Orange Beach, AL
Captain Chris Garner and his daughter Sarah with a big Yellowfin Tuna from a charter.
Captain Chris Garner

I grew up in Montgomery, AL and moved to Orange Beach in 1985, where I began working on a fuel dock at a local marina. It was here that I started to get to know boats and what it takes to operate them. A local charter captain, John Stewart, took me under his wing and taught me how to fish the waters of the Gulf. Stewart let me go on commercial trips on the Old Peddler and the Hang Out. I thought the boats were wonderful, and the fishing was the real reason to go.

After working for several years on the fuel dock, I grew restless and moved to Telluride, CO. After a five-year stay, I decided that I needed to go to work, and I fell back on the things that I love—boats and fishing. I started off an a 6-passenger boat, the Misty 3, and then moved onto multi-passenger boats as a first mate and co-captain for the Summer Breeze II and the Lady D. My wife Jennifer and I met around this time, and we were married a couple of years later. My first job as captain was for the Miss Mary IV, where I skippered for a few years, which was followed by a host of other yacht jobs when I met Paul Kell, the owner of the High Cotton. The first of my two daughters was born a year later, and she already has told me that she wants to be my deckhand when she’s old enough. 

Paul Kell and I have built a great relationship over the last six years, with travel to the Keys, marshes in Louisiana, and all over the Gulf of Mexico. We have had great success with the High Cotton, and it has been enjoyable to be a part of the evolution of the High Cotton as a charter boat. As its captain, I hope I can relay the personal touches I have offered the owner to anyone who charters the boat and enhance their experience by being able to offer different types of fishing trips (in-shore trips are also available on the Record Holder) as well as offering the convenience of lodging at the private dock in Orange Beach, AL.

Please contact us and let us set up a memorable fishing experience for you and your friends, family, or co-workers. I know we can offer you a premium fishing vacation unlike any other.