The 73-year-old rural Newfoundlander who spent the last five years building the pirate ship of his dreams, succeeded Thursday in his second attempt at a maiden voyage.

John Keefe, of Newville, wore a tricornered pirate hat as he stood at the bow of his pride and joy, the Golden Eagle — named so for its golden Juniper planks — as it set sail into Little Byrne Cove in northern Newfoundland.

The Toronto Star reported Thursday on the remarkable story behind Keefe's schooner and the sibling squabbles that hindered its first attempt to set sail last week.

On Thursday, Keefe's brother Ernest — with whom Keefe is feuding over a shared tract of land — stayed home and made no effort to interfere with the boat's inaugural sail.

"It really felt good," Keefe said late Thursday after he returned home from the evening voyage. "And she’s still afloat out there anyway."

Keefe is not sure what he is going to do with his boat now, but he is thinking about turning it into a tourist attraction.