A Pirate Looks At 90

If you ask Captain Jack Flanigan what he remembers most about life in the Lowcountry, he’ll tell you, “only the good things.”

If you ask his friends what they remember about him, the answers get a little more colorful. 

The longtime owner of The Original Crab Shack on Tybee Island celebrated his 90th birthday on August 8, along with several hundred well-wishers with stories to tell. The restaurant’s massive screened-in dining hall buzzed with those who have known this local legend since he and his former wife, Belinda, opened for business in the mid-1980s—and man long before that. 

The guest of honor, wearing his ever-present black fishing cap and thick gold chain, sat grinning as Mayor Shirley Sessions bestowed him with a key to the city, thanking him for his 40 years of “unofficial” ambassadorship on behalf of the island and pronouncing the date “Jack Flanigan Day.” 

Former TV news anchor Sonny Dixon emceed a rowdy roast that revealed a few choice tales, including one from retired Deputy Sheriff Billy Freeman, who years ago pulled Jack over for driving under the influence: “When I came up, he was in the passenger seat. He told me the dog was driving!” 

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