Island Moon
A4
July 15, 2011
Around the Island Continued from A1
Packery Continued from A1
along the JFK near the Bluff in years past. They used to be out there with their wings spread trying to stay cool in the sun and keep an eye on their eggs. But now we’re told it is a herd of stray cats that has rousted them from their sandy perch. They have moved on to do their skimming elsewhere.
the channel tends to form shoals just inside the mouth near the end of the south jetty and sometimes at the outer end of the north jetty. Then in the winter season a change in the tidal flow cleanses the channel of drift sand until the beginning of the transitional season in June which leads back to the summer season.
Fish leavings Who would have thought that disposing of leftovers from cleaning and eating fish would become an issue on Our Island. But it has on both ends from North Padre up to Port Aransas but alas for different reasons. On North Padre the problem is one of trash pickup. Since trash pickup dropped to once per week it means that leftovers from a big fish fry or a big fishing trip sometimes have to ruminate in Island garbage cans for up to six days before pickup. That does’t sound like such a big problem on days one, two, or even three. But by day four that can is starting to throw up an odiferous reminder of good times had that can’t be ignored as you make your way from car to door in your garage where the garbage can makes its home. That baby is reminding you how much fun you had catching and cooking out four days ago but at the same time pointing out that it is still two days until it gets picked up. Combined with the current admonition to avoid dropping the leftovers of fish cleaning from decks into the canals - a move highly unpopular with Island seagulls we might add - this means that we Islanders are suffering from the Six Day Sniffles that linger in the garbage can well after the trucks have dumped the contents. Simply washing out the inside of the can with a water hose won’t do the trick. It’s going to take soap and lots of it friends to make that can smell like a spring morning. One method that is becoming increasingly popular is to take the remnants of a fish outing and put them in a plastic bag and drop them in the freezer. Then when it comes time to take out the trash the frozen blob can be safely deposited in the can for pickup. This of course is resulting in overflowing Island freezers as folks forget to retrieve them on garbage day. Maybe the next step is for someone to come up with a use for frozen fish leftovers. Up in Port Aransas the problem is also one of disposal but of a different kind. The city dump won’t accept them and in many cases they are too voluminous to dump in the water. So what to do with fish leavings has become an issue in our modern Island world. Oh the humanity. Golf cartin’
Monitoring of the channel with sensitive depth finding gear pulled through the channel by boat also shows that a twentyfoot hole has formed just at the outer end of the south channel. Since Hurricane Ike the scouring of the hole by currents provides the sand that since September of 2010 has formed a permanent sand bar which runs northward from the tip of the north jetty. Until the flow from the channel was reduced by the heavy sand deposits left by Hurricane Ike the current kept this bar from forming but since then it has become a regular feature. In September, 2010 a shoaling alert was issued for boaters after depths as shallow as four to six feet were found in the basin at the landward end of the channel. The shoal on the north side of the channel forced water flow to the south side and cut a deep channel there. However, since then the channel inside the S.H. 361 bridge has widened from 50 to 100 feet due to heavy water flow and this has meant slower tidal outflow through the channel and has weakened the channel’s ability to cleanse itself of windblown sand. Williams indicated she believes that once the dredging is complete the channel will return to its pre-Ike condition and purge itself of new drift sand. It was originally thought that the channel would have to be dredged every two years and a reserve fund of $4 million was to set aside to fund it. The Packery Channel project established as a beach re-nourishment project to keep Ellis Beach from narrowing along the seawall. On Texas beaches where the prevailing winds are from the southeast beaches located on the south side of jetties normally narrow. When the original dredging of the channel was done in 2005 the dredge sand was used to increase the width of Ellis beach from under one hundred feet to more than three hundred. When additional dredging was done in 2010 the sand was deposited primarily on the beach along the northern half of the seawall where much of it remains and poses a hazard if the area should be hit with a hurricane tide.
The first gathering of the Island Golf Cart Club was a smashing success over the weekend. Bobo decided to get the group together after the recent decision to make golf carts legal on Island streets with speed limits of 35 mph or under. The limit from SPID (Park Road 22) to the beach on Whitecap was lowered from 40 to 35 so that the carts could drive there. They are becoming quite popular hereabouts and the golf cart club is a great addition to The Island landscape.
To be an effective hedge against high tides the seawall needs to be exposed rather than inundated with sand as it currently is. The sand piled against the seaward side of the wall allows for incoming high tides to ride up and over the wall and into adjacent buildings. “We don’t want to repeat the same mistake as last time,” said ISAC member Jim Needam, referring to the placement of the dredge sand on the northern end of the seawall. “We need to get it right.” Some members of the ISAC questioned whether the sand could be collected on the beach on the southside of the channel to prevent it from blowing into the channel and necessitating dredging. Williams said that approach runs into problems with regulators. “Once you catch sand it becomes a dune and you can’t touch a dune,” she said. Williams said the sand which will be dredged and placed on the beach is only from the shoaling areas. It is “beach quaility” sand which has blown into the channel. She said the bottom sand which lines the main channel is dark due to being mixed with sargassum weed which finds its way into the channel and sinks to the bottom. Seperate permits are required for each type of sand and the bottom sand cannot be deposited on the beach due to its organic makeup.
Just Breathe Fishing Tournament
It seems that since the enacting of the new law the sale of golf carts is becoming quite the cottage industry on The Island. It’s getting hard to drive up and down Island streets without seeing at least one for sale. We’re still waiting for someone to come up with one with a sail.
August 20, 2011 – Just Breathe will host the 1st Annual Kacey James Hendrix Kingfish Tournament on August 20, 2011 at the Marker 37 Marina. Just Breathe will host the Kacey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2011 from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Person’s interested in participating in the tournament should call 361-960-4033 or visit www.kaceyjameshendrix.com.
Say hello if you see us Around The Island! New sidewalks and parking along Packery Channel
“We are pleased, proud, and honored to be part of such a wonderful tournament.” Said Fallon McDonald, Owner of Just Breathe. “It is important to us to keep Kacey’s legacy, spirit and memory alive. He is gone but never forgotten.” Kacey James Hendrix, age 12, passed away after a tragic drowning accident on May 15, 2011 just north of Packery Channel in Corpus Christi, Texas. He left behind family and friends that have been deeply touched by his presence in their life. He was a kind, sweet, caring, outgoing boy whose vibrant smile became infectious to everyone he encountered. He is survived by his loving parents, older brother, grandparents, as well many cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family. The Kacey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament will be a near shore fishing tournament and is open to the public for entry. All proceeds will be donated in Kacey’s memory to a charity of his family’s choice. The charity will be disclosed at a later date.
Johnny D’s
15605 SPID n 949-2500 Hours:
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Open Tues- Sat 4:30 - 10 PM Sunday 4:30 - 9 PM Closed Monday
Happy Hour 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. $2.00 Pints
Located on Padre Island, Johnny D's offers Island dining at its best. Serving Corpus Christi with the freshest local seafood and culinary masterpieces, order the rack of lamb and you'll be calling your friends from the table! Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday 4:30 to 10pm and Sunday 4:30 to 9pm
Full Service Bar Featuring 7 Draft Beers Daily Features. Fresh Fish. on Tap HOURS-Closed MONDAYS 15600 SPID On the Island 949-2500 TUES-SAT 4:30 till 10:00 SUNDAY 4:30 till 9:00
24 BREWS ON TAP
We will cook your catch.
Great Dinner Specials Live music Daily most Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
We can cook your catch!
The
THE SHEEHAN COMPANY
Custom Residential Painting & Remodeling Multi-Unit Commercial
Coming Satuday July 16
Augie Meyers
8/6 LARRY JOE TAYLOR 7/23 W.C.CLARK 8/13 MISS NEESIE & EARFOOD
7/30 GARY P. NUNN 8/20 ALMOST PATSY CLINE BAND
full schedule @ www.pabackporchbar.com 132 W.Cotter Port “A”
Padre Island‛s Finest Painting Company Offers State of The Art Interior and Exterior Painting Custom Tile, Granite Countertops, Expert Carpentry, Cabinet Refinishing & Painting Power Washing, Roofs included, decks refinishing & restaining. ● Free Estimates ● Island References ● No deposit required ● Payment upon completion ● Full Insurance ● All work unconditionally guaranteed.
361-461-5144
Island Resident-Brooks J. Sheehan