Courageous Kids

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

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

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 !!!!!

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

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

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.