Swap the rakes and chainsaws for some fun

I don’t know about you but, boy, am I ready to forget about raking up debris, chainsawing trees and all the other chores Hurricane Matthew left on my to-do list. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t walk up to me and ask, “How is the fishing?” or, “Are the shrimp still around?”

In every instance, I give the same answer — which, sadly to say, is, “How should I know?”

I can’t remember the last time I let anything stop me from getting out on the water. This may sound like I am an atheist (I am not), but being out in nature — and particular out on the ocean — is my church. It inspires me when I need to be inspired, it calms me when nothing else can and, right now, I miss the lapping of water almost as much as I miss my children who both live far away.

With that said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel — not just for me, but also for any of you that share the feelings described above.

It seems like ages ago that we were supposed to have the Collin Stokes Memorial Inshore Tournament out of Shelter Cove Marina. The hurricane threw a big monkey wrench into the yearly fundraiser for the Waddell Mariculture Center. Getting together with committee members, we wondered whether we shouldn’t have it this year but, after a very short debate, we decided it had to go on.

We knew a lot of you may have lost your dock or, worse yet, your boat, but one thing stood out and that is that we all need a break. So the tournament is back on for Nov. 19 at Shelter Cove Marina.

The captain’s meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Shelter Cove Marina, where you can enter ($125 per boat) and rules will be read.

Waddell took a pretty good hit, so now more than ever we need to step up to the plate. There will be food, music and lots of prizes and, most of all, we want everyone to have fun, laugh and have a day away from working in the yard.

It’s also worth mentioning that the one auction item at the weigh-in is a doozy: A weeklong vacation in Costa Rica in a 10,000 square-foot oceanfront palace called Palacio Tropical, with a staff of eight to serve you.

The house has seven master bedrooms, a private one-bedroom apartment, two private beaches, a waterfall, a pool and even a 14-passenger van with driver. The minimum bid is $4,000 (less than the price for a one-night stay) and anything above that goes to the Waddell Mariculture Center.

If you want to see this incredible place, check it out online at CostaRicaOceanfrontVilla.com. And be at the weigh-in at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 if you want to get the steal of the century. If you need additional information, call 843-842-7001 or 843-816-6608.

Though this tournament was not intended to interfere with “A Taste of Waddell” on Nov. 13, Matthew sure took care of that. But with that said, here is yet another way to take a break from all the destruction and have some fun. If you have never attended this event, the name says it all.

Using shrimp that were raised at the Waddell Mariculture Center, Hudson’s Seafood Restaurant will prepare them in a variety of ways. It is definitely worth the price of admission. Along with great food (including oysters), there will be a silent auction that includes fishing trips, artwork and lots of other great bargains.

Held overlooking the Colleton River at the Waddell Mariculture Center with music by Low Country Boil and bonfires to sit around, this event is just plain relaxing.

So whether you plan to attend one or both of these events, the aim is the same and that is to support all the great work Al Stokes and his crew at the Waddell Mariculture Center does to educate, protect and enhance the waters here that no doubt had much to do with your choosing the Lowcountry as your home.

Ridiculously underfunded by the state, the Waddell Center needs all of our support. You don’t have to be a fisherman or fisherwoman to benefit from the work it does and, as this area keeps growing, it is the single most valuable entity that may keep our saltwater estuaries some of the cleanest on the entire East Coast.

So take a break, have some fun, catch some fish or eat some seafood because the things left to fix will still be there the day after each of these events. Every red cent donated is tax deductable and, more importantly, you’ll come away feeling like a million bucks. That much is guaranteed.

This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Swap the rakes and chainsaws for some fun."