On the Rocks A6
Farah's Fishing A7
Final 2014 Turtle Release A9
Meet the New Ref! A8
Free
What Happens on The Island… Leaves on Sunday
Therapy Dogs A12
FREE
The Island Moon
Issue 538
August 7, 2014 The voice of The Island since 1996
Island Stylin'
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
It’s been nothing but positive news here on our little sandbar this week. The Sargassum onslaught on our beaches has slowed to a near stop, what passes for a cool front in the midst of a South Texas summer rolled through and gave us a bit of a respite from the withering heat, the wind has been such that boaters have been able to get well offshore for some blue water angling. A threat of rain slowed down the tourist invasion a bit last weekend but as the last free week before the start of school rolled around last Monday the uplanders rolled OTB for one last Lobster Tan before scholarly duties intervene.
The number of stray dogs dumped on The Island has been increasing in the past few months stretching the pool of volunteers who rescue them and the amount of space in foster homes to keep them until a long-term home can be found. We spoke to Belinda Chambers, Founder of Guardians Rescue which rescues, cares for, and adopts out stray dogs and cats on The Island.
(Good) Reefing madness
Fishing madness
Shark Week! More on A4 It’s been a strange week on the fishing front. First, a 900-pound Tiger Shark dragged a fisherman all the way from Port A to Bob Hall Pier before being landed, then an angler in Port Aransas caught what is described as a hybrid between a Pompano and a Gafftop, then a Swordfish was caught in the surf, and finally a fish launched itself into the air and ended up on the ferry in Port A. We’re not sure if it’s the fish or the fishermen who have gone crazy but it makes us wonder what’s in the water.
Island Moon Newspaper ArtWalk Each week we get several calls from vendors inquiring about the next Island Moon Newspaper ArkWalk and now we have some news. We began the market at the parking lot on the seawall but that location is no longer available and we have been looking for a permanent spot and it looks like we have found one; on Saturday, October 25, the market will move, to the Schlitterbahn waterpark parking lot where, hopefully, it will remain for the foreseeable future. Interested vendors can contact us here or contact Jordan at the park at Jgreer@schlitterbahn.com. It’s possible we may also have an event in August but for now, the next ArtWalk will be in October.
Coming Up The Litter Critter will make an appearance this Saturday at the Whitecap Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of Whitecap. The refuse eating machine makes two monthly Island appearances on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. hauling off everything from tree limbs to patio furniture to “That thing” that your crazy cousin gave you for Christmas that’s been taking up space in your closet. Saturday is your chance to get rid of it without hurting anyone’s feelings. Don’t forget that Paddle for Parkinson’s is coming up at the end of this month so it’s time to start digging in the pile of stuff under your deck looking for kayak paddles. We’ll have more from Mona as we get closer. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Number of Stray Dogs Increasing on The Island Where are they coming from and what can be done to help them?
So beach driving is fair, gas prices can’t make up their mind, and Hurricane Season is holding steady; so far so good. We got some good news this week from Mike Hurst over at SEA that the much anticipated arrival of a ship for the artificial reef is finally coming down the homestretch. A move by the Feds over the past several years has pretty much obliterated offshore rigs. There are still plenty of them near the shoreline but once you reach blue water it’s a thirty mile trek to find a good fishing rig. The Nearshore Reef, a 160-acre site in 73 feet of water, is a welcome addition and the ship will be good for diving, especially late in the summer when the visibility is good.
Weekly
Photo by Miles Merwin
Rugby Island
Rugby Tournament On the Beach This Saturday The Dirty Birds will represent The Island
By Mary Craft The Corpus Christi Rugby Club hosts an annual 7’s By The Sea Tournament every summer with participants from across the country and last year they even had one from Canada. The Island will be represented at the event for the first time with the Dirty Birds Team sponsored by The Pelican Lounge owner and team player Irfan Kardas. The 7’s tournament is made up of 7 player teams instead of 15 and 7 minute halves instead of 40. The winner is determined by double elimination. At least 12 teams will participate Saturday, August 9th starting at 10 am on Ellis Beach near Marker 213 between the seawall and the jetty.
Rugby was first played in the early 1800s and our football was an offspring of it about 40 years later. Similarity between the sports has grown further apart over the years. One major difference is there is no equipment involved in rugby so it is easy for a group to get together and play and they can play anywhere even on a beach! So come out and root for our Island
“This will help to revive our local diving industry which has been devastated by the removal of old rigs in blue offshore water,” said Mike Hurst, the project director for the Saltwater-fisheries Enhancement Association (SEA). “This site will make great diving, especially in late summer.”
Last week Walter Marine in Orange Beach, Alabama, which owns the ship, was awarded a contract to deliver and sink it in 73 feet of water at the reef site. The Kinta S was built in Japan in 1976, and measures 40 feet from the keel to the top of the wheelhouse, it is 33 feet wide. The reef is in state waters. The ship is 80% prepared as an artificial reef. All wood, insulation, wiring, and hydrocarbons have been removed.
team and one of the players many of you will recognize out on the field is Scuttlebutt’s premier oyster shucker Drew Hicks. See ya’ there! And remember.... #DirtyBirdIsThe Word.
The 160-acre artificial reef, two years in the planning, is a partnership between the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, SEA, It is part of the Near Shore Reefing Program coordinated by the state to enhance fishing and diving opportunities close to shore within state waters.
44-Years Ago This Week Celia Slammed into the Coastal Bend
The forecasters said she would come in with a whimper, making a last minute turn to the north just grazing the Coastal Bend on her western edge, so many people decided to play chicken with her and ride it out at home. But as she approached the shore she changed her mind and didn’t turn north morphing into what today would be called a Category 3 storm packing winds up to 180 mph and boring in on the eastern edge of Corpus Christi Bay. This week marks the 44th anniversary of Hurricane Celia's deadly landfall near Port Aransas. On the evening of August 3rd, 1970, the storm roared into the Coastal bend as the eye crossed the coast just north of Corpus Christi Bay spawning eight tornadoes. Winds gusts between 150-180 miles per hour impacted Corpus Christi, Robstown and Mathis. Celia caused 15 deaths in South
Texas and 466 injuries. In Corpus Christi, 70 percent of the homes suffered damage. The height of the wind velocity will never be known as the wind gauge was blown from the pole along with the tower from the last radio station transmitting which left the area out of touch with the rest of the world. In all 8,950 homes were destroyed, 13,850 homes suffered major damage, and 41,800 homes had minor damage. More than 3,000 power poles were blown down across the area. The Coastal Bend sustained more than $450 million in damage to homes and businesses. In Corpus Christi, 70 percent of residences suffered
Of course we can't be certain exactly where they're coming from. I doubt that a puppy mill would be the source as the dogs that are being found are, for the most part, mixed-breeds. Most are adults, although recently there were at least two Pit Bull puppies that were dumped and rescued. We searched for other siblings to no avail, so if there were more they likely passed away.
Some are undoubtedly being left behind when people move away from the Island. We have had several instances where we have found that to be the case.
Dogs continued on A14
Ready…Set…. It’s GO Time for School Shopping By Erica Rose Bertero
A little Island History
By Dale Rankin
I have definitely seen an increase in dumped dogs in the last year, and even more so in the last couple of months. It is basically a weekly occurrence to have at least one that has been dumped on the Island. Some weeks we have seen four or five dumped animals.
Island Moon – Do you know where they are coming from?
Reef Ship Due by Labor Day A 155 foot long coastal freighter is expected to be submerged at the Corpus Christi Neashore Reef Site ten miles off Packery Channel and eleven miles off Port Aransas by Labor Day, according to the person in charge of the project.
Island Moon – It seems like there are more dogs being abandoned on The Island than ever before.
History continued on A4
beachgalbare@gmail.com
It is early August – so you know what that means! It is time for the adventure of shopping for all that is needed for back-to-school! You might be shopping for 1, 2, 3 or more (bless your soul if you have 3+)….new clothes, uniforms, shoes, lunchboxes, backpacks, and school supplies are on the list. All you have to do now is venture out into the wild, into the thick of it!
Avoid Tax Free Weekend
With a 14 year old entering into Flour Bluff High School on August 25th, and a 12 and 10 year old going back to Corpus Christi Montessori School on August 14th, I knew it was time to get my head in the game. The first step I take is to find out when the tax-free weekend is scheduled during the month of August – and I AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE! Shopping during tax-free weekend is like shopping on Black Friday or Christmas Eve – and I’m just not one for those kinds of crowds. I will gladly pay the tax on clothes on school supplies to avoid the hordes of crying babies and fed up parents. It sounds funny coming from a mom of 3, but hey! I put in my time during the infant and toddler years, and now I get to enjoy the teen and pre-teen years, especially when it comes time to shop. I guess I’m pretty lucky with three kids who are willing to do what needs to get done. If you find yourself in this boat, take advantage of it and make plans.
Shopping continued on A14