Bluffton loses one of its great characters; how to boat safely in caronavirus pandemic
Lord have mercy, these sure are strange times, huh? This time around I am going to do a bit of skipping around because quite frankly, the past week has made me feel like I am the ball in an old-school pinball machine bouncing from one thing to another. My vivid imagination even includes a loud “DING!” every time I bounce from this to that.
I have to start with some sad news.
This past Sunday, we lost one of Bluffton’s most Blufftonian of them all, Neil Lax.
For those of you who had never run across a big fella wearing faded blue jean overalls, bright orange Croc rubber shoes, a full beard and a deep bass bellowing voice, Neil was one in a million.
Neil has been a neighbor of mine on Oyster Street since the day I moved onto this eccentric street.
Able to down 100 oysters at a single sitting, he lived in a humble abode called the “Oyster Cracker” that was straight out of the show “Sanford and Son. “
Whole boats, pieces of boats, piles of scrap lumber, trash cans full of scrap metal and anything else he could hoard didn’t do much for the rest of our property values but we all accepted it because it was pure Neil. A fisherman, a wood carver, an electrician, along with an assortment of other talents, made him our true neighborhood MacGyver. Often coming off as being a bit gruff, in reality he would take the dirty, ripped up shirt off his back to help anyone.
Many of you remember Neil for his street parties held smack dab in the middle of Oyster Street every year immediately following the Bluffton Christmas Parade.
Hand-picked oysters for the event were washed in a giant cement mixer, and racks and racks of Boston Butts, chicken, ribs, his homegrown okra and tomatoes, fish, and mounds of other fine Lowcountry fare was there for the taking to anyone that happened by.
When the crowd reached its peak, he would stand on his front porch, holler once for everyone to hush up and proceed to tell one of his infamous, and funny, stories.
He was by no means wealthy except in the ways of the world. My wife, Karen, and I were fortunate enough to care for him for the past couple of years, but toward the end I need to thank Hospice Care of the Lowcountry and other Oyster Street neighbors for stepping up to plate so he could die peacefully at his home.
His family includes his son, Eric, his sister, Ann, and two brothers, Tom and Mike. At some point we plan on having one last Oyster Street party to honor Neil before we take his ashes to the May River.
Good sense against coroavirus
Time for this pinball wizard to bounce to other subjects.
I just returned from Fort Lauderdale with my fishing buddy Dan Cornell aboard his new boat “Game On.” We spent two great days offshore bringing this 60-foot Viking fishing machine to Hilton Head Island.
Waiting offshore here in the Gulf Stream for tides to come in enough for us to be able to get in the locks at Wexford Plantation, we did manage to snag a nice wahoo.
Instead of telling you everything that happened along the trip, one thing I witnessed rose to the top with me. In Fort Lauderdale, I saw so many young folks packed into small boats, sometimes eight or more in a 20-foot boat, heading to sand bars to party with hundreds of their friends. It blew my mind.
When I was that age I was convinced I was invulnerable too. I was the worst of the worst, as anyone that knew me back then will testify. Age definitely mellows that thought pattern, and during our return trip neither Dan or I ever set foot off the boat.
But seeing so much of that going on in Florida and then upon my return right here on our sand bars, it spooked me to no end.
The ocean is the place to be during this incredible time in history, but be smart. Keep your excursions down to a couple of people you know have been taking every precaution, and go catch some fish so you don’t have to go to the grocery store.
If ever there was a time to be on the water, this is that time. But educate your invincible young ‘uns out for a boat ride not to throw caution to the wind because that wind may end up right in your face.
Stay safe, stay patient and God bless.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 10:31 AM.