About Captain Archie’s

The Palmetto Shores Marina was constructed and opened for business in 1964 in Cherry Grove Beach, SC (the city of N. Myrtle Beach wasn’t incorporated until 1968). The current restaurant building (where we are now) was the original ship’s store, marina office, and lounge for the Palmetto Shores Community along Little River Neck Road.

In that year, Captain Archie “Poo” McLauchlin, was a 29 year old dashing young man known for his knowledge of offshore fishing. Born in 1935 (the same year the Little River Swing Bridge, later named “Captain Archie Neal ‘Poo’ McLauchlin Swing Bridge, was opened), Archie was nicknamed “Poo” at the time of his birth by his older sister. Apparently, he was a “healthy” child tipping the scales at a whopping 13 lbs! His sister took the name from a famous cartoon character named Poo the Giant. The name stuck.

A native of Cherry Grove Beach, McLauchlin spent his life hunting and fishing with his father, who gave him his first boat when he was 12 years old. He immediately began taking locals and tourists on fishing expeditions and received his Captain’s license from the US Coast Card before his 18th birthday. After serving in the US Air Force, Captain Poo returned and continued his career making his mark in the Maritime Community in and around Cherry Grove. He would go on serve as Captain for a number of celebrities including Julio Iglesias and Dale Earnhardt.

In 1981, the Palmetto Shores lounge was taken over by Captain Poo, who named it The Palmetto Yacht and Fishing Club. The membership fee (if you had it…) was $10. The Club was dedicated to the preservation of The Osprey. Improvements to the property during his tenure included the addition of the outside bar and the expansion of the dining room. In spite of the Palmetto Yacht and Fishing Club name on the building, most around here called it “Poos”.

Larry Fowler took over the lounge in 1992 continuing the same concept started by Captain Poo. He named it the Blue Marlin Yacht and Fishing Club although many continued to call it “Poos”. In 2003, Lattie Upchurch along with Mike and Rhonda Lineau, purchased the business from Larry Fowler and named it Capt. Poo’s Blue Marlin Yacht and Fish Club. During that time, Poo’s continued to be a favorite for locals, tourists, bikers, and boaters. Mike and Rhonda would eventually become the sole owners of the business and ran it until late 2014.

In March 2015, Marc McDowell, Kevin Richard, Benny Rappa, and Ian Howie re-opened the place and named it Ian’s Waterway Bar and Grill after the managing partner. Benny and Ian left the business the following year.

In March 2017, Kevin and Marc along with the assistance of General Manager Billy Riggs, and hundreds patrons with name suggestions (yes we had a contest and the response was incredible!), renamed the bar Captain Archie’s.

Kevin and Marc chose this name to honor Captain Archie “Poo” McLauchlin along with the past owners for their contributions to the success and strong history of this establishment.