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“It was the first one I had to step off of in thirty years of fishing,” said Calabash Fishing Fleet captain Dan Manos (left) outside the Calabash Fishing Fleet docks on Wednesday afternoon. He and fishing fleet owner Bob Taylor (right) were thankful no one was hurt after one of the company’s boats, The Miss Calabash II, burned and sunk with 26 aboard Wednesday morning 18 nautical miles southeast of the Little River inlet. “It was sad watching it burn from the water,” said Manos about the experience. “It was like your best bird dog just got run over.” 

On Wednesday, I spent several hours looking for a way to document the burning and sinking of a small fishing vessel several hours after everyone had returned safely to land and departed the waterfront. The sinking and rescue had happened earlier in the morning and had slipped through the radar of those listening to the scanners back at the office. 

I heard about the incident later in the afternoon when I started my shift at 2:00 pm. 

Having done a stand-alone earlier that month on the Calabash waterfront, I knew some of the people involved including Bob Taylor and his crew. 

Bob was very gracious and open about the sinking and helped me by recording his comments on my digital recorder. 

Captain Manos helped by being open and giving me a great quote.

It was an honest feeling for Manos. Some may laugh, but if you’ve ever lost a dog that was your best friend, then you can empathize with his sorrow from losing his ship to the sea.

rlh

With other Mustang enthusiasts looking on, Jeff Hinkle (center) of Hinkle Motorsports of Atlanta, Ga., checks on the engine of his customized 1968 Mustang Fastback after a run around the track at the Myrtle Beach Speedway Wednesday during Fun Run festivities for Mustang Week 2008. Hinkle estimates the value of the 1000 horsepower “Old School FE block” Mustang at $240,000. In it’s 7th year, Mustang Week has found a home in Myrtle Beach. Each year the club schedules their week during the last full week in July. 

Each week during the spring and summer months there seems to be a different group of enthusiasts in town. This week it is Mustang week 2008. I had fun hanging with these guys and remember the 1967 Mustang convertible I wanted when I was a kid. Check out my gallery of photos on myrtlebeachonline.com.

rlh 

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On Friday I put together this video about the SC firefighter challenge held in Myrtle Beach. I’m getting faster at video production and this piece took me about 8-hours to shoot and edit. 

Firefighters are a special lot and I enjoy covering their events. Recently I spent 24 hours at the station 1 firehouse in Myrtle Beach and found their job a real challenge.

rlh 

After returning from a shrimping trip the day before, boat mates Logan Leggett (jumping), 21, and Brandon Clewis, 19, both of Calabash, use their shrimp boat Capt. Nephi’s ladder as a platform on Wednesday for a dive into the Calabash River. Leggett’s father and Clewis’ grandfather, Captain Tommy Leggett (not pictured), has operated shrimping boats along Calabash’s waterfront for the last 29 years. “I like Calabash cause it’s laid back,” said the captain from his seafood hut stationed near his docked boat. “I like being out on the water. The people here are laid back country type folk.”

I miss the day at daily newspapers, when photojournalists could spend all day looking for moments like this.

Sorry but I have no gallery or video with this photo. 

rlh

rlh

Chris Johnston (left) and John Walsh, both of Charlotte, N.C., wear caricatures masks of the presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain Friday during the 7th Annual Ocean Isle Beach 4th of July Parade in Ocean Isle Beach. 

This morning I covered the Ocean Isle Beach 4th of July parade and had a hoot hanging with the Walsh family of Charlotte who dressed like the presidential candidates. They even had a family member portraying a secret service guy running beside their float. I laughed till tears were coming down my cheeks.

Go to myrtlebeachonline.com to see the other images from the gallery.

rlh 

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Once again the controversy over the May motorcycle rallies in Myrtle Beach has found it’s way into the hot coals of the news.

Many opponents of the rallies feel the way to stop the “May-hem” is to have local governments stop issuing vendor permits during the month of May.

On Tuesday night 700 plus bikers and a few opponents descended on the Horry County council to lodge complaints.

I decided to pull out all my multimedia gear for the occasion and tackle a video, photo gallery for the myrtlebeachonline.com and still images for the paper.

In the end my shift was very long but considering all was shot and edited on deadline, things worked out pretty well.

I just wish the modern cameras could keep up with all the demands being made of me.

Please Canon…..

Combine my HV 20 and EOS 1D and give me a tapeless multimedia workhorse.

rlh