From the Captain.

South on Pamlico Sound

10/21 Manteo to Far Creek, Big Trout Marina, Englehard, N.C. 32.8 nm 

We were awake to get an early start on the day. Walking down the dock to the shower, I passed a man busily tapping on the screen of his smart phone. He didn't notice me until I was about 50 feet past. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to ignore you." I commented on the lovely sunrise over the sound and said that I didn't want to bother him as he was concentrating on his phone. "That's no excuse for me to be rude," he said. There is a standard of behavior here, of gentility, of courtesy that is quite touching at times. Often we hear, "Yes, ma'am," or, "Yes, sir."

The wind permitted us to hoist the sails, and we relied on the Garmin and the paper chart for compass

Able seawoman, Joanie Alexander

directions as the sound is wide open with very few distinguishing landmarks. Not too many crab traps down this way, but we passed several shrimp boats dredging the shallow sound.

There is also not much shelter on the sound, and Far Creek is about the only place between Manteo and Ocracoke deep enough to enter. We planned to anchor there for the night, but found the channel so narrow that when we reached the end, we were happy to see Ray standing on the dock at his marina. Known, as he told us, as "Hot Dog," he helped us with the lines. As I was adjusting them and placing fenders on the pilings, he was over to the side cleaning some fish he had just caught: a few flounder, a good size trout, and a red drum. He had passed us in his fishing boat as we were navigating the channel.

The marina is a fairly minimal operation. There is a restaurant, but Hot Dog says he only opens it between 11 and 3 now. He used to have a breakfast trade, but business is slow. There are a few worn power boats in the slips. There is a neat line of travel trailers--camps for the fishermen with the boats, no doubt.  This is not one of the cute waterfront towns that cater to the yachting set. It is a farming community--corn and cabbages. And a few shrimpers come into the narrow inlet to a packing house further up the creek. Even that business is in jeopardy, apparently. Ray tells us that there is a shrimp-farming operation coming.

The hot water in the bathroom doesn't work. "We've been having trouble with mosquitoes," Hot Dog advises. "Better get inside early. They'll carry you away."  He gives us a bag of ice cubes for happy hour. We plug the shore power cord into the outlet, and the commander makes a lovely lentil curry with the left over grilled shrimp from last night's dinner. No sitting on the deck tonight.

The cabin fills with mosquitoes in short order, and we spend the evening putting up screens and swatting the buggers. Sleep is interrupted. This is the first time we've encountered this problem, and we're not really prepared. There are squashed bugs and occasional blood splotches over the cabin ceiling. There will be clean up to do in the morning. Interestingly, no one complains of itchy bites. The mosquitoes don't leave any welts and don't itch Apparently, even the mosquitoes here are polite.

In retrospect, we should have anchored out in the sound. The forecast didn't indicate a windy or rough night. We tend, though, to seek protected areas to anchor--quiet creeks or coves or areas in the lee of a protecting shore. It would have been fine, for once, to stay out in the open and probably more comfortable in the end.

10/22/13  Far Creek to Ocracoke, N.C. 23.7nm.

Ocracoke is the only island on the outer banks that has no connection to the mainland by road. There is ferry service to the north and west. Coming in on the narrow channel from a lovely reach down Pamlico Sound, we saw the ferry closing on us from astern. I used the VHF radio to call the captain to ask how we could best stay out of his way. "You stay to the green side, I'll stay to the red side," he replied. Here, as we are navigating toward the ocean, red remains to port. We stayed on the starboard side of the channel.

There are National Park Service docks in Ocracoke, right past the ferry dock in a large protected lagoon (Silver Lake). We can use our Silver Eagle pass to take advantage of low dock fees ($.60 per boat foot). Water and electricity ($3.00 per night extra) are right at the dock. Friendly Archer, sailing from New Bern, N.C., on his 41-foot Beneteau, Ciel Bleu, helps us tie up and fills us in on the place. He wonders if we're here for the annual Pirate Festival, which is this weekend. We are not.

Ocracoke is a delightful island beach community. Like Key West, the residents (far fewer in number than the renters who crowd the island in the summer, apparently) fancy themselves an independent republic. There are crafts shops and gift shops and lots of places to eat. People travel around in (unregistered) golf carts on the roads with cars. There are lots of bicycles on the island. I didn't notice a lot of bicycle locks. The place has a nice energy.

These old cleats once held U.S. Navy subchasers

Ocracoke is known in history as one of the hiding places and site of eventual death in 1718 of Edward Teach, better know as Blackbeard, the pirate. Hence the annual pirate festival. There are other bad guys in the island's history, though not remembered with such fondness. During World War II, German U-boats operating right off the coast, sunk 400 American ships in this part of the Atlantic, giving the waters off Ocracoke the name, Torpedo Alley. Silver Lake was actually a shallow pond before the US Navy dredgers created the large hidden anchorage for its anti-submarine ships. The Park Service docks are the original navy base.

10/23/13 Ocracoke

There are restrooms at the National Park Service docks in Ocracoke. There are water and power at the dock. No showers. But, with an unlimited supply of fresh water and electricity to power the water heater, we get to try Luna's shower. The faucet in the sink in the head pulls out and becomes a hand-held shower. You turn it on, get wet, soap yourself up, and rinse off. Like showering in an old-fashioned telephone booth, but it works. As everywhere else on Luna, I find there is just enough space to accomplish what you need to do, but no more.

Exploring Ocracoke by bicycle

We rented bikes and explored the island. We stopped at Edouardo's Mexican food truck out by the grocery store. I bought a cheesy pork taco ("Ocracoke's favorite"), and the commander got a plate of vegetarian tacos. The taco con carnitas contained perfectly cooked and seasoned shredded pork with a few crumbles of queso fresca, lettuce, and chopped tomatoes wrapped in two corn tortillas. It was excellent

We ride our lunches out to the beach, eat, and walk on the sand. There is a brisk south wind, and the day has turned sunny but cool. There are not many people just hanging out on the beach, but there are plenty of surf fishermen.

Surf fishing is popular here. Where permitted, people drive on the beach in their SUV's and 4 WD pickup trucks with enough fishing poles sticking up from both bumpers to arouse the attention of an aberrant porcupine. I hardly ever see anyone pulling in a fish, though there is a photo in the local newspaper of a man holding up a large red drum down where the sand meets the ocean.

There is plenty of room for the fishers, the sun-bathers, the surfers, or whatever. Ocracoke was voted the best beach in America  in 2007. The same year, Conde Nast rated it as the fifth best beach in the world. I can see why. It's wide and clean. The sand is fine. There are 16 miles of undeveloped beach.

The ride back from the beach was right into the wind. The skies had turned cloudy with an approaching cold front. We sought shelter at the Topless Oyster bar that offered happy-hour prices (50 cents) for their oysters. The bartender told me the oysters came from the James River, and to me they were somewhat bland. I am accustomed to oysters tasting like a solid hit of sea water. There is nothing else quite like them. Perhaps the James River area is too brackish, as the these oysters seemed under-salted.

Dinner on Luna

We had dinner back on Luna, then later went to a nearby bar (Dajio's) to watch the Red Sox win the first game of the World Series.





10/24/13 Ocracoke

We had a restless night aboard Luna. The cold front arrived, bringing a strong north wind. Even in this protected harbor, we could hear the wind howling outside, and Luna bobbed at the wharf. We are tied to the windward side of the dock, so our fenders got a work-out, creaking every time Luna rubbed against them.

Considering sailing out into the ocean, I have read that if you look out and see elephants on the horizon, best to stay ashore. The elephants, of course, are large waves at sea. Lake Champlain has its own version of that, though the animals are much smaller. If you look at the horizon there and see a ragged line, you know there are large waves. We look out at the Pamlico Sound, and the horizon is a confused broken line. Whitecaps are visible in the foreground. We are staying put today.

The forecast calls for 15-20 kt northwest winds, moderating and becoming west in the afternoon. We are heading west from here. Tomorrow the forecast is a little better. Looks like another plate of cheesy pork tacos is in the immediate future.

By the Ocracoke Lighthouse

Windblown sand on Ocracoke Beach