Peter Anderson Festival Weekend Recap

We had a fantastic weekend at the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on November 4th & 5th.  This festival had more than 150,000 visitors from all over the United States and was an excellent opportunity for us to engage with potential customers.  We ended up with interest from clients from Orange Beach, AL, all the way to Mandeville, LA, but most were from the immediate area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  An unexpected number of patrons stopped by our tent and allowed us to speak with them about what Dog Keys Boatworks is all about.  Most had quite a few questions, and we had great conversations in educating our patrons on what Dog Keys Boatworks is all about. Here are five commonly asked questions we received over the weekend.

1. What are the Dog Keys, and Why did you pick that name?

Depending on the year, Dog Key Island, also known as the Dog Keys or Isle of Caprice, was previously a barrier island between Ship Island and Horn Island in the Mississippi Sound. This island has a long history of being washed over and resurfacing over hundreds of years, first described by French explorer Sieur Iberville in 1699. Local Native American populations had storied lore regarding the island’s cyclic history of disappearance and resurgence.  The island resurfaced in 1917, and local bootleggers used the island during prohibition as a source of fresh water while transporting their contraband.
A group of local investors from Biloxi, MS, bought the island in the early 1920s and renamed it the Isle of Caprice. The investors then transformed the island into a premier resort that opened in 1925, and gambling was on site with roulette and craps tables; the little island was, in fact, so successful and extravagant that it was aptly nicknamed “The Monte Carlo of the South.”  In addition to gambling, there was fine dining, sunbathing, and a swimming marathon from the beach of Biloxi to the shore of Isle of Caprice, a roughly 13-mile open water swim. Sadly, a hurricane hit the island in 1929, destroying much of the resort while also splitting the island in two. The resort suffered extensively from the destructive force of the hurricane, and ensuing visitors looking to obtain souvenirs hastened the complete erosion of the island, with it once again being swallowed by the tides in early 1931.

We picked Dog Keys as the name for our company to display our pride in the rich maritime culture we grew up in.  In addition to striving to be the premier marine detailer on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we are working to bolster the watersport community in our area, including plans to establish annual open-water swims and other events.

2. What services do you offer?

We are a dedicated marine detailing service provider that performs boat cleaning, gel coat compounding/polishing, and wet-sanding services and offers a variety of waxes/polymers and ceramic sealants to finish the job.  Although our passion lies with boats, we also perform superior detailing services for motor vehicles, RVs, and airplanes.

3. What areas do you service?

Our primary service area extends from New Orleans, LA, to Orange Beach, AL. Still, we occasionally have jobs that will take us outside this coverage area with recent detailing of boats in Destin, FL.

4. Where do I drop my boat off?

We are a fully mobile marine detailing service; we bring our products and expertise to your location!

5. What sets us apart from the others in the marine service industry?

To say that the marine service industry can sometimes be frustrating to the customer is an enormous understatement.  There are a lot of boats on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which results in a very congested marine service industry, keeping you off the water longer than you intend.  We have built our business on three pillars and continue striving to achieve each for every customer. We believe our business approach will be in contrast to the standard and help alleviate this frustration for our customers as much as possible.

First, we strive to provide superior service – giving your boat the best care by paying attention to the small details that make the difference.  We use quality materials and experienced practice to provide the best finish and protection for your boating investment.

Second, we strive to deliver our service promptly on a schedule that works for you; once started, most jobs are finished the same day. Some jobs run longer due to needing a more intensive surface correction process, but we communicate these projections up front to ensure we meet your expectations promptly.

Third, we want to provide you with superior service in a timely fashion while building relationships with our customers through open communication and dialogue.  We hope your experience with us will be more than just a simple monetary exchange for our services. We value our relationships with our customers, offering ourselves as a resource for your questions, and we look forward to further serving our repeat customers in the future.  Our customers become our friends, and we look forward to welcoming you into the Dog Keys family!