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| Ocracoke Lighthoouse |
4/23-4/25
We traveled on the Pamlico Sound for 42 miles to our next destination, Okracoke, NC, which is a remote island on the outer banks, only accessible by boat, ferry or small private plane. The village is small, having a population of about 1000 people. It has become a popular vacation spot with houses to rent or buy and a few inns, so the population must swell in the summer. Our trip over was beautiful with calm seas and warm weather. The ferry comes and goes several times a day. The harbor is a large protected circular shape.
The main question we struggled with was how to pronounce the name of this place and how to remember the pronunciation! We found out it is pronounced like the vegetable and soft drink! Easy enough, just like it is spelled! Okra-Coke! It was actually named after the Woccon tribe, early Native Indians inhabitants.
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| Novelty License Plate |
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We met a very nice couple, Bill and Jill from Washington, NC, after we got settled in the Anchorage Inn and Marina. They were staying on their boat, Serenity, and they have a house on the island that they are renovating. They graciously asked us to join them for drinks on the beach. The beach is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so it is protected and free of development. People can enjoy swimming and playing on the beach, but can not build houses or any structures on them. We brought our chairs and drinks and enjoyed the sounds of the surf and natural beauty of the secluded area. The wide stretch of beach was so clean and gorgeous! Some brave kids were even swimming!
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| View in the Marina |
One infamous inhabitant of the island was the dreaded and feared pirate, Blackbeard! He had long black hair and wore his long beard in braids. He roamed the area in his pirate ship and was known for terrorizing people and stealing gold, silver and other goods. His real name was Edward Teach and he was finally captured in 1718 behind the coast of Okracoke. He was beheaded and his headless body thrown overboard. Legend says that his headless body swam around the boat 3 times before he disappeared into the deep sea! People rested easier after he was gone!
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| The Real Blackbeard Pirate! |
Bill helped Karl trouble shoot the inverter on our boat. Bill had just replaced the inverter on his boat, so he knew all about inverters. The purpose of an inverter on a boat, is that it allows you to use electricity when you are offshore without starting your generator. In other words, you can watch TV, keep the refrigerator running, cook, etc. without being plugged in to shore power or using the generator. Our inverter has not worked well for a while, so we have not used it, which makes it harder to anchor out. I think they concluded that we needed to replace a battery or two, and we have a mechanic lined up to look at it during one of our stops coming up.
We had a nice dinner with Keith and Gail Mackey,(yes, that is their last name!) some friends who we met in Charleston. Ocracoke is their home port. They had just completed the Loop on their boat, Southern Style, a Marlow 57 Explorer. It was fun talking to them . Along with giving us valuable information, they gave us confidence that we could accomplish the journey and that it is all worth the trials and tribulations that come along with it!
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| Blackbeard |
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| Flags of Terror |
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