Coast Life: ‘Captain Pete’ connects new generation to life on Ship Island

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - For almost a century, the Skrmetta family has given visitors the chance to experience Ship Island.

One of those visitors, nearly six decades ago, captured the trip in words, and now the story is available for a new generation.

“This is why we live down here, the barrier islands, the drive down Highway 90, looking at the Mississippi Sound, and the great fishing,” Louis Skrmetta said.

Captain Louis Skrmetta carries on his family’s legacy of creating summer memories every year for thousands of passengers on Ship Island Excursions.

“The ferry has been around since I was a kid,” Lauren Broussard said, a Ship Island visitor from Biloxi. “It’s beautiful to have our kids with us for the summer to be able to take them out to Ship Island and have a little history with the fort. Get out of the city for a little while, it feels like you’re away, but not too far away. It’s always been a pleasure.”

In 1966, one of the passengers on the ferry was Bessie Holland Heck, an author from Oklahoma.

“Bessie had a good time that day,” Skrmetta said. “She was impressed enough to write a children’s novel about the experience.”

Heck spent the ferry ride talking with Louis’ father, Captain Peter Skrmetta.

“I remember her on the boat talking to my father,” Skrmetta said. “She was real interested in the family business, Ship Island and his life on the island as a boy.”

At the time, Captain Pete didn’t know Heck would use the stories he was telling for a fictional book based on his family.

“She came back to us with this book, the “Captain Pete,” about a year later, and it was a total surprise,” Skrmetta said. “She changes the names, instead of Skrmetta, she says Rosetta, she changed the name of the Pan American Clipper to the Clipper Catt. She uses three generations in the book, she uses my grandfather, my dad and myself. It’s a great little book with a lot of local Coast history in it.”

Last year, Louis’ father, Captain Pete, died at the age of 94. With his passing, Louis wanted to be reminded of some of the stories in the book originally published in 1967.

“We kind of forgot about the book, to be honest with you,” Skrmetta said. “For years it just stayed on the shelf, and I didn’t think anything of it until recently, I went to look for it and realized I lost it during Hurricane Katrina.”

A friend of Louis’ found an old copy of the book and gave it to him. Now, others have a chance to read it. A meeting with a publisher has led to the release of “Captain Pete,” the second edition. Louis hopes it will connect a new generation to life on the island.

“Now, when I go through and read this thing, I appreciate how wonderful it is, and how well written it is,” Skrmetta said. “It actually talks about challenges and coming of age.”

While “Captain Pete” may have been originally written 58 years ago, there are more stories to be told about Ship Island and the family that continues carrying passengers there.

“The fourth generation is now involved in the business,” Skrmetta said. “My brother’s children help me with the business. It’s amazing that a fourth-generation family business still exists, but I believe the chances are the Skrmetta family will still hold on to the business for many years to come.”

You can find the book “Captain Pete” at the Ship Island Excursions gift shop and also on Amazon, and Skrmetta is planning to make it available in local libraries soon.

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