax said. “I began teaching sailing at the yacht club at age 8, and my sister has waitressed downtown for five years. We know a lot of people, and have a list of people who we’d like to hire.”

Family ties to the Boothbay region date back to the early 1970s. Their father, prominent trial lawyer Michael van der  Veen, summered with his family for years. The family has known Cogswell for years and plan on continuing the business’ operation in a similar fashion. The older van der Veen admires what Cogswell built locally with the marina. “It’s such a beautiful entrance to the harbor and a spot which makes people want to come and visit,” Mike said. “Jack built such a great  business and it has made such a  positive influence on the community in so many ways. We want to be respectful of that, and continue in the same vein.” 

Cogswell is helping the van der Veen sisters learn the daily operation. He owned Carousel Marina and Whale’s Tale Pub for 20 years. Cogswell, 81, is retiring with plans of spending winters in Florida. Until then, he plans on working with the new owners until October. “We have a great crew here, and it’s only going to blossom with the new ownership. I think the town is lucky to have them,” he said.

Jax is looking forward to working with Cogswell this summer. As a former marina client, she said there is another key ingredient in the business’s successful past. “We've been a customer of Jack’s for years. His customer base and seasonal slip owners couldn’t be better people. We are fortunate to have them as customers, and confident we can keep the same relationship with them,” she said.  

The van der Veens won’t make many changes in either business’s operation, but there are a couple minor changes, at least, for Whale’s Tale. One is a new point of sale system for the pub.  The other is possibly staying open through Gardens Aglow. The family hopes to open Whale’s Tale June 19.

The purchase of Carousel Marina and Whale’s Tale Pub is not Mike van der Veen’s first venture into the Boothbay region business world. As college students, he and brother Tim worked their way through law school as local painters. “Our business was Noon Time Painters. Our motto was if we ain’t there by noon, then we’re not coming,” he said.  

For Mike, the new business is about his family’s love of the community and creating an educational experience for his daughters. “I see this as helping the community grow and this business making a positive contribution to the peninsula,” he said. “It’s also a life lesson for my daughters by teaching them how to run a successful business.”