Letters to the Editor

Who Are the Moon Monkeys

Mike Ellis, FounderDistributionPete Alsop

Island DeliveryColdwell Banker

AdvertisingJan Park Rankin

Dana PopeOffice

Lisa TownsClassifieds

Arlene RitleyDesign/Layout

Jeff CraftTracy Stoffel

Contributing Writers(In no particular order)

Devorah FoxSunny ReedMary CraftChris Adler

Maybeth ChristiansenDr. Tom Dorrell

Kendal EzellJay Gardner

Diane HalfetyTodd Hunter

Mike (Murph) MurphyRonnie Narmour

Dr. Donna ShaverPhotographersAndre LaVoyPatrick LewisMiles Merwin

Office Security/Spillage ControlRiley P. Dog

Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor

Dale Rankin

About the Padre Island MoonThe Island Moon is published every other

Wednesday, Dale Rankin, Editor.Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution

includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distri-bution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island busi-nesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses.

Mailed subscriptions are available in the US and are $100 per year. Next day home delivered subscriptions are $100 per year on Padre Island and in Flour Bluff.

News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left in the Moon tray at Isle Mail & More, 14493 S P I D. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.

Island Moon A 5July 15, 2011

Mystery Person of the Fortnight

Book SigningHi Dale,

My husband, Colonel John R. Gouin is doing his first public book signing at Barnes and Noble, Corpus Christi on Saturday July 16th, at 4:00pm. It is “local authors night”. The book is a true story of his life, and overcoming an abusive alcoholic father that told him he would amount to nothing, and “wouldn’t last two weeks in the Army”. John has been serving our country for 34 years to date. In the Army he rose from private, and climbed the ranks to green beret (jumped out of black hawk helicopters), served in Iraq, to his Colonel status today. I am proud to say he is our local hero. Besides still being in the Reserves for the Army, he is a successful Doctor/Surgeon, and has owned Corpus Christi Podiatry now for 20 years. I am hoping you can publish this in the Padre Island Moon.

For those who are unable to make that event, we are holding another book signing event/mixer at Johnny D’s Restaurant, 15605 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi ,Thursday, July 28th from 5:30 until 7:30pm. We will have light h’orderves, and a cake to celebrate at this event. The book is also available online at iUniverse.com, or Barnes and Noble.com.

Should you have any further questions, please call me at (361)774-5976 or my husband, Colonel John Gouin at (361)779-7090.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Michelle Gouin

Ahoy There “Moon”, My name is Chris. My wife Angela and I live here on The Island and love your paper. We are merchant marines. Last spring I took The Moon out with me on the ship. Her name is the M/V Liberty pride. She is a 650 L.O.A. 100’ beam, 35,000 ton RORO (Roll on Roll off.) Essentially a 12 story, 650’, 19,000 hp floating parking garage. I boarded in Beaumont, Texas where we took on some military cargo and then went to Charleston, SC. to finish up loading military equipment.

With a full supply of fuel, approximately 25,000 barrels of heavy fuel oil and stocked full of food we headed out into the North Atlantic bound first for Volos, Greece. 13 days later we arrived and in 12 short hours we were gone again. We then traveled through the Suez Canal and pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden taking arrival in Karachi, Pakistan. Within 18 hours we had more equipment offloaded and we were on our way to Kuwait.

After Kuwait we headed for Fajarah, U.A.E. and more notably the duty free stores and bars there in port. Sailors have a knack for getting thirsty after long voyages! You may have heard this before. She (the pride) was loaded with a certain unknown United States Army platoons equipment and supplies that were to rendezvous with the platoon back in the states as they were undoubtedly, happily ordered home. Good for them!

This equipment included but was not limited to tanks, 2 blackhawk helicopters, numerous hummers and personal carriers, and countless shipping containers. After all the cargo was stowed and lashed we were

again off back the same way we came. Back through the pirate waters (which, we thought we saw but never made an attempt on us.) Back through the hot Red Sea. The the company paid the approximately $500,000 dollar fee to transit Egypts, Suez Canal.

After the navigation of the long, hot, skinny canal we sailed through the Mediterranean Sea passing within about ten nautical miles of Sicily, Italy and some unknown point of land on the Tunisian Coast. Then into

and out of the Strait of Gibraltar where a couple of crew members and I played some basketball just so that we could say that we played while going through the strait. And 12 days later we took arrival and picked up our pilot from the Beaumont, Tx. Transit.

After tying her up, later that day or the next (the days start to run together after awhile) I signed off, disembarked and made my way home on The Island. She was to load and go back to the Persian Gulf to do it all over again. When it was all said and done I had been to five countries, and travels approximately 18,000 thousand miles in my two months aboard.

These pictures were taken with my camera on the aft weather deck looking forward. We were about 1000-2000 miles out into the Atlantic and sailing in 18-25 foot seas with 30-40 knot tail winds left over from the previous couple of days when we had sailed directly through a Nor’easter in which we endured upwards of 30 foot seas and gust of up to 92 knots.

Needless to say the day of this picture we (the crew) were busy doing a lot of cleanup. The ship was rolling and pitching so bad that it looked like a tornado had been let loose inside her. Currently, my wife is out anchored in Saipan working aboard a vessel as a Second Mate. And I am scheduled to go out in October where I will work my 4 months plus as a QMED

(qualified member of the engine department.) I am anxiously waiting her return home on August 4th when by that time it will have been over 4 months since we last saw each other.

It is a tough life but it pays well and the travel is incredible. I would like to point out that we would not be able to do it without the hugely appreciated help of our wonderful friends and neighbors Ken and Liz who watch over our affairs when we are out to sea. To date I have been in over 67 cities, in 29 countries, I have been on six continents including Antarctica, and have seen

weather that scares grown men and viewed sights that most people will never see, such as a Green Flash!

I started out writing this thinking “ Yeah The Moon visiting the North Atlantic, that would be a good one for The Traveling Moon pics. “ However, I guess the sailor in me took over and I was compelled to tell a sea story, as all of us sailors love to do. So Moon, glean from this story whatever you like for the paper you

so wonderfully produce. And until next time FAIR SKIES and TRAILING SEAS!

Respectfully Yours, Chris Caporale, United States Merchant Marine ( The Fourth Arm of defense)

P.S. One little word of wisdom for all of us. I have been all over the world, some places I was happy to leave and hope to never go back. That being said, it may have some problems but this is the greatest country in the world. Appreciate it, Protect it, Cherish it!

Departing Karachi, Pakistan at sunset

The Liberty Pride, Docked in Volos, Greece

The Moon arriving in Volos, Greece

Dear Sir(s)

I guess I have a few questions & a few complaints, which is not new to you folks. I live on the island & pay HOA dues every year. With those dues, I understand a lot of things get paid for: including bulkhead maintenance,etc. The previous HOA manager (please forgive me for not remembering his name) enforced the rules stating the boat ramps + adjoining parking lots here on the island were private property, owned by the HOA (we the people). Rules were enforced, vehicles were towed off, & non-HOA members were run off by police. The current manager (Mrs. Christianson) told my wife & I that due to rules set down by the Army Corps of Engineers, non-HOA members could use all the boat ramps & fish from the boat ramp area without paying any dues. She is saying no one can keep these people from using HOA owned facilities as long as they do not park their vehicles in HOA parking lots! If this is the case, why should anyone pay dues? Also, if the Army Corps can dictate rules like this, What is to stop anyone & everyone from fishing off people’s docks behind their homes. Signs are posted on each of these places stating no trespassing, private property, must be HOA member or guest, owned by HOA, vehicles will be towed,etc. My wife & I pick up trash at the boat ramp/parking lot about 250’ from our house after the weekend party people/fishermen get done. Please see if you can help us get some clarification.

Thanks,

David & Pat Higgins

Moon,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond and make corrections.

The mooring areas in front of the individual property owners are private property as recorded in the plat maps. It is the water between the mooring area which is public waterways. The boat ramps are owned by the POA and maintained by the annual fees.

There are at least two reasons for the public to be able to use our ramps. The first is that we are a non-profit corporation and as a condition we are to allow the public access to our ramps. We do not allow parking on the ramps without stickers. The second is that as a part of our permit with the Corps, we also have to allow public access to the waterways.

I have worked with the Higgins regarding the “campers” which are not allowed and contacted the Police Department on their behalf so that when they call the Police, the Police have the authority to remove the “campers.” After a further review of the documents, the Higgins are correct and fishing from the ramps by non-residents should not be allowed. We will correct that situation with the help of the Police. However, boats may by launched from the ramps and vehicles parking on the public streets.

The boat ramps are “patrolled” every day by myself or our regulatory support person. We issue warnings the first time we find a trailer and vehicle without a sticker, after that you risk having your boat trailer and vehicle towed at your expense.

Maybeth Christensen

Executive Coordinator

POA Boat Ramp

A Merchant Marine Travels with the Island Moon

We got this photo from our mystery Islander with the following note:

Here is a photo taken of me in 1959 when the world was my oyster, my options unlimited and non-Hodgkins Lymphoma was not even in my vocabulary.

Can you guess who it is?

Todd Hunter Appreciation NightFriends and supporters of District 32 State

Representative Todd Hunter will gather at the Padre Isles Country Club on Tuesday, July 26 for an appreciation night.

The event starts at 5 p.m. and is sponsored jointly by the Padre Island Business Association, POA, Island United Political Action Committee and Jim and Diane Gaugler.