A 73-year-old pirate from Newfoundland's northeast coast has finally put his ship in the water.

John Keefe waved from the deck in celebration Thursday night, as the 10-metre long Golden Eagle inched into the ocean in Newville, Notre Dame Bay, in front of a cheering crowd.

"We made it. We made it. I'm proud of it," said Keefe as he watched his $30,000 masterpiece float on the water.

The Golden Eagle has had an epic journey even before its maiden voyage.

It took Keefe four years to build his pirate ship.

Last week, during the first launch attempt, the ship struck a rock in Keefe's garden as an excavator tried to nudge it toward water.

Keefe also had to deal with a mutiny of sorts when his brother, upset over a land dispute, tried to stop the launch. His brother sat in front of the boat until the RCMP arrived and convinced him to move.

It was smooth sailing Thursday night, however, as The Golden Eagle slipped into the ocean and pirate Captain Keefe waved from the deck in celebration.

Now, Keefe has a lot more swashbuckling in mind.

"Once I gets a wharf, yeah I'm going for treasure somewhere, pirate treasure," he said. "I don't know where but I got to search for treasure. No good to have a pirate ship if you don't look for treasure, is it?"