Catching shrimp is better than catching up on politics

I seriously do my best to avoid talking politics, but thank God the election is over. It saddens me when people who have been friends for years get torn apart by people they don’t even know.

With that said, I decided to avoid watching any news on election night and watched a funny movie instead – never once glancing at what was going on. Then when it was all over I still avoided any media and, as the sun rose, I was on the water watching the sunrise. It was beautiful – a tad chilly but absolutely gorgeous.

Along with me was Will “Catfish” Thompson and, instead of getting all caught up in emotions and opinions, we were caught up in something completely different, trying to catch shrimp. It was a great morning, a happy morning, and for the first time in days, a laugh-until-your-belly-hurts morning. When we finally headed in, the only worries we had was when we could find time to head the shrimp we had caught.

Now that is the way to wake up on an Election Day!

With shrimp on the brain, just a reminder that today is the Taste Of Waddell event from 3-7 p.m. A fundraising event for the Waddell Mariculture Center, it is just plain fun. On Friday morning, I headed over to watch the harvesting of shrimp that the gang at Waddell have nursed since they were mere specks feeding on zooplankton and now are big, fat, juicy shrimp raised in water straight from the Colleton River.

Much of our shrimp is imported, but Waddell shrimp are raised using cutting-edge research that benefits everyday shrimp gluttons. The research Waddell does is shared nationwide. Interns from all over the country come to the Waddell Mariculture Center to learn. So, in a nutshell, it has as much to do about education as anything else.

With Hudson’s Seafood winning the bid to buy all the shrimp harvested this year, it will be doing the cooking at this year’s Taste Of Waddell. It will be like Bubba’s tirade in “Forrest Gump” about all the different ways shrimp can be prepared.

Along with tons of vittles, including roasted oysters, an auction will offer bidders charter fishing trips, artwork, vacation trips and other items. There will be live music by the Lowcountry Boil band, educational displays, a bonfire with seating all around and all of it overlooking the Colleton River.

One last thing that just popped up is the decision to have a sealed-bid auction for that one-week vacation at Palacio Tropical, a 10,000 square-foot palace overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica. Seven master bedrooms, a separate one-bedroom villa, a staff of eight that includes maids, a cook, servers, two private beaches, a pool and even a 14-passenger air-conditioned van with a driver.

Why is this a sealed-bid item? It also will be up for bid at the Collin Stokes Memorial Inshore Fishing Tournament at Shelter Cove Marina during the weigh-in on Nov. 19. Since both events benefit the Waddell Center, we decided to make it available for bid should you miss one of these worthy events.

The minimum bid will be $4,000, which is less than the normal price for a one-night stay in this amazing property. Anything above that amount goes straight into the Waddell Fund and every penny is tax deductable, as are any of the auction items purchased at today’s event.

Taste Of Waddell will have a computer set up so you can take a virtual tour of Palacio Tropical, or you can take a looksee before you arrive by going online to CostaRicaOceanFrontVilla.com. This amazing offer was made possible by Kim Scott Davis of Dunes Real Estate. All of us involved cannot stress enough how much we appreciate his generous support for all that Waddell does for every single person in Beaufort County and beyond that spends any time at all on the water.

Remember last week when I said I was going to put down chainsaws and politics and go fishing? Finally, and I say that with a huge sigh, I am heading offshore to see what I can dig up out of the depths.

Fishing with my good friend Dan Cornell, we are christening his new ride, a 38-foot Pursuit. There’s always a learning curve when you fish a new boat, so I am both excited and nervous. I know this sounds ridiculous, but when it comes to catching fish some boats just have it and some don’t. I swear it’s true. It might be the sound the engines make or just plain mojo, but I’ll find out if this boat has what it takes to catch fish.

Not wanting to jinx things, I will say this: On the way in, the fish box will either be full or empty, but in either case, at least I can go below, take a shower and watch TV. Now that’s nice. Real nice.

This story was originally published November 12, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Catching shrimp is better than catching up on politics."