The 60-foot vessel turned back after 10 minutes when it got battered by 28 to 35 mph winds and 4- to 7-foot seas.
About a mile from the dock, something ripped 18 feet off the boat's bow.
Captain Jeff George radioed a distress call, but managed to make it back on the boat's own power.
"The winds got pretty strong and we were going up and down like a roller coaster type of thing," said George.
George says they were never in danger because the damage was above the waterline.
George says no one was injured, but "everyone was a little shook up."
Coast Guard inspectors say, it appears that some structural members in the bow may have been weak. That---couple with rough waves and the weight of the anchor--- helped the bow give way.
The plan now is to get the vessel to a boat yard as quickly as posible so Jeff George and the Cruisin' 1 can get back to business.
The Associated Press contributed to this report