Ernest Dean Jr.

Ernest Dean Jr. was born on February 27, 1962 as the last child to Captain Ernest and Mrs. Eula Dean. Birthed into a family of seafarers, it was only natural that he too would be drawn to the call of the sea. His introduction to life on the boat came at the age of 8, onboard the Captain Dean IV, where he spent summers working alongside his father and learning the tools of the trade. Throughout Ernest’s teen years, his father’s no-nonsense approach to business, and relentless drive often meant grueling hours of work - requiring him to keep up with the arduous and physically intensive demands of operating the mail service. However, it was these formative years that would equip him with the endurance and know-how to eventually delve into his own business endeavors in the years to come.

At age 19, Ernest became a Captain onboard his father’s prized Lady Eula, proving himself a worthy and esteemed Captain in his own right. Much like his father, his desire for personal growth led him to branch out on his own, and he transitioned into the fishing industry at the age of 23, with a career and series of fishing boats that spanned the course of 15 years.

However, Ernest’s deeply engrained ambition, paired with his desire to continue his father’s legacy, led him back to the mail boat service as Captain of his father’s boat, the Champion II. In 1999, motivated by the evolving needs of the people of Abaco and the Berry Islands, he designed and built his first mail boat, in part ownership with his father. This ship would be called Captain Gurth Dean, to honor the life of his late brother (now owned and operated by his brother, John Dean). It was at this time that Dean’s Shipping Company Limited was established; built on Ernest’s love of family and desire to carry on the Dean’s legacy of shipping into future generations.

True to the character of his namesake, Ernest developed a need to evolve and improve upon his vision of the mail boat service. Therefore, in 2002, in what can be described as his own labour of love, he designed and built his first self-owned mail boat, aptly named the Legacy. The arrival of the Legacy marked the introduction of the first Roll On/Roll Off style mail boat to North Abaco, revolutionizing shipping in the area. It’s significantly larger in size (160 x 36 feet), along with its 30 passenger beds, provides a more efficient service to the ever-improving communities of North Abaco. Over the span of the last 14 years, Ernest has proudly continued in the tradition of his father by providing mail boat service on a consistent, weekly basis. As a native Abaconian, he feels a great sense of pride and satisfaction in being able to supply the needs of his people; and it is this pride that constantly propels him to strive for more.

In most recent years, Ernest’s industrious outlook on shipping in The Bahamas has led him to redefine Dean’s Shipping Company once again. October 2016 marks the launch of his newest vessel, the Champion III, a 180 x 60 ft. general cargo and aggregate ship; also designed in roll-on/roll-off fashion. Like his father and grandfather before him, Captain Ernest Dean Jr. looks toward the future of shipping throughout the Bahamas with an air of optimism and boundless opportunity. In his continuous quest for knowledge and self-improvement, he aims to carry on the timeless tradition of the mail boat service, while enhancing its function for future generations of Bahamians.