Where to start? This true story came to me from longtime next-door neighbor and friend John Stacy Guy. He and his wife, Ashley, are busy medical professionals and recent empty nesters, as both boys are now students at Auburn. Stacy always has a project going on and loves collecting vintage four-wheel-drive off-road vehicles.

I've watched Stacy buy and sell many of these prized possessions. I believe he'd keep them all, but Ashley politely insists the limit is two. Stacy tells me the significance of each one, but has proven not to get too attached when a new, more coveted model comes on the market. I've enjoyed watching him take vehicles (and boats) and bring them back to like-new condition.

Now for the good part… Stacy's latest passion is the classic Land Rover Defender. He's worked his way through several to finally own the coveted 1993 Defender, one of only 500 produced. Here's the backstory:

"In 1966, I was in Alpharetta, Georgia, walking around Hennessy Land Rover and saw a white 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 NAS. It had the LRNA #2/500 badge on the rear. I had no idea what that meant, but I thought, 'One day, I'd like to own one.' I've had three Defenders, but never a 1993 model. They only made 500 NAS (North American Spec) Defender 110s (110 is the inches from the center of the front axle to the rear axle). All were white, but for one they made black for Ralph Lauren."

"Fast forward to June 2026. A friend from Thomasville, Georgia, Todd Widden, whom I met at a 30A Defender event, called and said, 'LRNA #2/500 just went up for sale. I can only buy it if I sell you my #134/500 110NAS.' I told him I'd take it, and he purchased #2, the first one I originally saw in 1996."

Because of his passion, Stacy joined a Defender Series Car Club, and he and Ashley make a point to attend these "meetings" in places like 30A, Charleston, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Not too shabby!

At the 2025 30A event, Ashley and Stacy met Cooper Murray, who founded the Defender Vineyard Series in Martha's Vineyard in 2020. Cooper is the son of the founders and owners of Vineyard Vines apparel. After vacationing in Nantucket in 2025, Ashley and Stacy ferried over to the Martha's Vineyard Series event hosted by Cooper. They loved Nantucket so much that they planned to attend the 2026 ACK (Nantucket Memorial Airport) Series event on July 19 of this year.

There, Stacy and Ashley met a fellow named Robert for the first time. Robert owns a Land Rover Defender 2.8i from South Africa, and the discussion turned to the fact that only 739 of this particular model were produced. As the conversation continued, Stacy told Robert they were visiting from Fairhope/Point Clear, Alabama. It turns out Robert was familiar with the area, having attended his friend's 46th birthday weekend at the Grand Hotel.

His friend turned out to be Brett Cameron, daughter of Judy Culbreth, a Mobile native who now resides on Weeks Bay. Judy is an accomplished writer and editor, and as a college student at South Alabama, she was selected as one of the Top 10 College Women by Glamour Magazine. Scenic 98 Coastal published a story about Judy and her latest book, Bedford Garden Club Originals in December 2023.

On the trip to Alabama to celebrate her birthday, Brett, an event planner in Bedford, New York, arranged for the group of friends to enjoy the full Scenic 98 Coastal lifestyle. Over the weekend, she enlisted our editor, Gina Lanaux, to arrange a tented area to see Wilco at a Live at Five concert in Fairhope. For her birthday, they enjoyed the Modern Eldorados at the Grand.

Because the weekend coincided with the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss, she planned for the group to take a bus to Orange Beach to witness this famous event. After waiting hours to toss a mullet, Robert says the seed of an idea stuck with him.

Robert decides to recreate and host his own mullet toss on Nantucket at EEL Point Beach in 2025. The inaugural ACK Mullet Toss was well received, and the only thing missing was the actual fish, the lowly mullet.

This is where it gets really interesting. Robert lived in New York City around the year 2000. He had three roommates, one being a young man from Dothan, Alabama, who had recently graduated from the University of Alabama. He decided to head to the Big Apple to see if he could make a career in television. He became a page giving tours at NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center. More about this later.

Back at the ACK Defender Series event in July, Robert and Stacy talked about the upcoming 2nd Annual Mullet Toss on Nantucket, and Robert explained that he really wished he could procure real mullet to toss. Stacy offered to purchase them himself and fly them up to Nantucket the following month.

After meeting Robert and reminiscing about Fairhope, Stacy began piecing together all the elements of this story. He googled Judy Culbreth to find the Scenic 98 Coastal article. That's when he reached out to me, and we planned dinner to sort out this Car Show/Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard/Point Clear/Bon Secours/Flora-Bama Mullet Toss/Land Rover Defender/ELL Beach convoluted saga. I couldn't wait to hear all about it!

Stacy tells me he began researching where he could procure fresh mullet for the upcoming Nantucket Mullet Toss. His research led him to Safe Harbor Seafood in Bon Secour and the Shutt family. Randy Shutt explained that they have owned Safe Harbor Seafood for over 30 years.

Randy said his dad, James L. Shutt, started the business, and they have been the official supplier of mullet for the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss for years. After confirming that Randy would be happy to provide the mullet and a logo for the 2026 ACK Mullet Toss in Nantucket, Stacy began making travel plans.

He booked his flight and found the only room available in Nantucket, which turned out to be in an old restored home on India Street, only a few houses away from Robert and family. On August 11, he received his official ACK Mullet Toss invitation. On August 18, he drove down to Bon Secour to pick up 15 fresh mullets from Randy himself, then took them home to freeze for the trip to Nantucket.

The next day, he packed the now-frozen mullet in a case with dry ice. His online research told him the case needed a valve when transporting dry ice. Stacy left PNS (Pensacola airport) at 9:30 am, arrived at Nantucket at 4:37 pm, checked into his room with the case of frozen mullet, and placed them in the shower in case there were any leaks. "I didn't want to smell the place up," he said. He checked in with Robert to let him know that he and the mullet had arrived safely.

At 9:18 that Wednesday night, Robert sent Stacy a vimeo.com movie with the words, "This is a video my roommate did in NYC 25 years ago." The documentary is called Mullet Men, and is one of the most entertaining things I've ever watched. The movie featured McAndrew "Andy" Stuckey after he had been working as a page at NBC Studios for six months. It's a true story of McAndrew deciding not just to attend, but to win the Mullet Toss at the Flora-Bama. I think it's terrific!

The next afternoon, Stacy, Robert, his wife, and their son loaded Robert's Land Rover Defender with the mullet and drove to ELL Point Beach. When they arrived, they drove onto the beach and set up grills, coolers, tents, and tables. The Oyster Man arrives and sets up fresh shucked oysters, drinks, and food. Robert had everything needed for a perfect Mullet Toss course: yellow boundary rope, pink marker flags, a red 10-foot circle to throw from, and a red 5-gallon bucket to choose your mullet to toss.

Brett Cameron was at the Toss, and she and Stacy talked about her mom, Point Clear, Weeks Bay, and how great the Scenic 98 Coastal area is. After the course was laid out, the fun began. At 5:00 pm the Official 2026 ACK Mullet Toss kicked off, sponsored by Safe Harbor Seafood, Bon Secour, Alabama! The toss lasted until just past dark. According to Stacy, "It was an AMAZING evening. So many wonderful people, kids loved it, food was great, on and on… God willing, I'll be back next year!"

Stacy has provided a few photos you might enjoy. He tells me Robert is obviously a very organized person (so is Stacy) and a detailed planner. "He, his wife, and friends have started a wonderful tradition, and I sincerely appreciate being a part of it."

In closing, Linda and I enjoyed catching up with Ashley and Stacy over dinner. It took a minute to connect all the dots, but it was such a crazy adventure we had to share. Over dinner, we watched Mullet Men on Stacy's iPad and laughed until our sides hurt. It is so well done. I've since watched it three times. If you have ever been to an event at the Flora-Bama, you know some parts will be a bit over the top, so be warned! But isn't that what makes it the best beach bar in the world?

This story just shows how small the world really is. I love all the interwoven connections and relationships that come from discovery and exploration. That's what makes the Scenic 98 Coastal area so very, very special.

Thanks to Stacy and Ashley for being great neighbors, and to people like the Guys', Judy Culbreth, Brett, Robert, and Randy at Safe Harbor Seafood, and, of course, everyone at the Flora-Bama who helps keep life so much fun and interesting!