Harvey Cuts the Dunes, Blocks Access to Fish Pass
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Inside the Moon Goodbye/Welcome Party A2 Port A. Proud Concert A2 Seashore Happenings A7 Traveling Moon A9 Tribute to Tony A16 Issue 703 The Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 October 5, 2017 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around The Signs of The Island By Dale Rankin Times The high tides of late have made for By Dale Rankin some white knuckling as water laps Stuff I Heard on the Island near the base of the dunes sending When new POA Executive Director drivers into the deep sand where bad Becky Perrin showed up for her first things happen. The National Weather day in office Monday she found Service as of Wednesday reports that a political hot potato on her desk. a low pressure system is expected Even though the election of three to find its way into the Gulf this board members to the Padre Isles weekend and could produce waves Property Owners Association Board from 7 to 9 feet with occasional seas of Directors is still five months away to 11 feet offshore and 6 to 8 feet it appears the race may have already with occasional seas to 10 feet over begun. the nearshore waters. So if we get a Blue Northern at the same time we have to be careful not to confuse a Canadian Low with a Mexican High, or something like that. Cannonball Run Hurricane Harvey cut a path through the dunes. Photo by Dale Rankin Mustang Island State Park Harvey Cuts the Dunes, Stuff I Heard cont. on A5 Palmilla Blocks Access to Fish Pass Beach Repairs Damage could take a year to repair Announced By Dale Rankin the dunes and destroying the road to roadway which connects to the south Fish Pass from the south side of the side of Fish Pass and, in the opposite Black Marlin to channel. direction to the beach leaving a deep water-filled hole where the roadway “The water built up behind the dunes re-open by year's and dunes used to be. and ran right down the roadway,” said park official Scott Taylor. “The “It could be a year before we are end We had the Island’s version of a repairs are a big job.” completely back open,” said park San Antonio based McCombs Cannonball run times two Wednesday official Eric Ehrlich. Properties, owners of the Palmilla The road to Fish Pass on the The rushing water destroyed the Beach Resort in Port Aransas this morning when chaos broke out public restroom, which was due The good news is that some along State Highway 361. First a South side was washed out. week announced plans for rebuilding to be replaced in the near future campsites could be open by the time the development after Hurricane motorcycle rider in Port Aransas anyway, it damaged the headquarters Winter Texans arrive in early 2018. decided to preserve his freedom by Hurricane Harvey put three feet of Harvey. rushing water across Mustang Island building, the workshop building, and “We hope to have the electricity leading a panoply of Department of the two residences in the park. It Public Safety troopers on a chase State Park damaging all of the half and water at the sites back up soon,” dozen buildings and destroying one. also destroyed the water, sewer, and Taylor said. “But the sewer lines will southbound on State Highway 361. power hookups to the campground. The procession might have been But the most damage came from not be ready for some time. But we rushing water heading from Corpus But the serious damage was at the do believe we will have a pump-out lost to the dustbin of history had dune line where the outbound water the two-wheeled leader of the pack Christi Bay back to the Gulf of station ready around the first of the Mexico down the main access road in cut a pass about two hundred feet year so the campsites would at least not made a turn near the CVS store through the dunes and obliterated the on the Padre end, where an equally the park, cutting a wide pass through be usable.” The Black Marlin. Photo by impressive panoply of eyewitnesses Ronnie Narmour were caught unawares, and head right Island Coyotes back up the Island Landing Strip with Palmilla cont. on A4 the troopers in hot pursuit. It ended as get ISAC things almost always do, with a shot Attention Boat Owners of a motorcycle being loaded onto a Attention trailer and a sad eyed rider. About the Rampaging Island coyotes will be La Posada same time another citizen reportedly center stage at the next meeting of the got into a fight at a convenience island Strategic Action Committee Parade Boat store on Padre and “borrowed’ a red on Wednesday, October 11, 5:30 Camaro and took off northbound for p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express on Captains' Port A. When it rains it pours. Windward Drive. Ernie goes statewide Meeting The meeting date was moved back The La Posada Lighted Boat Parade Our old friend Ernie Buttler over at from the usual first Tuesday of season is upon us. The parade will Snoopy’s Pier went statewide on us each month so the officials from take to Island canals on December this month as he made the pages of the city’ s animal control office and 8-9 this year, but the first meeting Texas Monthly. The story was part of Police Chief Mike Markle will be in of boat captains will be held at the a roundup of Texans digging out of attendance. Island residents have been Padre Island Yacht Club on Tuesday, Hurricane Harvey the Texas Way, that reporting frequent coyote sightings October 17 at 7:00 p.m. is by their own bootstraps. Ernie was and attacks in neighborhoods so sitting atop a tractor cleaning up after ISAC Chairperson Libby Edwards This year we want to get the parade the storm when he said, “No big deal, rescheduled the meeting to allow city boat captains and crew involved a little electricity and a little hard officials to attend and offer possible earlier in planning the parade. work and we’ll be back up and open,” solutions. The ISAC is an advisory and that’s what happened. committee to the City Council. La Posada cont. on A4 Former Port A Mayor Claude Brown A little Island history and Constable Bobby Sherwood were also quoted in the magazine telling their story of riding out the storm in Claude’s house which was held A Vannoy Skiff, An Evinrude down by straps run over the roof and secured to heavy equipment on either side as the house flexed and bowed Motor and Three Gill Nets… Editor’s note: Flour Bluff resident FDR, but he was well known to propelled by an outboard motor. and the refrigerator did the Macarena Sidney Vannoy who passed away in Flour Bluff and the Coastal Bend across the kitchen floor. Sidney built the first skiff in 1946. September was well known by local and was well respected. Sidney had It had plywood sides and a fir-planed There are several lessons to be boaters for the Vannoy Skiffs that he a knack for woodworking and was bottom with a keel in the center and learned in hurricane preparedness designed and built. Bobbie Kimbrell a master at it. Sidney built the first a runner on each side of the keel. from Harvey, one is that while has lived in Flour Bluff since ever commercial fishing skiffs that Later on the bottom was made of we Islanders have always looked 1943 and is a retired commercial were for sale in the Lagoon (Laguna marine plywood and sometime after seaward for threats from approaching fisherman who knew Mr. Vannoy Madre). They were called a Vannoy fiberglass came on the market the hurricanes Harvey taught us that well. He tells this story… Skiff and were sixteen feet long and bottom was fiberglass which made offshore winds, and the water they By Bobbie Kimbrell about five feet wide, flat bottom for a stronger boat. push, are also a threat. The wind piled with al fish box in the middle of the the water up behind the dunes which If ever there was a legend from boat and a wider bow that allowed Flour Bluff T-Patcher acted a barrier and the rushing water Flour Bluff, it was Sidney Vannoy, for more foot room while running was most dangerous and the deepest the boat builder and school shop the trotlines or sometimes a gill net. Sidney and I went to Robert Driscoll at spots where it built up behind the teacher, notably. The rails were made of oak which Junior High School but I didn’t dune line then rushed through on its prevented the net or trotline snagging meet him there because we were in Sidney wasn’t as well-known as different classes. I first met Sidney at way back to the Gulf. Babe Ruth or Roger Staubach or on the rail. They were designed to be Around cont. on A4 History cont. on A4 Sidney Vannov October 5, 2017 Island Moon A 2 Happy Retirement, Maybeth Christensen! Palmilla Hosts Port A. Proud Event Islanders Say Goodbye to Long Term P.O.A. Director Christensen (left) with incoming POA director Becky Perrin No Ties? No Problem! The Port A Proud Event at the Palm Plaza at the Palmilla Beach Resort was a huge hit giving Harvey worn Port Aransas residents a chance to take a break.