Stone Crab Kids - SC's Youngest Research Team

Making Doors

2011-09-21T17:19:00.001-04:00

When we hit the snag, one of our doors was torn apart. I decided it would be best to replace both doors. And, this was yet another first for me. The building and setting up of doors is a bit of trigonometry, a bit of physics, and a bit of good old fashion trial and error. Two lines are stretched out behind the boat and connected to each of the two doors by a series of four chains.

Each of the four chains are set in various, but precise lengths so that the doors and net may work as units. As the boat moves forward and the lines tighten, the doors are pulled through the water. The varying chain lengths pitch the door so that the port side door moves further out away from the port side and the starboard door slides further starboard, thus pulling the net's mouth open.

The door must lean back and ride slightly nosed down along the bottom while angling out away from the boat. Think about that three times fast!

Josiah is sitting beside the door so you can see the differing lengths of chain, and how the door pulls at an angle from the boat. You may also see the dark and lighter areas of the wood. The darker areas are where the door has been soaking in a water barrel. The soaking of the doors helps them to sink and ride along the bottom.

Even though we are but a little shrimping vessel, we carry out on a smaller scale what the bigger boys deal with in deeper water further off shore.

Mending Nets - Status Report

2011-09-09T18:36:00.000-04:00

I dropped the net off at Billy Jordan's net company and the diagnosis was not good. A new net was Billy advice. Then Billy's nephew and protege', Butch Woodruff, stepped up to the plate.

Our net was the smallest net on the whole lot. A typical net for these guys is a commercial 40' with lots of, what they call in the business, volume. Volume is the key to catching the white shrimp variety because white shrimp tend to hang closer to the surface while brown shrimp lay on the bottom. So combing through the largest volume of water catches the largest volume of shrimp. Hence the term volume.

As you may imagine, a net shop has lots of ready made toys for a young kitten.

So, Butch did the math to match the mesh size and pattern, then laid into the repair. Two or so hours later he had our little net back together.

Now that we know that the net could be salvaged, it is time to rebuild the damaged door and get back in the water. Taking advantage of this down time, I am dropping the boat off at Libery Marine to let Clyde and Dillard do a little maintenance on our fickle engine.

Andersen Boys Ride Along

2011-09-03T19:23:00.000-04:00

Out on the water today, the temperatures dropped into the 80's with just a slight cloud cover. The swells were 1-2 foot, with an 11 second time period between. Perfect day for shrimp trawling. Kip Andersen and his two sons, Nate and Alex, met us around 8 am at the Folly Island boat landing and we crept out to the open water through Lighthouse Creek.

A couple of larger shrimp trawlers were pulling closer in toward shore, so we decided to make a 20-minute pull close to the beach, and caught very little. So, we took our second pull about 300 yards further out and that was a little better. So Kip steered us another 300 yards or so off the shore. And, we started hitting the shrimp. We were onto their little "flippy" tail trails. And, then, we hit a 'snag.'

A snag is an obstacle on the bottom that can catch and tear the net. This particular snag jerked the boat hard when we hit. As Nate and Josiah pulled the doors up, I realized we had done far more than tearing the net. The runner (or skid) which rides along the ocean floor is bolted to the door. And the runner was completely ripped from door. Shrimping was done for the day, and done until we find out the cost of the repairs.

Snags are just a part of fishing. When Jesus called James and John to discipleship, they were sitting with their father mending their nets. Yep, even the Holy Land has snags. And, they were just as much of a pain back then as they are today. Maybe that's why James and John were so quick to jump up and follow Jesus. No more spending hours upon hours mending nets!!! Later on John was boiled in oil and exiled to the isle of Patmos. But, he didn't go back to fishing. That says something about the monotony of mending nets.

And, as for wrapping up the day, leave it to boys to make a game out of anything. Nate, Alex, and Josiah started throwing bait fish up to the seagulls to see if the gulls would catch the fish. And sure enough,... the gulls caught a few in mid air. You know the old saying, there's nothing like the relationship between a boy and his ....seagull?

Alligator Bait

2011-08-27T19:06:00.000-04:00

We live across from a fresh water pond located adjacent to a several hundred acres of good old Carolina Low Country swamp; the very same swamp that gave Revolutionary hero Francis 'Swamp Fox' Marion (pictured below) his cover for 'revolutionary' guerrilla war tactics and many Colonial victories over a far superior British fighting force. The battle of Parkers Ferry, which lead to the hanging of colonial sympathizer Issac Hayne, was fought just down the road from our home. (Information on Hayne can be found at http://south-carolina-plantations.com/colleton/hayne-hall.html)

With any swamp comes an array of wildlife. We regularly see osprey, bald eagles, deer, wild hogs, foxes, alligators, etc. And alligators are welcome guests as long as they do not make neighborhood pets a part of their daily diet. However, every once and a while one of the alligators gets aggressive and has to go.

This 7 ft. gator did not hesitate to approach the wrangler when he offered food. The gator had lost all fear of humans. Not good. Not good at all.

The alligator wrangler captured the gator, taped the mouth shut, taped a clothe over the eyes, tied the legs, and lifted it into the back of his pick up truck. Easy as pie.

After the alligator was calm and secured, the wrangler allowed the kids and the gathering crowd to touch and pet the gator while he answered many questions and told alligator jokes. This was not the first group of onlookers he has entertained.

A true professional can make even the most dangerous tasks look easy.

Sea Creatures and Guests

2011-08-21T21:19:00.001-04:00

Our fishing vessel, Dirt Claw'd, is expanding its crew, or at least its guest log. We have been blessed with a number of guests out to fellowship with friends and work for food. Dirt Claw'd has a full docket of guests for the next few weeks with more folks interested in coming along for the adventure. Thus far, all have had fun with surprisingly little sea sickness.

Of course proper deck behavior is an issue, as Casey threatens to chomp down on shrimp while the kids work to sort shrimp.

Sea creatures are always welcome aboard. A shovel nosed shark found his way on to the deck (pictured left), as well as a few stingray and a dog fish, which are all in the shark family. As an interesting note, dog fish are a popular food treat in Japan. Fisherman here on the East Coast would pack dog fish in wet straw and ship them all the way to Japan. And these hardy little survivors would still be alive after weeks of travel. Amazing!

Every once in a while we pull up a particularly fierce critter like this little puffer fish. He sucked in a pile of water and blew himself up like the 'incrediable hulk' of girth. All aboard were terrified of his imposing roundness. In real life they do this expansion trick to keep larger fish from being able to swallow them.

As I have grow older, I find myself performing this same girth enlarging trick as the puffer. It is going to take a pretty big fish to swallow this man's belly. In fact, I think I'll go into the kitchen and expand my anti-Jonah physique. You can never be too safe at sea !

Courageous Kids

2011-08-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

One day a year, our boat club shuts down the ramp and sponsors a carnival for families with kids battling cancer. The organization is called 'Courageous Kids.' Members of the club, along with local law enforcement, news crews, pony rides, jump castles, and many others come together to create a day when these families can forget about the struggle and just have fun.

Prior to the event starting, our gang got a chance to ride on a air boat. Which if you have never done ... well, don't miss the chance if the opportunity arises.

The SCK's volunteered to get dunked in the dunk tank and prepared for duty. The funny thing is, is that when I came back around, the SCK's were throwing the balls while the 'Courageous Kids' gang had formed a long line to get dunked! Whatever!

It is all about letting them have a day of fun.

As a family, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve others in the name of Jesus.

There's Always Something New

2011-08-07T19:22:00.000-04:00

The shrimp are getting bigger as the season progresses. We are definitely looking forward to cooler weather so the jellyfish will 'go away' and quit stinging us. But each time we go out we get more efficient and catch more shrimp. And catching shrimp is ultimately the goal. But along the way we will have fun and discover new creatures.

Baby sand sharks made an appearance. You will find when you start catching sharks in the net, it is time to move to another area. They will scatter the shrimp and make you work twice as hard for the same volume. But these little guys weren't much bigger than the shrimp. So they didn't seem to disrupt the count.

Mantis shrimp are an interesting creature. Fred Dockery, a local fisherman and great source of fishery information, told us that he used to catch mantis shrimp off the New England coast 12"-18" in length. The tail contains the eat'n meat. Much like a rock shrimp or ( for our Cajun folks ) craw fish. I'm not sure if it is proper etiquette to suck the heads of mantis shrimp the way folks from the Bayou suck the heads of craw fish. So I will leave that decision up to the professional head suckers.

And then there is Mr. Stingray ! We have been catching a good many small stingrays but this was the first one large enough to consider saving for supper. About 30 minutes after this photo was taken we pulled up one about twice this size. And first mate, Momma, sauteed the filleted wings in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Good Eats !

AnnahBelle has been going out with me more than anyone and she loves trawling. Because she is a natural born biologist. A real life Elly May Clampett. And bless her heart ... she can put a whoop'n the boys too. Momma is working with her on the lady skills. I love that little girl's guts!!!

Shrimp Trawling

2011-07-30T21:29:00.001-04:00

The tides were perfect Friday evening for pulling our 26' shrimp trawling net. Yet, we had one minor problem. Someone had thoughtlessly decided to put a 'car' in the way. The Charleston City Police had just installed a new sonar on their Search and Rescue Boat. As they were launching the boat to try out they're new toy, one of the officers looked down at the screen and saw a CAR, lying upside down ten feet below the surface. Hey ... the sonar works! And, works pretty well! He was not only able to tell that it was a car, but one that was upside down!

So, after 4 hours of waiting to launch, we decided that shrimp trawling was not going to happen. We set our sites for the following morning.

So "bright and early" Saturday morning (actually it was pre-dawn so it wasn't "bright" at all, however, it was quite "early") AnnahBelle and I set out for a spot offshore of Morris Island. And, we hit shrimp! And we hit jellyfish !!!! Jellyfish slime gets on the lines, the net, our gloves, and the sorting table. When the stinging starts, your skin turns red, and the burning sets in. Oh fun! To combat this we have white vinegar in a spray bottle for just such occasions. And, we drenched ourselves in vinegar to quell the burn. It worked pretty well. We spell relief ... v-i-n-e-g-a-r!

We slipped up into Shem Creek and sold our catch to the wholesaler. The price just about covered the fuel expenses. As the season progresses, both the amount of catch, the size of the shrimp, and price should increase. Today the shrimp were 26-30 count, which means it takes 26-30 shrimp to make a pound. We ended our day with a dinner of shrimp we had held back from the wholesaler, along with wings of a nice size stingray that we filleted and sauteed in garlic and butter. Bon Appetit!

SCK's Finale !!!!!

2011-07-28T22:31:00.001-04:00

The Stone Crab Kids wrapped up the research project with a presentation from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Mel Bell, the Director of Fisheries Management, accompanied by DNR Officer Ben Whaley, read and presented Josiah, AnnahBelle, and Sarah with letters of appreciation for their research efforts on behalf of SCDNR. The letters were beautifully composed, and eloquently portrayed the value of the kids' efforts. (I plan to publish and share that letter on the blog at a later date.)

What the SCK's didn't know was that a few other letters had shown up in the mail. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley sent individual letters stating how proud she was of the SCKs. The letters arrived in dark blue folders with the SC State Seal embossed in gold print on the cover. United States Congressman Tim Scott, born and raised right here in Charleston, wrote a friendly letter of congratulations. And United States Senator Jim DeMint, followed up the letter of encouragement he wrote a year and a half ago when the project first started, expressing his desire to see the SCKs taking on future projects.

All in all, it was a fun little ceremony surrounded by our friends and supporters from the West Ashley Outboard Motor Club.

But just remember this ... Officials can make memorable presentations, politicians can write glowing letters ... but after the hoop-lah is over, it is Capt. Dad that takes the Stone Crab Kids out for ICE CREAM !!!!!

* As I compile information and gather thoughts, I will write about some of the interesting findings we captured from this research. *

A heart felt thank you to all who shared in this adventure.

Next up for the SCKs ..... the love affair with salt water continues in the form of shrimp trawling!

Capt Don - Hook the Future

2011-03-06T19:41:00.001-05:00

Every year the Boat Show comes to Charleston. And, the Spivey gang is always present. Some years, with as many as 11 kids in tow. (Note: Not all of those kids were ours.) It is hard not to notice 11 kids, most under the age of 10, lined up like a family of ducks moving through the isles and past the booths. And, over the years, many of the vendors have taken an interest in our gang. PierSide Boatworks supplied us with sturdy carry bags. SeaRay gives the kids un-inflated beach balls. (The first year they handed out inflated beach balls and you can only imagine the time we had trying to keep up with 11 bouncy beach balls.) First Federal Bank hands out koozie cups and water proof cases. Dan-the-Knot-Man spends tons of time teaching the history of knots and making knots crafts with each child. West Marine gave the kids key chains to hang on their knot craft. Capt. Mike of SeaTow always has a special a gift. Yellow Fin Galleries has coloring crafts and The LowCountry Lady Anglers has a fun little gamefish identification test. And SCDNR, with their fish tattoos as well as the most popular 'Fishing Simulator' that gathers big grins and giggles as tiny people get tossed about trying to reel in a video trophy wahoo.

Capt. Don Dingman, host of the 'Hook the Future' TV show, holds a fishing clinic and raffle just for kids. Capt. Don does two shows a day and the Spivey gang are there every time the doors are open. Again, it would be hard for Capt. Don not to notice 'the herd' coming in and out every show, every year. One year we came home with 15 fishing poles. With all the kids we entertain, those poles have been used on our pond to help many a child learn the thrill of catching a fish. And that's a big part of what 'Hook the Future' is all about.

For the past couple of years Capt. Don and I have talked about 'Hook-the-Future' doing a show in conjuction with the Stone Crab Kids. That should be a lot of fun. And another opportunity for 'memory building'. Someday, many years from now, Kim and I will sit at the Thanksgiving table listening to our kids tell our grandkids about all the adventures they had when they were young and life was as simple as going fishing.

Rising Temperatures

2011-02-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Freezing temperatures triggered the annual stone crab 'mud-in' late last November. And now we are on the reverse side of that process. Once the water temperature reaches 56-57 F, the first of the stone crab will make their appearance for a new season.

Through the off season there are research duties that must be performed. The compiling of raw data into SCDNR's software being the most important for the kids. Getting the boat back in shape is Capt. Dad's priority. The engine, despite all of our hopes still does not run properly. It has been in the shop for nearly three months with a number of highly qualified folks working on, trying this or that, re-testing, and scratching their collective heads.

Capt. Dad and first mate Mom are also scratching our own heads. As we pulled together receipts in preparation for filing our income taxes the reality of the costs associated with this research is staggering. But as I think back over the season and all that these kids have accomplished, we could have gone to Disney World ten times and not had had as much fun or created as many memories.

Mini Mariners Program

2010-11-25T18:53:00.000-05:00

Stan Jones, Harbor Master of the Charleston Harbor Marina, runs a kids program for his marina residents and visitors. The program, called Mini Mariners , teaches kids about different aspects of their marine environment. Stan asked if he could have a trap at the marina for the Mini Mariners. Periodically we stop by to get gas, say 'Hey', and check on things. And if we have extra bait .... we donate !

While leaving the marina, Josiah spotted the sun set over the peninsula city. He grabbed the camera and snapped this shot. The folks at Charleston Harbor Marina have it made in the shade.

Despite the mocking origins of Charleston being tagged the Holy City, the splendor of the Lord reigns down over the skyline.

It runs and runs good!

2010-11-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

As those who follow this blog have been aware, we have had a constant string of trouble with the 225hp Yamaha OX-66 purchased for this research project. In that 'engine talk' is not particularly tantalizing journalism, our followers have been spared the infinite, unyielding details.

Yesterday, for the first time in 8 months of operating this engine, I was able to run the kids out to the crab grounds, pull pots, and get back to the landing without any sputtering, skipping, or knocking. What a huge relief. And, a pleasure to finally begin to develop some degree of confidence in this engine.

Some months ago I decided to try and track down this rough running problem that has plagued this engine. After some tinkering and fiddling around, I found that one of the coils had a different ohm reading than the other five coils. Changing that single coil rendered instant success. The engine's idle smoothed out beautifully. (Question: Is it socially acceptable for a grown man to cry over a smooth running engine?) I made an immediate beeline for the landing and put the boat in the water for a test ride. The idle was perfect. When I reached the end of the creek, I gave it the throttle and the boat leaped forward with power. As the boat planed out and cut through the water that urge to cry with joy was about to burst forth. And then the sputtering started. The power eroded. The hull struggled to stay on plane. And that urge to cry came back really strong. (Question: Is this form of crying socially acceptable? - No. Potential emotional breakdown? - Yes.)

Every indicator pointed to either a $900 high pressure fuel pump or a $1200 computer because this sputtering only happened at high RPM. Oh goody! Clyde Umphlete of Liberty Marine had offered to help but I knew that he was incredibility busy trying to keep up with summer business. With the cooling weather Clyde was able to pull away long enough for a test ride. Long story made short, Clyde found the problem. A clogged oxygen sensor was the culprit. A 'dog bone' valve in the sensor was making the engine run like a dog. But now, thanks to Clyde, it runs great. So good in fact, that a lesser man may have been tempted to cry!

** A link to Liberty Marine can be found in the sponsors section of this site. Just click on the Statue of Liberty. **

Crabb'in -n- Contrasts

2010-11-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

Working on the water constantly presents new challenges and unexpected treasures. Part of the data the SCK's collect is 'by-catch'. Incidental catch such as dogfish, blue crab, whelks, etc. are counted and recorded. A while back when we set out near a golf course we discovered a golf ball in a trap. Today, it was a sock. The mind swirls as we try to figure out how someone's sock gets into a crab trap. Is this even a local sock? Could it be from Bermuda or England or Morocco or ..... ? Well we saved the sock so if you recognize this sock as one that belongs to you or someone you know, feel free to contact the SCK and we will promptly return it to its rightful owner.

Just moments after dislodging a dirty sock from the clutches of a crab, Josiah turned and was struck by the splendor of the setting sun. From dirty sock to dancing sun rays, man is trashy, God is certainly good.

Temps Drop yet Crab are Active

2010-10-26T21:15:00.001-04:00

The whole SCK's crew is enjoying the luxury of having room to work aboard Dirt Claw'd. The engine is still surging at higher RPM's but runs beautifully at lower RPM's. I suspect we are loosing pressure at the fuel pump. Which is an expensive repair. Par for the course with this engine. However we are able to maneuver around the pots and get the job done.

The water temperatures have dropped to the mid 70's and the crab are still active. Last time we checked pots, we had mostly big males. Yesterday, we pulled mostly females. Quite odd, but interesting.

At present, our pots are now split between the south end of the Charleston Harbor Marine at Patriot's Point and across the harbor off the Battery at the Coast Guard Station.

FYI - You know you are dirty when you feel the need to scrub your clothes with the deck brush. Research is a dirty job but somebody has to do it! Well actually ... better these kids than me. I stay where it is clean and dry !

Video of the LowCountry Live Interview

2010-10-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

Appearance on LowCountry Live

2010-10-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

AnnahBelle and Sarah, as well as Kim Counts of SCDNR, appeared on the WCIV LowCountrry Live show this morning. They all did a great job. Dave Williams, who went out to pull pots with us Monday evening, conducted the interview. And as Kim answered Dave's questions, I learned details about our research project that I had never heard before. The original research project had been a three year grant. South Carolina had not lost its funding as much as the money, i.e. the grant, just ran out. Either way, the SCK's, are happy to continue the gathering of information.

The interview will be posted as soon as we receive a copy from the station.

As has become a custom, Dave Williams continued teaching the kids about the weather and the inner workings of a television production. The kids helped create the graphics for the news, assisted in the taping of a weather segment, tested their skills (or lack of) at announcing the weather in front of the 'green screen', toured the control room, and pretended to read copy from the news desk. And in the great tradition of home school moms, Kimberly counted this as a field trip.

After the show there was talk of the SCK's making another appearance during the holidays. This time we will do what everyone in the studio wants most of all .... cooking stone crab claws...which inherently involves the consumption thereof. All hail the dedicated folks at WCIV who are willings to eat stone crab for their ... fans.

TV Crew Rides Along

2010-10-11T21:41:00.001-04:00

The SCK's will be making another appearance on the Lowcountry Live program on Charleston's Channel 4 WCIV - ABC. David (Host) and Richard (Camera and Production) climbed aboard the F/V Dirt Claw'd to get video for the upcoming show. David is an avid saltwater fisherman and took to the pitching deck with ease. Richard, however, spent a few moments in a state of equilibrium challenge. As the SCK's began the process of pulling pots, harvesting claws, and recording data, it was Richard that got right into the action. Soon enough, he was leaning over the gunwale ... not from seasickness but rather filming with one hand and pulling pots aboard with the other. It may have been Richard who enjoyed the trip more than anyone.

Stan Jones (Harbor Master) of Charleston Harbor Marina graciously allowed us to used their docks to shuffle people on and off the boat, as well as putting us onto some nice stone crab at the south end of their marina. That made it super convenient for filming!

Kimberly (also know as Mom) stayed on the dock to take some pictures of the crew while we worked. Walking along the dock afforded her the unique opportunity to hear conversations from aboard various boats moored in the marina. Boaters explaining to other boaters who the SCK's were and what they were doing. It is always amazing how many people know about the Stone Crab Kids. Some with binoculars eyeing the operation and taking note of the camera crew. Sometimes, when filthy clothes cover the laundry room floor, when we consider re-decorating in a puff mud colored pattern to match the stains, or when the house has the faint scent of day old menhaden, we can forget just how wonderful it is to be blessed with these precious children. Oh yea ... and the dog too!

SCDNR Comes Aboard.

2010-10-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

The SCKs pulled pots with two of our friends from SCDNR (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources). Kim Counts and Gered Lennon may have thought they were acting as observers, but the SCKs enjoyed putting them to work pulling pots and recording data. And of course, Kim and Gered were delighted to get involved in the action. Kim is our immediate contact with SCDNR and provides watch care over the SCKs Research Project. Gered has a load of practical knowledge because he had conducted much of the stone crab research prior to SCDNR losing its funding.

The kids loved having them aboard and we caught crab. The girls impressed Gered with their teamwork and skill. However, to Capt. Dad, they seemed sloppy due to the silly, giggly factor being ramped up by having spectators aboard.

Both girls are still a little timid about harvesting the claws. Mostly because they are concerned about harming the crab. Improper harvesting can cause injury to the crab, many times leading to death. Gered, who has harvested 'many-a-claw' helped improve their technique. Both girls harvested claws with perfect results. Kim is always interested in the SCK's data collection and methods so she grabbed a pencil and 'dove right in'. There was a nasty rumor aboard that Kim didn't want to get muddy. So Sarah gladly brought the nasty mud to Kim along with animated explanations about how they collect data.

All in all it was a fun time on the water. The SCK's learned and they laughed as they were re-energized by and re-connected with our friends from SCDNR.

Spotted Carapace

2010-09-21T20:24:00.002-04:00

The SCKs asked SCDNR why this stone crab's back shell (called a carapace) was spotted. We had never seen a spotted or speckled carapace before.

Gered Lennon, who was actually one of the field researchers with SCDNR prior to the formation of the SCKs, responded with the following:

"It is hard to describe a stone crab. I have read descriptions. They are long and use the words “may or may not have….” commonly. They may or may not have that deep olive color. They may or may not have speckles. To make it worse the same crab may develop or over time, lose colors or spots. They do not use tattoos or body piercings."

As far as we know this is true ... we have yet to pull a stone crab with a tattoo or a body piercing. But if we do you, I can guarantee you that the SCKs will get lots of pictures.

Someone's always watching!

2010-09-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

At this point in our epic tale, you should know that I am the Captain of a silly crew of children. They are always watching, always hanging around, always seeking new heights with 'unusual attitudes'. And, forever making waves in a No Wake Zone!

The SKC's set back in the South Battery section of the Charleston Harbor, and it has continued to prove productive despite a poor showing on our earlier set. There are a lot more females here than there were in Wadmalaw Sound. But we haven't seen the young crab or babies in the harbor. However we did find one that was regenerating a new claw. That is always encouraging.

One interesting find was a stone crab with a spotted or speckled carapace (back shell). We will send a picture over to Kim Counts ( SCDNR ) and she will provide us with an explanation that we can share.

The kids can get the new boat just as muddy as they did the small one. But I am now far enough away from the action that I rarely get splattered. Surprisingly this boat is far easier to clean. With the 'raw water' wash down hose, the boat is pretty much clean by the time we get back to the landing.

The boat's clean. The kids are as filthy as ever !!!

Shorter Days

2010-09-12T19:00:00.000-04:00

Traveling back home at night is far more comfortable for a weary crew ( ... and an equally tired, faithful dog) inside of the cabin. Before Claw'd, the kids would sit in the bow of our old, open, center console boat joyfully spitting the hulls of sunflower seeds into the wind as it rushed by their innocent little heads. Of course, the wind was hurling passed them carrying their slimy seed hulls and slapping me in the face at 30 mph, not to mention the misting of the occasional ... 'dog sneeze'. Now you know why that in any of the pictures of Capt. Dad, he's always wearing sunglasses.

For those who are following the blog regularly, you know that due to a heavily tangled line, we lost a trap to the deep. Our only hope was that there was enough line extended so that at low tide the buoy may be able to reach the surface. Dead low tide was at 5:10 PM. So the first thing we did is search for any sign of that lost pot. But, the pot was no where to be found. So the SCK's checked and set back all their pots, including an a new pot we had brought along to replace the one that was lost. After setting back I noticed one pot way out of line with the rest. We counted back and realized we had one more pot than we had set. When Josiah snagged the buoy, there was no slack of extra line and the motion of the boat moving forward threaten to pull him over. Every bit of line was stretched out tightly to break the surface. As it came up, there was a huge tangle of line. We recovered our lost pot!!!

Research Note: When we left the South Battery side of the harbor, the stone crab where plentiful. Yesterday was the first time we've been back in months. The traps had a good number of good-size stone crab, however they were either harvested or had no claws at all. We go back tomorrow evening. Maybe it was an anomaly.

Deck Hand-ettes

2010-09-05T20:28:00.000-04:00

Early this Sunday morning, the girls and I went out to move pots to better grounds. And were greeted with a spectacular sunrise. A early fall chill was in the air and the waters were slick as glass.

Without Josiah in the boat, I fill in as the muscle. And the girls pitched in with the lighter tasks. While Sarah (8 yrs old) handled our boat, Claw'd, like a pygmy pro, AnnahBelle (10 yrs old) snagged the buoys.

( Editors Note: We say snag the buoys on our boat. It is common to say hook the buoy. Therefore on our boat the accompanying position would be a "snagger" rather than a ...... well, you get the idea. I can't quite bring myself to reference my precious little girls as ... the other. )

We were setting pots back into the South Battery portion of Charleston Harbor, I tossed a pot over board while Sarah keep pace with the boat. As the pot hit the water, I positioned my hand beneath the trailing line to monitor the feed and ensure that the trailing buoy cleared the deck. When I looked down I saw a rat's nest of tangle heading my way. Everyone's first instinct is to grab the tangle and try to free the mess before it goes over the side. And that would be a big, big mistake. Many a finger has been lost and deck hand pulled overboard attempting such a feat. The tangle disappeared below the surface as did the buoy with the
weight of the pot. Hopefully, there was enough length of line to allow the buoy to reach the surface at low tide.

Yesterday, my wise and beautiful wife, declared that there would be no more flip-flops while crabbing. This morning, a feisty little blue crab grabbed Sarah's finger hard enough to draw blood. She was supposed to be driving but got excited and stuck her bare hand into the pot. When I pulled the crab off of her, it dropped directly onto my foot, and grabbed my exposed toe ... hard enough to draw blood. Why was my toe exposed ... flip-flops! A wise wife is a precious thing!

A Big Surprise and a Huge Blessing

2010-08-31T06:41:00.000-04:00

We posted earlier that the Stone Crab Kids did their first public research presentation in front of an extremely gracious crowd. The West Ashley Outboard Motor Club (WAOMC) located in Charleston SC, invited the SCK's to their monthly meeting. And what started out to be a 10 minute presentation lasted well over 30 minutes. The folks at the WAOMC asked lots of questions and the SCK's surprised everybody ( including me ) with their knowledge of stone crabs and their research.

A short time later, a letter addressed to the SCK's showed up in the mail. The kids opened the envelope to find a donation check. They were stunned. What a wonderful surprise.

As good and as timely as that check was the real blessing was that the folks at WAOMC asked the SCK's to come back. But this time the club members wanted to bring their children and grandchildren to hear the SCK's presentation.

How sweet it is ... when people want to share our family with their families.

F/V Dirt Claw'd Underway - Kinda !

2010-08-29T21:01:00.003-04:00

On a drizzling afternoon the research gang took the Fishing Vessel (F/V) Dirt Claw'd and casted off with Josiah at the helm. All the kids spend time at the wheel for fun, experience, and safety reasons. Most folks understand fun and experience, but safety may need a little explanation. On many occasions, because of soccer practices, ballet lessons (not Josiah), school work, etc., I will be out with just one of my children. In the event that something should happen to me, each of my children are versed in the handling of the vessel, navigation, VHF radio transmission, and distress signaling. A good Captain's responsibility, especially a Captain who's the Daddy, is to his crew and passengers.

I had been telling the kids that if they learned to handle a small single engine boat that they could easily handle a larger vessel. Weight and engine power make a tremendous difference. Twin engines even more so. The boat we have been using is 17ft. Dirt Claw'd is 28 ft long. As Josiah pulled away from the dock his smiling face lent credence to what had been formally just words. "Claw'd" is an delight to maneuver through the water.

Unfortunately, the engine still isn't running correctly. In my very limited knowledge of outboard engine repair, I believe it is a coil. It will run smoothly until that coil heats up and then it begins to skip. Badly. With six coils mounted on the engine, the trick is to determine which one is the culprit.

Dirt Clawed's Adventure - Sarah

2010-08-23T21:12:00.001-04:00

Friday our family finally got on the water in our new boat named Dirt Claw'd. And finally ...CLAW'D WORKS! One hour later. IT DOESN'T WORK! Capt. Dad thought a piece of trash got in the injector .EEEEERRRRR. Wrong! But then I thought that as well, so maybe I should keep my mouth s.h.u.t. Our boat fixer (Mr.Whitney - Top Photo) cleaned every thing but it still didn't work. So then we thought the plugs might be fouling because the rings may not be 'seated in' yet.). So we cleaned the thing-a-ma-gig and the engine still wouldn't work. Either this boat engine is stubborn or we just don't know what's going on. Then we checked the coils and all fuel pumps and now we will see if Mr. Wittney can do anything. He's going to try for one more day. We're hoping you get it fixed Mr. Whitney!

Thank you.
Sarah

Crab'n is serious business.

2010-08-14T14:17:00.003-04:00

As anyone who watches the Discovery Channel's 'Deadliest Catch' knows, crab'n is serious business. Some of the lingo and techniques the SCK's use on the research vessel comes directly from watching "king crab pros" like Edgar Hansen, the Harris brothers, Mike Fortner, and Jake Anderson crabbing on the Bering Sea. And in the spirit professional courtesy the Stone Crab Girls want to share a crabbing ritual for catching more crab. OK 'Deadliest Catch' folks .... watch and learn !!!

We will be watching for a little patty cake action in the upcoming season. As Capt. Sig might say "Just 'shut up' and patty cake !!!"

The babies are here! The babies are here!

2010-08-07T18:44:00.001-04:00

We have been amazed at how long we can set-back on the same plot of river real estate and continue to pull crab. The blue crabbers have moved in into the area and moved on while we continue to harvest healthy amounts of stone crab. But a couple of weeks, ago we started seeing fewer big males, more females, and a larger number of small juvenal crab (those with claws 1 1/2" to 2", legal size is 2 3/4"). However, we do not yet have our larger boat so we can not afford to follow the crab further out into larger water. Aside from that, afternoon thunderstorms have kept us 'on the hill' (on dry land).

This morning the forecast called for more storms, but a break in the weather allowed AnnahBelle and me to venture out and check the traps. The harvest was typical, and minimal as we had suspected. Mostly females too small even if we wanted to harvest.

Then AnnahBelle pulled a pot with absolutely nothing inside but all the bait was gone. Octopus? Blue crab? Dog fish? Nooooo !!! Baby stone crab. The mud in the bottom of the trap was seeded with baby stone crab. Most about a 1/4" across the carapace ( outer shell across the back ). We didn't disturb them, but, later AnnahBelle did spot a larger baby stone crab ( about 3/4" ) that we felt comfortable handling.

What a neat blessing, if we had moved on we would have completely missed the hatchery.

Our pots have been shanghaied and convert into daycare centers!

Dr. Strange Pot

2010-07-31T20:39:00.000-04:00

Spend enough time on the water and you will come across all kinds of things floating along. As a family, we always try to bring back a load of trash. Not hard to do with the amount of litter casting along with the currents.

The brush we use to clean the mud from the deck we found bobbing along. Josiah climbed up into the marsh to fetch a colorful kite that caught his sister's eye. Our bait bucket was another gift from the sea.

I have never seen but had heard stories about vast islands of trash swirling around in the ocean where the currents collide. Our friend, Frankie Eubanks, says there is one such trash heap off the coast of Virginia where the Gulf Stream curls off the coast above the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When he commercial fished they would go to the 'trash plie' if they needed coolers, cushions, gaffs, and all manner of items, nautical or not.

In my time at crab fishing I have pulled my share of peculiar bits from below. Once while crabbing behind an old plantation, I pulled a pot with confederate money caught in the mesh. Along that money theme, in the middle of a string of 'good pots' (traps full of crab), I pulled a blank (trap with nothing in it). I had been robbed. When I noticed an envelope in the bait well. Along with a roll of cash was a note that read, "We anchored here for the night and got hungry. Hope this covers the cost of dinner."

Today Sarah pulled a trap that topped the puzzling chart for me. Let me remind you that a stone crap trap has only one 'gate' (entrance) located directly on top. She open the lid and pulled out a ... golf ball!

Did I hear anyone say ... hole in one!

Stone Crab Helpful Hints

2010-07-25T19:50:00.001-04:00

The SCK's received a 'kind' email from a fellow crab lover in Wilmington, NC. In part, his email expressed the lack of information available on the web about stone crab, which has prompted me to compile a list of helpful hints we have discovered, stumbled over, repented from, or had gracious folks share with us after we really messed up badly. Note: The former sentence should provide some insight into the SCK's standard research method. Pretty sad isn't it?

1. Stone crabs bury themselves in the mud for the winter. Early in the spring, we discovered that the first stone crab came out of the mud in very shallow water. Local crabbers told us that it was because the shallow water allowed the mud to warm up faster. Hence, the crab climbed out earlier.

2. Firm mud is around oyster banks have been the best inshore harvesting grounds.

3. The type of bait ( pig feet, chicken, menhaden, venison, etc. ) did not make as much difference as much as the 'double thaw'. A researcher from Duke University taught us that freezing, thawing, re-freezing, prior to baiting produces the best scent trail. The flesh cell structure is significantly damaged during the second freeze and quickly breaks down in the water during the second thaw. Flesh is water soluble. Oil is not.

4. Harvesting claws is a learned skill that just takes practice. Take a look at Josiah's harvesting video in the how-to section of the blog. If meat is hanging off of the claw when harvested it is likely that the crab will die. However, even the best harvester is going to grab a crab that has just molted and .... break off the whole joint. The fact is when harvesting, some crabs are going to die. That's why the SCK's harvest only from male stone crabs.

5. Boil and blanch the claws as soon after harvesting as possible. But in the meantime soak them in a bucket of water fresh from the river, not ice made from fresh water. The salt within the claw will absorb the fresh water diluting the flavor. It will also raise the claw weight which is an old crabber's trick for getting more pounds of catch. Same works for shrimp. Another reason not to use ice is that we have found that the meat sticks if we use ice prior to blanching.

6. Use a little vinegar in the boiling water, not enough to taste but a little vinegar will help keep the meat from sticking within the claw.

7. A stone crab can pinch with nearly four times more pressure than an alligator can bite. So ... keep your fingers away from those claws. However, should you find yourself in the grip of a stone crab claw, don't panic, and place the crab on its back. Stone crabs are similar to alligators in that when they are placed on their back, they tend to relax. He will either relax enough to get finger free or you can roll the claw across his belly and snap the claw.

I'll post more tips later. However if any of our visitors have any tips you want to share ... please send them on. The Lord knows we can use all the help we can get !!!

SCK's first research presentation !!!!!

2010-07-23T22:07:00.003-04:00

Last night the SCK's did their first research presentation to the West Ashley boat club. The kids did great and the club members were quite gracious.

Sarah explained about the data collection and how to determine males from females.

Josiah discussed the difference between blue crabs and stone crabs, as well as demonstrating the difference between the types of traps.

AnnahBelle explained about how strong the stone crabs are: a human can grasp at a max of 300 psi, an alligator bites at about 5,000 psi, and a stone crab can pinch at 19,000 psi. Try to imagine something clamping down on your finger three plus times harder than an alligator.

AnnahBelle also did a crab claw cracking demonstration which went over huge. Folks gathered around and did some serious crackin' and eat'in!

Sarah found some good eat'in of her own!!! Ice Cream!!!

Dark Skies and Lightening Strikes.

2010-07-22T16:59:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow the 'Stone Crab Kids' give their first presentation in front of about 40-50 fellow mariners. AnnahBelle is going to demonstrate how to crack open claws and we thought it would be a neat idea to have some cooked claws there for folks to try to crack and eat.

This afternoon we checked the weather forecast ( lights breeze and 10% chance of T-storms ) and went out to pull traps to gather claws for the presentation. As we prepared to pull the last couple of traps the skies rumbled and clouds rolled. Soon columns of rain appeared in the distance and lightening strikes darted to the ground. We were about to get every bit of 9.999% of the projected 10% chance of T-storms.

The light breeze had had a gentle ripple to the river. The on-coming weather churned the dark water into a confused chop. It was going to get rough and it was going to get rough fast. I powered up, headed away from the storm, and tied fenders ( flexible bumpers that keep the boat from banging against the dock ) to the rail. Nearby was a private dock with a covered shelter area. As I turned the boat into the current to dock, the wind abruptly shoved the boat up against the dock. Amen for fenders.

We all survived unscathed and we didn't get nearly as wet as we could have.

Sometimes late at night I get anxious about putting my family through the upheaval to get this new boat ready to fish. But after a day like this ... I want that covered helm and a cabin to keep my children and the other little researchers that desire to tag along, out of harm's way.

Buying this boat may have a been a stretch but the alternative .... really stinks!

* Photos by - Josiah

Mudded In

2010-07-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

A Spring Tide is a tide just after and just before a new or full moon where the difference between high and low tide is the greatest.

During spring tides, the creek where our landing is located gets very low. Yesterday, we tried to pull some traps early before going to church ... but we couldn't get back to the landing. Although the kids could walk on water ... we missed church anyway!

Another thing that happens when the tides pull hard is that the water fills our traps with mud, trash, and silt. This 'mudding in' of the traps reduces the catch as well as seating the traps to the muddy bottom. Some traps can get so deeply set in the mud that we have to tie the buoy line to a cleat and use the boat to pull the trap free.

Soak Time, the length of time that a trap stays in the water between pulls, can make a difference as well. In Florida they soak pots 7 to 14 days. Here in South Carolina, if we let the pots set that long they will get seated to the bottom. So, we try to work on less than 7 day soak times, two and three day soaks if we can. However, work and school schedules play a role in how often we can check pots.

Editor's Video Comment: I believe the correct nautical term for my children's behavior is .... mutiny !!!

Fixing Up 'Dirt Clawd' and Getting Ready

2010-07-13T18:19:00.000-04:00

While we are waiting for the engine's power head to be rebuilt, the girls and I took some time to work on Dirt Clawd's appearance. The previous owner had mounted stereo speakers in the gunwales. (Gunwales are the upper edges of the wall of a ship. Originally, gun walls were, of course, where the guns were mounted.) The girls helped me design, build, paint, and stain inserts for the open cavities for additional storage. And, we did all the work in our garage.

With the truck loaded with cabinets and tools we drove over to DeBose Marine where Whitney DeBose is rebuilding the engine. He graciously allowed us to invade his parking area and install the cabinets.

And, we also re-mounted a bench that Capt. Dad had removed prior to realizing that the girls would be irrevocably emotionally scarred if the bench was not available for them to perch upon like .... some sort of maritime medieval 'girl-goyles'.

Whitney DeBose says that the engine will be back together Friday and he will begin the 'break-in' process by idling the engine for a couple of hours on double oil. Saturday morning I will ride along for the final several hours of break-in on the water. If all goes as planned ... the Stone Crab Kids should be pulling pots Saturday afternoon on their beloved 'Dirt Clawd'.

Snagging the Buoy.

2010-07-06T16:15:00.000-04:00

Time is money ... especially in the fishing industry. The largest expenditure of time is pulling pots. And, the greatest expenditure of fuel is consumed traveling between pots. A seasoned fisherman knows how far apart to place his pots to minimize the distance between while maximizing the amount of crabs caught. Not too far ... not too close.

Crab fishing is a fuel economy nightmare. Up on plane to the next pot. Then drop into the hole and idle. Then back on top to the next pot. Up and Down. Full throttle, then idle. Back and forth. All day. A good crabber can pull as many as 400 pots a day.

Establishing a rhythm aids the process: 1) Drop in the hole aside the buoy. 2) Hook the buoy. 3) Retrieve the line. 4) Pull the pots on board. 5) Harvest and cull crab. 6) Re-bait. 7) Set the pot back.

Now, an important trick is hooking or snagging the buoy. As we have mentioned before, we approach the buoy from the downstream side so that the line is stretched out up stream of the buoy. That keeps us from running over the line which could tangle the line in the propeller or cutting it. Right when the boat reaches the buoy, we pull back on the throttle, put the engine in neutral, and glide forward up the line. That way there is the maximum amount of slack line to readily bring aboard.

So, what happens if a buoy is missed? Missing that buoy as it come by wastes time, energy, fuel, .... money! So on our crab boat, if you miss a buoy and the boat has to be turned around ... you owe the captain ... a root beer!

So Capt. Dad is employing a Missed Buoy, Root Beer Count. If a SCK misses a buoy, that kid owes Capt. Dad a root beer. If Capt. Dad makes a bad approach and causes the miss, then he owes the whole crew a root beer.

This could get .... sud-sy !!!

'Dirt Claw'd' is home !!!

2010-07-01T21:03:00.001-04:00

Josiah and I got up at 4:00AM Saturday morning and drove to New Bern, NC to pick up the BIG boat ... christened ... Dirt Claw'd !

We spent Saturday and Sunday learning about fiberglass and gelcoat work. Frankie spent extra time with Josiah making sure he was up to speed. And, he sent me to the store for materials. I am starting to suspect Frankie thinks I'm ... worthless. Naaaay! I'm just a safe driver.

There is still a lot of aesthetic work to do. But, we have to remember .... this is a crab boat. And, they are going to be scraping pots up the sides.

The new floor was put in the cuddy cabin and the first coat of gelcoat applied. The seals in the hydraulic steering were changed. Chips and nicks patched and painted. New bow rail to be mounted. Lots of sanding and buffing. Hubs greased, gas'd up, and we're ready to head back.

And after a weary six hour drive back to Charleston SC, Dirt Claw'd was home and getting a much needed bath.

Now let's get this engine rebuilt and get on the crab !!!

Cracking Crab Claws - AnnahBelle

2010-06-15T20:18:00.000-04:00

A plate full of cooked stone crab claws is a 'beautiful thing to behold'. But once they're cooked ... how do you get to the sweet, white meat?

AnnahBelle ( 10 years old ) is going to show you a technique we use in our house for cracking crabs. Works get. Especially with kids

Editor's Note: She's going to show you how to "eat" them as well !!!

Determining Male or Female - by Sarah

2010-06-10T17:11:00.000-04:00

Part of the data that the SKC's need to collect is a count of how many crabs are males and how many are females.

Females with the blazing orange egg sponges are easy to recognized.

But how do you determine the difference if there is no sponge. Sarah ( age 8 ) explains.

Father's Day Interview

2010-06-07T22:03:00.002-04:00

Kelly Golden of WSC 94.3FM did another interview with Capt.Dad on the Carolina Now radio program.

" Father's Day Interview"

It is no stretch to say, that these three precious children, along with their lovely mother, provide daily blessings to my life beyond any ability for words or hugs to express.

SCK's get a new DNR representative.

2010-06-04T21:24:00.001-04:00

Those that have been following the SCK's for some time now may remember our SCDNR contact, Jason Powers. Well, Jason was offered some fancy, smancy job in some far away land called Washington DC. He will be assisting states in the development of renewable energy resources. Jason was a great help and a friend to us. He will certainly be missed by all. However the SCK's are now blessed to have Kim Counts working with us. And, the kids already thinks she's terrific.

Kim went for her first ride along with the SCK's as we pulled prospect pots in our continuing effort to find stone crabs along the inland waterways. And for the first time in weeks .... we had stone crabs in our traps.

Now comes the opportunity to figure out why they are hanging out in this particular area.

Possibilities may be:
1. Food Sources
2. Water Temperature
3. Saturated Oxygen Levels
4. Salinity
5. ?

If you have an idea we would love to add it to our list. stonecrabkids@comcast.net

The area in which we found them was a large open shoal along the ICW ( Intracoastal Waterway ) called Wadmalaw Sound. There are loads of oyster banks and the bottom is muddy but fairly hard. Interesting note: the first prospect pot we pulled was right up against an oyster flat and not a single crab. We thought we were going to have to search out another area. Then just across the sound up against another flat .... booyah! Harvestable size stone crabs. Big males like the one AnnahBelle is holding as well as females with egg sponges. No apparent difference in habitat ... just opposite sides of the sound. Why? That question will drive us nuts!

But not as nuts as pulling empty pots. Booyah!

Big Splash of a Landing !!!

2010-05-30T23:38:00.001-04:00

A little help from Liberty !!!

2010-05-26T20:44:00.006-04:00

As we continue to search for the crabs in the inland back waters, the kids repeat lines from Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. Complete with all the bleeps! Sarah slams her fist and exclaims, "I want the crab count and I want it now!" A regular Jr. Capt Sig. Never a dull moment with this gang.

And a special thanks to Clyde Umphlette of Liberty Marine ( a link to Liberty's website is in the Friends Section of the sidebar ). He met us in the river to tune the engine. I jumped into Clyde's boat and he hopped in ours. Josiah drove while Clyde did his magic. Now the engine runs GREAT !!! After we switched back, Josiah said, "Dad, Mr. Clyde trusted me to drive while he worked." "Yes he did son. He sure did." Josiah is a good 'hand' (deckhand), he has more time at the helm than most adults, he can read the water, and understands the rules of the road.

Clyde's help was sorely needed because a good steady idle is important while pulling pots. We approach the pot from down stream so the boat is heading directly into the current. This does a couple of things. One, the buoy will be at the end of the outstretched line so there is little chance of getting the prop entangled. Secondly, it allows the driver to move gently up the line toward the trap so that the 'striker' (the person pulling the pot) is taking up slack rather than taut line. That makes a difference after pulling a pile of pots.

I have the only 11 year old who smells like Ben Gay!

Loosing Traps / Slicing Buoys

2010-05-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

Commercial crabbers make their living pulling pots. They are able to retrieve them via a line tied to a buoy which floats at the surface. Placing pots ( traps ) out of the designated traffic routes keeps the buoy out of harm's way. However with the warming weather, recreational boaters are filling the waterways. And our buoys are getting hit.

Many boaters drive over crab buoys without fully realizing the damage that can be caused. Getting a pot line wrapped around your propeller can mean hours of cutting globs of entangle line. Or you could be facing a serious repair bill after the gears and seals of your engine foot are rebuilt.

Either way, the pot is lost to the bottom. As if we needed more debris along the bottom. And the crabber has lost the cost of his trap ( typically $50 ) and the value of his catch.

Frequently Asked Questions

2010-05-18T20:03:00.024-04:00

Q: How much does SCDNR pay the Stone Crab Kids for the research?
A: They don't pay us at all. The project lost its funding and we were asked if we would take over the last year of data collection.

Q: Does SCDNR offer any support at all?
A: Yes. But not with money or equipment. They graciously answer our many questions, identify species of by-catch, and most importantly, teach us the scientific method of accurately collecting data.

Q: What does it take to collect data?
A: Boat, engine, traps, buoys, bait, fuel, oil, general maintenance, decent weather, as well as time and muscle. Lot and lots of muscle.

Q: How often do you check the traps?
A: We use different soak times to discern different results. 3 days / 7 days / 10 days

Q: How many crabs do you catch per trap?
A: That also varies with soak time, location, and bait. Typically we will get 5 to 9 per trap.

Q: Do you catch anything else in the traps?
A: Yes, but not as much as you might suspect. Our by-catch is generally blue crab, spider crabs, dog fish, carolina hake, etc.

What just happened?

2010-05-14T07:18:00.003-04:00

Why is Frankie smiling?
To keep from crying!

Three days from hauling the new research vessel back to Charleston, the engine seized during its final test run. A piston ring on the #4 cylinder broke free. The light coloration of the center piston is the splattering of melted aluminum. The other cylinders and pistons are absolutely perfect. It was likely a manufacture's defect that never manifested itself because of the light use and low hours generated by the previous owner. Although losing the engine was a huge blow, I have to step back, put down the temptation to be anxious, and be grateful that this didn't happen in bad seas with a load of children aboard.

Thanks to Capt. Marty of SeaTow Morehead City NC for getting up from the dinner table and hauling us back to the landing.

It will take at least 2 months to secure the funds and rebuild the engine. In the meantime, the SCKs are turning inland. It is a common belief the stone crabs are not suppose to be in the warm, shallow water this time of year. However, I can no longer risk following them into the open waters. It's just too rough for our small boat. If we spend this time pulling blanks (empty traps) then we can provide scientific proof that the 'stones' are seeking saltier, cooler water. But, if we find pockets of 'stones' in the back water, that, in itself, should be of interest to SCDNR.

When the engine is rebuilt we will resume our original strategy.

Sooooo......in the meantime, we are rising up, keeping our word to SCDNR, pressing forward, and finishing what we have started.

Claw Harvest -Video

2010-05-07T21:46:00.011-04:00

The following is our first attempt to video aboard our current ( quite small ) boat. Josiah is attempting to demonstrate how to harvest a stone crab claw without harming the crab. Aside from the poor video and audio as well as his large gloves blocking the view, notice how the water is pitching us around. We need the new boat, and we need it badly! I should be hauling it back to Charleston the 15th or 16th of this month. Not a moment to soon for this Captain and his pygmy crew.

Licensed Professionals?

2010-04-30T20:12:00.001-04:00

It started off simple enough. We were just going to put the boat in the water, and see whether or not the engine setup needed to be adjusted.

First thing, I needed to run the cable for the sonar up to the depth finder at the helm. A ten minute job at best. However, the cable was about 6 feet short, and an extension had to be ordered. So, I moved the depth finder and mount from the dash to get it out of the way until the extension arrived.

Frankie needed to pick up a new Tahoe he had purchased, and left me to unbolt the foot from the engine so he could change the impeller in the water pump. A simple enough job, especially since he had shown me all seven bolts. I removed all the bolts, but the foot won't budge. As it turned out, there were eight bolts.

After removing the foot from the engine, Frankie began to change out the impeller that moves cooling water through the engine. I tried to assist, as Frankie insisted it was a simple job. (Editor's Note: That's exactly what he said about removing the bolts in the foot.)

We remounted the foot and hitched the trailer to Frankie's old truck. That seemed to go pretty well. However, the truck's electrical plugs didn't match the hook up on the trailer. So, I was going to follow behind the boat as we went to the Citgo gas station. No problem.

When we got to the gas station, Frankie went to the second entrance. A median had been recently installed, and he wasn't able to turn in to the station. So ..... presuming that I was still behind him doing what I was asked, Frankie took off down the road. I darted out to find the same median issue. Which ... put me going the wrong way down a one way street. Oh fun! And, some of the locals were waving at me. Well ... they were signaling something with their hands, anyway.

As Frankie disappeared into the horizon, I got turned around and found him happily at the next station. We put gas in the boat and headed for the landing. What could possibly go wrong now?

At the landing, I parked to the side while Frankie backed the boat down the ramp to the water. As the boat pitched over the edge and down the ramp, the hitch broke free from the ball on the truck. Thankfully, the safety chains caught the trailer and kept the boat from rolling down into the river. The trailer had a 2 5/8" hitch and we had placed it on a 2' ball. Not good!

After switching out tow balls to the proper size, the boat was easily off-loaded into the water. Life was certainly good now!

While I rechecked our safety equipment, Frankie cranked the engine to see a solid, strong stream of water pushing out of the cooling pump. A very good sign! I cast off the line and pushed us out into the river. Frankie exclaimed, "Let's see what she will do," and put the engine in gear. In gear! In gear? The engine would not go in forward, or reverse. We were adrift! Not so good!

Now the wind was carrying us out into the river and toward a rock jetty. Frankie grabbed the anchor and pitched it out toward the landing. The anchor gripped the bottom, stopping the drift. Frankie pulled on the anchor rope and started moving us in the direction of the landing. As we would approach the anchor, he'd retrieve it and throw it back out as far as he could toward the landing. We were about two good throws from the dock when someone (me!) thought it would be funny to ask an older gent nearby in a kayak to pull us in. Obviously, the suggestion was absurd. His vessel weighed 100 lbs. and we weighed 7000 lbs. Apparently, he thought I was serious. I 'should' have had the heart to tell him I was only kidding.

By the time he got the anchor line and tied it around himself, we were about ten throws away from the dock. He headed out for the dock at full paddle speed. About 70 ft. from the boat he hit the end of the anchor line. (Editor's Note: Remember, he tied the line around himself, and he is in a ... kayak.) He hit the end of the line, and his momentum, coupled with our drift in the opposite direction, jerked him completely out of the kayak. Like a Looney Tunes cartoon character. Except not as funny. OK ... it was a little bit funny!

He struggled and failed several times to re-enter his kayak. At one point he yelled out, "I'm in trouble here!" and asked for me to pull him to our boat so he could re-board. When I got him along side, I stabilized his kayak and he climbed back in eager to continue his efforts on our behalf. Again, I should have told him I was kidding. Now, we are about fifteen anchor throws from the dock. Things are really going good now!

He took off again with the rope while Frankie continued to chunk the anchor. That's about the time we hear the sirens. Apparently, the people on shore saw this man thrashing around in the water yelling, "I'm in trouble!" They put two and two together and got 911. That would be four rescue vehicles, including a fire truck and a rescue boat. You'd think that while they were already on site, they would have helped us. You'd be thinking wrong!

Mr. Kayak eventually handed the anchor line to someone on the dock, and quite soon, the boat was back on the trailer and out of the water. Thanks for the ... help?

Because things are going sooooo well, we decided to remove the foot from the engine right there at the landing. Sliding the foot down from the engine Frankie spotted the problem...a simple misalignment of a pin. (Editor's Note: Frankie had help originally mounting the foot from someone who shall remain nameless.)

With the foot reassembled, we backed the boat into the water, and prior to getting unhooked from the trailer, we tested the shift mechanisms. And it worked!!!! I fixed it!!! No wait ... Frankie did that. I did the other.

Within minutes we were underway. And the engine ran great. However, as we powered up, we saw that the engine needed to be moved up about eight inches. And even though the engine was dragging in the water as if we were pulling a skier, the engine had lots of power. That's what we needed to see. So, it was back to the landing.

Frankie backed the trailer down the ramp and loaded the boat. That's when I heard the big bang and popping sound. (Editor's Note: This time I actually had nothing to do with this particular issue.) It is my understanding that the drive shaft lying on the pavement is a bad thing. However, Frankie bought a new Tahoe today, and that's a good thing. About the same time we got the boat on the trailer and out on the water with his new Tahoe, the towing company was there to haul the senior truck back to the shop.

The next morning I discovered the full extent of my boat trailering expertise. I said it was on the trailer. I said nothing about it being on straight. In fact, it is this exact angle that assists in rain water draining most efficiently from the starboard scupper. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Now let me answer the most obvious questions.

1. No. There was no alcohol involved.
2. Yes. It is amazing that we have lived as long as we have without a crippling injury.
3. No. You should not try these things at home. Frankie and I are trained, licensed professionals.
4. Yes. It is an embarrassment to the USCG that Frankie and I are licensed professionals.

(Editor's Note: After we get finished with this vessel, we will be free to work on other people's boats. Please form an orderly line.)

Relocating Pots

2010-04-20T19:08:00.000-04:00

While Josiah and AnnahBelle were at soccer practice tonight, Sarah and I pulled pots and began the process of relocating them to the harbor. We set pots out around the south end of the battery down to the Coast Guard station. This will put us closer to the boat landing and to the Charleston Crab House. With the bigger boat there will be a bigger fuel bill so distance is critical.

The harbor is bigger, salty water. However lately we have been finding the most crab in the shallow back waters. Our target is to start supplying the Charleston Crab House in May. The SCKs have two weeks to find enough crabs in the harbor to fulfill our quota.

We did have a pretty good catch!
16 claws weighing a total of 3 lbs. 11 oz.

Sarah pulled every pot herself. She did a great job. And she caught something special ... a female stone crab with eggs. The orange is a sponge sack where she keeps her eggs.

As the water warms, now nearly 70F, we are starting to catch some on the pig's feet, and one claw was particularly big.... as big as a little girl's hand.

Loaded and Cranked

2010-04-18T17:21:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we had a gang of folks helping to get the boat loaded on the new trailer, as well as getting engines swapped and rigged. And, we needed the help. The plan was to have a crane on site to make the transfer. However, a Lull was the only piece of equipment available. A Lull is an all-terrain forklift with an extending boom, and articulating forks.

Alyssa, Frankie's eldest child, climbed aboard to lap the strap over the rigging.

Frankie gently lifted the bow of the boat off the cribbing (blocks of wood stacked to support the weight). The bow had to be lifted high enough to allow me to back the trailer beneath the bow, but, not so high as to rock the stern off of the aft supports and cribbing.

Once the trailer was far enough beneath the boat to support the weight of the front half of the boat, Frankie rigged the stern to be lifted. While Carl, yet another Frankie relative, cranked the bow up to the trailer's pulpit.

And voila!! Actually three hours later. 'Clawd' is re-trailered.

Frankie exchanged engines, hooked up the electrical, rigged the hydraulic steering, attached the fuel lines, replaced the oil reservoir, and drained the old gas out of the fuel tank. I put up ... two lights in the pilot house. And, I am ashamed to say, Alyssa had to help me do that! At present my major talent in this project is running to the store to get Frankie a soda.

New Boat - by Sarah

2010-04-16T20:23:00.000-04:00

Started 4/12/10
We got a new boat!!!!! And it's huge. A 28 footer with and under-door-deck. I think we're good. It's bottom painted and we named it "Clawed". We've got some more work to do. We've got to put the new engine on, replace the floor and a good bit more.

A few days later
Daddy bought a 9000 lb. trailer today to carry the boat.

Mr. Frankie is taking the old engine off and going to put the new engine on with a big crane.

And tomorrow Mr. Frankie and Daddy are going to pick up the boat with the crane and put it on the trailer.

Capt. Daddy says"It will take 3 weeks until it's ready".

Thank you.
Sarah

.38 Special

2010-04-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

The girls (Sarah, left and Annah Belle, right) went to New Bern, NC with me yesterday to paint the bottom of the boat. And, they actually got some of the paint on the boat. We used a copper based ablative paint which is design to wear off gradually as the boat moves through the water. Kinda like soap. This makes it hard for mollusks, sea grasses, and barnacles to stick to the hull.

Josiah and I went out to check traps after church today. Last time we were out, the crabs had moved on us. The question was did they go offshore, or inland? Of course, Capt. Dad, in his vast experience as a crabber, decided to move the traps inland, and ... jack pot! We caught 38 stone crabs. Of course, Capt. Dad is also hoping you don't remember that he didn't have the option of chasing them offshore because our boat is too small. Details! Details!

Many of the crabs were much larger than we had been catching prior. Maybe the big ones had been inland the entire time. We'll find out as our research year wraps around to the season in 2011.

We are hoping the new, bigger boat will be ready the first of May. Then the entire team, including Jas, the brainless border collie, can all be aboard. Until then we are collecting data the best we can and practicing our craft.

One special treat we saw today was a stone crab regenerating his claw. We should see many more of these in the latter portion of the season (October / November) as the claws we are harvesting now begin to re-grow.

Josiah harvested two claws from the harbor pots and two claws from the Folly Island pots. These will be cooked, cracked and eaten to see how the meat is filling out the shell. "It's a tough job, but we do it for the love of science."

Slow Going. Really Slow.

2010-04-04T08:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we pulled traps at the low end of a spring tide, and made several observations. One observation was no stone crabs. When I say no, I actually should say only two in eleven traps. Either the spring tide has them 'off' or they have moved either offshore or deeper inland. So, we moved three of the traps closest to the ocean and reset them further inland. We caught one legal size male and a small guy with no claws. Stone crabs can survive and feed with no claws but they are defenseless. So, the kids decided to put him back in the trap so he would be safe from the red-fish and other predators. He will have plenty to eat inside of the trap. And he will need plenty of energy to regenerate two new claws. An interesting aside of the SCKs collective concern for his well-being is that we will get to watch as his claws begin to reform.

We continued to catch spider crabs, more this trip than ever before. And, no mollusks after having hundreds per trap last week.

It took the SCK almost 4 hours to work 11 traps. To offer some form of reference, I use to pull and work 65-80 in that same length of time. Soooo ..... the realization has set in ...... this venture will NOT be for profit. Well, when I say no profit, I should actually say that the people I buy traps from will profit. The folks I buy bait from will profit. The gas station will profit. But Capt. Dad .... he's gonna suck some serious wind! Conclusion: We're just going to have fun!

I am still trying to get the SCKs organized as a team, to hook the buoys, teach them to handle the crabs, and how not to get their feet tangled up in the ropes. As we moved down the line of traps, I noticed that AnnahBelle was moving slower and slower. During a break between traps I looked down and she had seven, like in the number '7,' spider crabs wrapped up in her shirt like an apron. She was going to keep them for pets. Yep, this is going to cost Capt. Dad a small fortune. But we will have fun building lots of memories!

Editors Note: Spider Crabs are not suitable as pets. At least not in my house!

"Floaters"-by Sarah ( age 8 )

2010-04-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered what floaters are? Well, I've got good news. A floater happens after a crab has puffed itself with water. Well, you see the crab says to himself, "Hum, I'm think'in I need a bigger shell." So, he peals his shell off (these crabs are called 'pealers' ) and puffs up his new, soft shell with water. Kinda like a Puffer Fish, but the crab can't unpuff. So, when his shell hardens, he looks big but only has a little meat inside of the big claws.

A few days ago we caught 10 claws. They were all floaters, so they only had a little bit of meat, but I heard they were good. I didn't eat any because I don't like crab.

When we cooked the claws in hot water they floated because there was a lot of shell and a little bit of meat and a yellow colored gel that was turning into meat.

Daddy says we are going to wait another month before we start selling claws so that they will be full of meat.

P.S. The SCDNR people want to come and get on are new boat. We named the boat 'Clawd' .

Menhaden does the trick. - by AnnahBelle

2010-03-30T09:01:00.000-04:00

We caught 10 stone crab on our first catch ....

... and no one got hurt.

It was fun on my first time de-clawing. My job was to rebait the traps.

All the claws weighed 1lb 14.3oz. And they were good!

Our by-catch was several spider crabs, a couple of conchs, snails, and a little fish.

Thanks, AnnahBelle

Let's talk some crab.

2010-03-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

About two weeks ago the stone crabs made their first appearance of the 2010 season. Johnny Soesbee, a local crabber, reported that he is catching stone crab in his blue crab traps on the back side of the narrow seaward islands. That makes perfect sense... high salinity and oysters. The shallow water allows the sun to heat the bottom mud faster. And, the water temperature is consistently running from 58-60F. Josiah helped move traps from the harbor reaches to the barrier islands. We baited heavy with pig feet to see what would happen. And...we got our first piece in interesting 'research' information.

Over the past week or so we have being concentrating nine of our traps just behind Folly Island. While crabbers all around us were catching loads of 'stones', we netted... an excessive amount of mud, tons of snails, two dog fish, one spider crab, and ... one little stone crab. Pig's feet are the bait of choice in Florida, but the water is warmer and their season doesn't start until May. Cold water doesn't disperse scent as broadly as warm water so the SCKs are going to have to 'get stinky'er'. Well, at least the bait is going to have to be stinky'er.

So, today Sarah and I pulled seven of the nine traps and baited them with menhaden, a very smelly, oily fish commonly used as crab bait in the Carolinas. We'd like to say we left the other two of the nine pots baited with pig's feet to conduct some serious scientific comparisons between the catching potential of hog bait vs fish bait. Actually, Capt. Dad had to rush back to the landing because his 'striker' (the helper / sorter / baiter / pot hauler person in a crab boat) had to .... well she .... ummm .... let's just say she had finished off a really big bottle of soda!!!

REPENT!!!!! Boat Reversal

2010-03-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

Yes .... I just spent $1000 on materials to build a pilothouse on Frankie's boat. Yes .... it was set up perfectly for commercial fishing. Yes .... it was a good solid offshore hull. BUT .... this little beauty popped up just in the nick-of-time.

Stan Yocco, of Bluffton SC, was heading in from offshore a couple of weeks ago when his engine blew. His family and friends all have boats, so he decided to get rid of his 25' SportCraft. And, are we delighted! NOTICE: It already has a pilothouse.

But ... it is really heavy .... and long. Stan and I tried for a couple of hours to get the SportCraft on our trailer. We got it on, but it just couldn't carry the weight safety. With the 'jack plate extension' and engine, the boat is nearly 28' long. Our new 225hp with its 30" shaft will work perfectly!

So, Frankie is going to keep his hull in NC. He is considering returning to his original plan of building himself a shrimp boat. But first, he has another ChrisCraft to restore. Which brings us back to the $1000 in materials. Frankie needs those materials for that restoration. And, everyone can boat happily ever after.

Now the search is on for a larger trailer .

The Engine Search: Mission Accomplished!!!

2010-03-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

Brian Welch of the The Boat Shed in Georgetown, SC had the engine we needed. One of Brian's good customers had ordered a brand new 4 stroke, 250 hp Yamaha and sold us his 97' 225 hp, 2 stroke Yamaha. What a blessing! The engine comes with a stainless steel prop, controls, gauges, reservoir, and very, very low hours. It was used an average of 14 hours per year. The SCKs do that many hours in a couple of weeks! There are less expensive engines out there, but Brian knows the previous owner and The Boat Shed had done all the maintenance on this engine over the years. Having a personal history of the engine was worth the extra money.

This engine also has something else we needed ... a 30" shaft. That is significant! A 30" shaft, which is long by most standards, has allowed me to make another purchase. If all goes as planned, we'll post more about that at the end of the week.

Frankie and I spend Saturday changing the wheel bearings of the boat trailer. Because trailers get backed down and submerged into the water when off-loading the boat, the bearings can easily get damaged by the saltwater if not maintained correctly. Changing wheel bearings is a dirty job under the best of conditions. However, wheel bearings have a nasty habit of going out at the worst times ... 32 miles from home, in the rain, at night, when the temperatures have dropped below freezing due to the driving wind, on a narrow road with no shoulder, just after your cell phone battery died, on the only day of your life that you left your tools at the house.

Better safe than sorry...really, really sorry.

Boat Update

2010-03-11T19:16:00.001-05:00

The process up getting the boat ready has begun with moving it to Frankie's shop in New Bern, NC. Pumping up tires, greasing bearings, strapping, etc. and we were off. I was particularly impressed as to how well the boat pulled on the trailer. But when we hit a dip in the road, I realized how really heavy this hull is. And, it doesn't even have an engine on it yet.

To my untrained eye, this boat looks like a 'train wreck'. Certainly I can see the classic line design of an offshore hull. When I climb around in it I can feel that it is solid! But Frankie sees potential that's out of my range. He just laughs and says, "It will be beautiful. Don't worry".

The manufacturer of the hull is SportFisher and we are calling it the "The Eubanks Special Edition".

The right-hand picture shows the wooden bulkhead which had to be replaced due to rot, as well as the unhinged teak hatch. Frankie pulls leaves and debris from the transom prior to taking off for New Bern in the picture to the left. The white box next to the boat is a drop-in insulated cooler that mounts in the stern against the transom. We will use this cooler with a blend of raw sea water and ice to store our catch while fishing to retain flavor.

The hunt for a 225hp outboard engine continues. Obviously that is an essential element.

Watching the transformation of the vessel should prove quite interesting. The Stone Crab Kids hope you enjoy.

Ten more traps where delivered via FedEx today. Lots of chores to fill our time. Its a good thing!

Tidelines

2010-03-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

The article in the Post & Courier's Tidelines Magazine has hit the streets, and the Stone Crab Kids (SCKs) have secured their copies. Many thanks to Ali Butler and Matt Winter for their kindness toward my children and interest in the project.

Boat Update:
We have a hull being rebuilt for the SCKs. Frankie Eubanks, a North Carolina fisherman and boat builder, has adopted the SCKs. The boat will be ready in about 10 weeks. I will post photos of the transformation. We are still looking for a 225hp outboard engine.

West Marine:
Our first order of materials has been placed with West Marine. Rob at the West Ashley store in Charleston SC is assisting in coordinating with Keith in the New Bern NC store to get materials to Frankie. I can't say enough about how helpful West Marine has been throughout this process. However, I can tell you that when Jim Kearney called from the company's California headquarters, he stated that he had heard what the SCKs were doing and that West Marine was going to say 'yes' to everything they could. So, now the shameless corporate plug ... please find the list of supporters on the SKCs website. Each one of them has contributed to making this research possible.

And, if we can 'wrestle' some stone crab claws away from Annah Bethel, there may be some left over for the Charleston Crab House.

THE LETTER - "Annah Bethel and Sarah"

2010-02-23T16:08:00.000-05:00

"Sen. Jim DeMint sent us a letter about how proud he is of us for doing this stone crab research project. We are really excited about it because he is a United States Senator,"says a grinning, bright-eyed Annah Bethel.

"That's cool!!!!!!!!!!" Sarah exclaims. He wrote this to us, "I'm so proud of your initiative and determination in continuing the stone research crab project!"

And from the Dad of the group, "The letter was full of gracious encouragement. I sincerely appreciate Senator DeMint taking time write my children. They are planning to frame this memento."

Why Orange Bullets?

2010-02-19T20:50:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago the water temperature was bumping up around 49 F, and after the snow last week, 46 F. However, during the week, John Keener, whose office at the Charleston Crab House looks out over our traps, reported that several dolphins had been diving around one of our pots. They were most likely feeding on blue crabs attracted to our pig's feet bait. 'Blues' are running now. So, I have decided to rig and set another four prospect pots in areas known to be havens for stone crab. With the sun out, and the days growing longer, the water temperature will rise steadily, and we want to be on the first stone crab.

Josiah wrote earlier about the different types of crab traps, and I wanted to say something about the buoys. There are basically three types of buoys; round, football, and bullet. We are using orange bullet buoys. Orange, because they are easy to spot on the water (not to mention that we are Clemson Tiger fans). And, bullet buoys because they ride higher in the water under strong current. The rounded pointed end faces into the current while the full cylinder rear lends greater buoyancy to stick up and out of the water. Each buoy must be marked with the crabber's commercial license identification number. Our number is A93.

On each rig I have tied a 'looped figure eight knot' so that we could attach the SCDNR's research tag. The tag lets other commercial crabbers, on whom we may accidentally encroach, the general 'crab loving public', as well as SCDNR Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers that these traps are slated for research.

Will the SCDNR tag with the big, official, glaring, "DO NOT DISTURB" proclamation keep us out of trouble? Not a snowball's chance!

Snow Crab KIds?

2010-02-14T07:52:00.020-05:00

Temperatures in the SC Lowcountry took another dip this week. In fact we got about 4" of snow in coastal South Carolina. The runoff into the creeks and rivers made for chilly water, and the stone crab have stayed down in the mud where it is nice and warm. Well if you consider 58 F warm!

As a point of interest, the term 'mudding in' is when the crabs dig down into the soft bottom mud to wait out the winter cold. Our local bottom mud, known as 'pluff mud,' is a soft mixture of silt, sand, and the slime of years and years of decayed sea life and vegetation. The lofting hydrogen sulfide smell during extreme low tides is a lowcountry classic. During the hayday of rice cultivation, pluff mud was known as Carolina Gold. The rich nutrient base of the mud yielded bountiful crops and made the SC coastal regions the world's major rice producer. Similar mud banks are located in the Gulf Coast states but the mud is stiffer, and hence harder to cultivate. The pluff mud in the Lowcountry is sink-to-your-knees soft, and many a tennis shoe and flip flop have been lost to its quicksand like sucking power.

God, in His infinite wisdom, created a tidal system by which many differing types of toxins are worked down deep into this mud and captured in the boggy layers. As nature's toxins are supplemented by local industries, this natural method of collection plays an important role in keeping our waterways and estuaries clean. Because the stone crab dig down far deeper in the mud than blue crab, stone crab are a natural barometer of the condition and levels of various toxins in the mud. As the water warms and the stone crab begin to emerge from the depths, scientists can measure the toxin levels on the stone crab's shell. Using this information, decisions can be made with regard to everything from dredging shipping channels to permitting new industry, even before the first shovel of dirt is turned.

Photo Op

2010-02-08T22:02:00.002-05:00

First-mate, Mom, took pictures of Matt Winter taking pictures of the 'crew' as we checked traps near the Charleston Crab House. Matt is the editor of the Tidelines section of the Post & Courier. Tidelines features our local maritime community, interests, and events. Matt pulled a calf muscle hog hunting and still got out at early on a Sunday morning. That's either dedication or .... he doesn't have any better sense than the SCK's.

The water temperature is still too cold for much activity, and, as you can tell from our apparel, the air temperature is pretty chilly as well. One of our three traps was missing. We are hoping a strong pulling tide will free the buoy. If not, it may have gotten clipped by a propeller. That's why we have escape hatches built into the traps.

One exciting point was when they pulled the first trap and saw something in the trap. What they originally thought was a stone crab turned out to be ... the pig's feet we had as bait. Soon the water will warm, the 'stones' will be moving, and the excitement will turn from "Do we have crabs?" to ... "Now that we have crabs, how do we keep from getting pinched? "

Traps: Stone vs. Blue by Josiah

2010-02-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

The stone crab and the blue crab are two different types of crustaceans, therefore they require two different designs of traps. The stone crab don't swim, they crawl and climb, so they like fast moving, dark, cramped environments. Blue crab swim, so they like shallow, slower moving water.

Blue crab traps generally have four entrances, called gates, in the sides. Whereas, stone crab traps have one entrance on the top called a funnel. The blue crab trap has different compartments. It has the gates, the kitchen, the bait well, the skirts, and the bin. The blue crab enters through the gate into the kitchen area. He is able to pick at the bait through the wire mesh of the bait well. When he is finished feeding, he naturally swims up through the skirt and enters the bin.

But with a stone crab trap, the stone crab climbs up the side of the trap and drops down through the funnel into the bin where the bait is stored. Because he can't swim, he can't get out.

Blue crap traps are made of wire mesh. The traps we are using for stone crab are black plastic with a concrete floor. The weight difference is significant. The blue crab trap weighs 22 pounds, while the stone crab trap is half the size, and weighs 33 pounds.

The weight of the stone crab trap helps it stay in place during the hard pulling tides of the new and full moons. These are called spring tides when change in level is the greatest.

The stone crab trap has an escape hatch in the event a trap becomes lost. The piece of wood screwed in over the hatch will rot away allowing the stone craps go freely and it not be a killing machine (ghost trap). Instead, it will become a natural environment for the stone crab.

Roll Tide.

2010-01-31T11:15:00.000-05:00

Of the three pots we had dropped on Friday, one was still in place, one had been dragged about 85 yards, and the third was still in place, but the buoy had been pulled so hard sideways that the line was hung around a snag. Annah Bethel (frequently called "Belle") and I searched for the pot for a few minutes before we saw the buoy just below the surface on the water. One quick pull, and the line was free.

I would mark this as a successful test of the stability of these Florida style traps.

Editors Note: Now watch Capt. Dad get cocky and loose 50 traps in fast moving water. ;-)

Belle, Jas, and I pulled the pots to see if by chance we had caught some 'stones', but the water temp had dropped from 51.7F to 47.8F. Crabs don't move much when the water is below about 54F.

I'm not saying it was too cold for an aging fisherman, however, Belle entertained herself by skating around on the ice built up on the forward deck of the boat.

First Pots in the Water !!! Yea !!!

2010-01-29T21:36:00.001-05:00

The skies are spitting chilling rain with brisk NE winds. The moon is full, creating high pulling tides, and the temperature is dropping. Perfect time to test the stability of these stone crab pots.

Sarah reports that her hands were so cold that she had trouble writing on her ( lest you forget ) "waterproof" data sheets.

When the water pulls hard during these full moon tides, it can cause the pot to unseat from the bottom and begin to roll. As the pot rolls along the bottom, it will spool the cord around the pot pulling the buoy below the surface, making the pot undetectable and non-retrievable. Sometimes a reverse tide can unspool the cord. I have had pots suddenly reappear months later, generally full of mud and debris. But most times, the pot is lost. Lost traps are called ghost pots "be-claws" they can continue catch crab. The typical commercial crabber will rig his traps with 35'-40' of cord. I rigged these pots with 70' of cord to lessen the risk of loosing gear and creating the ghost trap scenario.

The type of pots I have chosen to test are a Florida style. Josiah will have more about the differences in conventional blue crab pots and stone crab pots later. Anyway, Southern Florida, the Keys, and the Gulf Coast areas have tide changes of 3' to 4' whereas here in the Carolinas, we can have tide changes of 5.5' to 7.0'. Huge difference. And, my concern is that these Florida style pots will roll in the strong Carolina currents. If they are going to roll, tonight's the night.

We set out three prospect pots along the rocky edges of the Wappoo Cut, ( LAT 32 45.97 N / LON 79 58.62 W ) not more than a stone's throw from one of our sponsors, Charleston Crab House. This narrow channel generates some particularly treacherous currents. I have several stories about folks getting caught in the current along this stretch, but I'll save them for a "slow news day."

The Post & Courier's writer came by to interview the infamous "Stone Crab Kids" today. She wants to get photos of the kids pulling pots and harvesting stone crabs. The plan is to pull these prospect pots next weekend. So, with a little extra 'pig foot action', a little sagacity in pot placement, a little break in the weather, and a "raising Lazarus from the dead" size miracle; we should have a stone crab or two for her story.

The Big TV Debut

2010-01-28T19:40:00.001-05:00

Josiah did a great job on his first TV interview. The kids were all at the studio in their official "Clawd the Crab" T-shirts having a great time. I hope to have that interview posted on the site very soon.

While we were in the studio, the weatherman, Dave, asked if we would allow him to broadcast from the crab boat. The conversation quickly expanded to include one of our supporters, the Charleston Crab House. So, there may be another show in the works where Dave would come aboard and pull traps with the 'gang'. Then, back at the studio one of the chefs from the Charleston Crab House would prepare the claws. We'll see if that happens. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow a reporter from the Post & Courier is coming by for an interview. That should appear in the Tidelines section. And these 'little celebrities' have YET to pull their first pot!!!!

Crab pot update: Traps have been assembled and concrete has been poured in the bottoms. We will be rigging them tomorrow. A bucket of pig's feet are awaiting us at the slaughter house. Yummmy! So, if the weather would just cooperate, we can get the first traps set. Weather is a big part of why we need a larger vessel.

Stuff's Happening !

2010-01-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

Three screaming kids, Jas barking, the front door flung open and there stood an overwhelmed FedEx delivery man just trying to do his job. "The traps are here! The traps are here!" He stopped his deliveries just long enough to let us take a picture. Nice guy!

The first ten traps have arrived. Each box contains enough parts to build five traps. Now, to get them put together. This evening, I picked up 1000' of #10 trap line, the smallest crabbing gloves I could find, bullets buoys, and a pair of crab tongs.

Let the assembling, and stringing, and tying, and marking, and rigging begin!!!

Sarah went to the SCDNR to pick up her packet of tags, stickers, and (her favorite) waterproof data sheets. Jason Powers (right) and Geret Lennon (left) were gracious as always, officially handing over the project. Note: The binder has all the kids names on the cover and it contains Sarah's precious waterproof data paper.

As an extra big thrill for a small girl, she asked and was given permission to park in the STAFF parking area.

While we were there, I went ahead and registered as a commercial fisherman again. That will allow us to sell our catch to help in recovering some of the costs and expenses.

So, we're ready and we're legal.

Grading and Harvesting by "Annah Bethel"

2010-01-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

Grading Stone Crab is fun! When you grade a Stone Crab you have to measure from the elbow joint to the tip of the unmovable part of the pincher. The legal length needs to be at least 2 3/4". And, crab will grow the claw back.

Taking the claw off of the crab is called harvesting. How you take the claw off of the crab is to hold both claws and twist the biggest one. Be careful the claw may still move. If you remove the claw right it will not hurt the crab. But, if you see meat come out with the claw, the crab might bleed to death and die, because it tears the muscles.

Stone crabs have finger prints. You can tell if a crab has had a claw harvested before. If the lines are straight and solid the claw has never been taken. But if the claw has dashed lines, it has been harvested or pulled off by a predator.

You can also tell if they are right-handed or left-handed. If they are right-handed the crusher claw will be on that side.

Video - How to properly remove a claw.

Publicity, For what?

2010-01-21T18:11:00.000-05:00

Calls and emails have been coming in requesting permission for interviews and articles. And my response is "For what? They haven't done anything yet!" Which actually isn't quite true. They just haven't done any work compared to pulling pots (pots is slang for crab traps).

However, they have been busy. They are gathering information, preparing articles for posting, designing a T-shirt logo, taking pictures, and now .... formulating questions for the interviewer! Interviewer? They're just kids! Well, that's the curse of having a house full of smart children. Apparently, the 'smart' gene skips a generation. Which brings up another point. I want to thank all of you who have graciously offered your services to correct my spelling and grammar. Obviously, the help is needed.

Here's the deal. Josiah will be interviewed on Charleston SC's ABC Channel 4. The show is called LowCountry Live and features items of local interest. It will air at 10AM Thursday, January 28th.

94.3WSC FM, our local talk radio station, interviewed me via phone today. The schedule for that interview to air has not been released.

Also, several publications have expressed a desire to publish articles, folks are visiting the blog site, offers of assistance are being made, and a larger boat may be in the works. And, I keep reminding myself, the "Stone Crab Kids," have been in existence ... only one week. Looks like they are in for a wild ride.

Oh ... one more thing. The stone crab on the logo is named ... Clawd.

"Be-Claws We Care !"

Out Pouring of Support

2010-01-19T21:20:00.000-05:00

All I did was purchase a couple of crab traps for my children!!! Now we have people from around the world encouraging my raucous tribe in their stone crab adventure...cheering them onward...offering assistance...asking questions. And, we have yet to soak the first pot.

So here's where the project stands. Yesterday, I spoke with a supplier for bait. Bait being pig hocks. Yep ..."pork fat rules." Today, we ordered the first 10 traps specifically designed for stone crab. A local campground (listed in the 'Friends' section) has offered to donate all the ice needed, and I picked up some old conveyor belt from a local sawmill. Sometime this week, the packet of permit tags should arrive from SCDNR. And, this weekend, we travel to Beaufort SC to purchase rope, floats, gloves, and the various other supplies needed to safely and effectively crab fish.

To be of real value and provide enough data for the SCDNR, it is imperative that we pull quite a large number of traps. However, there are some limitations. For one, I have a crew of kids. A crab trap may weigh as much as Sarah. Another is the size of the boat we currently have. There is a need for a larger, more dependable boat because stone crabs tend to inhabit deep, swift moving water. One of my fellow crab captains may have come up with part of the solution. More news as it develops.

Thank you for your generous support and well wishes.

We crab "be-claws" we care!

What's a Stone Crab ? by Sarah

2010-01-18T17:30:00.000-05:00

We have already been asked .... "What is a Stone Crab?"

My Sarah ( 8 yrs old ) has done some research and would like to answer that question.

"Have you ever wondered what a crab is? A crab is a crustacean. Stone crabs are brownish red with grey spots and a tan

tummy. They have one claw that is bigger than the other. One is a pincher and the other is a crusher. And they can squeeze at 19,000 psi. I don't really know what that means, but I guess you just got to go with it.

The size of the back shell is about 3 1/2" ( 7 to 9 cm ) long and about 4" ( 10 cm ) wide.

Stone crab like the fast moving waters like the bottom of bays, grass flats, oyster reefs, and rock jetties where they can dig in the mud and hide from predators. That's an animal that wants to eat another animal. What eats a stone crab are the horse conch, mollusks, grouper, sea turtles, cobia, octopus, and ... of course, humans eat the claws.

When the claws are broken off by either an animal or a human it is not as bad as you might think. Like a lizard lets go of its tail, the stone crab is able to let go of its claw. So, he is not hurt one bit."

And that concludes Sarah's report (with a little help from dad and mom).

No turning back now !

2010-01-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

Making a semi-long story short, my children, ages 11, 9, and 8, have a keen interest in our local waterways and marine life. I had purchased a couple of crab traps and the kids really took to the whole cycle of tides, baiting, harvesting, eating, etc. As a particular focus on stone crabs developed, they wanted more information on how the stone crab can regenerate a new claw when one is broken off. After contacting the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), our conversations and emails resulted in a face-to-face meeting between my three "young'uns" and two SCDNR researchers. An offer was made by SCDNR for my children to advance a stone crab research project that had been stopped due to a lack of funding. And they eagerly accepted the challenge.

South Carolina now has it's youngest research team! And their daddy has some .... work to do to get these kids ready for the riggers of crab fishing.

More news as it develops.