Ocracoke

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
35 06.931 N
75 59.170 W

We were underway by 7:30AM today. We had a 5 hour run across Palminco Sound ahead of us, and the weather was scheduled to worsen as the day wore on, so we wanted to beat the weather, and have daylight up or sleeve if we had to beat a retreat. Palminco Sound is large and shallow, and therefore tends to discomfort as the wind picks up, and the harbor at Ocracoke (called Silver Lake) has only limited space. If we could not find a dock or anchorage, we would have to leave and make our way back.

Swan Quarter

All ended up well. As expected the wind picked up as we made our way across, but Tide Hiker took it all in her stride. We could see a big series of thunder storms ahead of us, working from south to north, but we were slow enough to let them pass across our bow. We did retreat below to the RPH in anticipation of a deluge that did not eventuate. The channel for the last 2 or 3 miles into the harbor was tight and windy, and a bit of a navigation challenge, but all that went well until a radio call  "Tide Hiker, Tide Hiker, this is the ferry SWAN QUARTER on your stern". Deidre climbed the stairs and looked behind: "Robert, there is a bloody big ship coming in our back door". It was the ferry, and they asked nicely if we would get out of the way and let them thru. We were happy to oblige.

The Schooner

We wanted to dock at the National Park Service dock but we could not find it. The harbor was quite tight and we were driving around the perimeter searching as the wind started to build. In frustration, I got on the radio and basically asked "Does anyone know where the NPS dock is located?" Interestingly, the captain of the ferry boat responded and gave us some landmarks that helped us find it.

It turned out to be a series of fixed docks (floating docks are preferred) and it is inexpensive ( because we qualify for a seniors discount of 50%!) but there is no dock side assistance, and the wind was still howling (well, "brisk" may be more accurate).

We spotted what turned out to be a youth training schooner parked opposite, and as we approached downwind at 100 MPH, Deidre yelled to the kids "HELP". Within seconds there was a stream of teenagers on the way and in we came. They were keen, but not very experienced. Deidre hurled the lines ashore and they grabbed them and tide then to just about anything they could find. That day I learned NEVER to give a bow line to anybody on a dock.

We quickly decided that Okra-coke looked like a great place for a couple of days. Smokey the Bear came down to the boat with in an hour of arriving (Where was he when we needed him?) and we paid up for two days. By the look of the forecast we maybe here a bit longer. The dockage is a great deal - we get a 50% discount because we are both over 62 yo! So its about $32 per day, which is a deal.

We went out for dinner at the Jolly Roger. Deidre's comment: "Just what Robert likes.... down by the water and grotty." I promised "table cloths" next night out.

Wednesday June 13, 2012

I assembled the bikes and we toured the town. Its a small place (700 permanent residents) but there are lot of visitors in the summer. We took our mail to the Post Office and then did some grocery shopping at the only place in town. Deidre was able to find about 60% of her list.

The forecast is not looking very good so we expect to stay longer, maybe 'till the weekend. Suites me, I like the place. The only bad thing is the internet service - there seems to be just enough band width for emails and text, but not enough for photos. I have tried several times, but adding photos to the blog just crashes the service.

The harbor was just a flood prone creek till WW 2. Then it was dredged and became a navy base, dealing with the U-boats on the east coast. The Brits sent some ships over to help. One of those was sunk and several of the crew were buried here. One street is called "British Cemetery St" and we visited the cemetery. It is very nicely done, with Union Jack, and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

We went out to dinner at Dajio tonight, and it was very nice - table cloths and all.

Thursday June 14, 2012

Our spot next to the Ferry Terminal

The wind is really picking up now. I added extra lines to the boat, including one from the bow all the way to the head of the dock. The wind is "on our starboard quarter" and tends to push the nose onto the dock on the Port side. I hope the special bow line will take off some pressure. We have two fenders at the point of contact, but it must be hard on the boat. We hear it creaking all night.

A young couple arrived on a sail boat. After they settled in we invited them over for a beer. They are newly married, about 30 years old, well educated and treating life as an adventure. We chatted for a couple of hours - it was fun. Deidre made roast dinner - was better than both restaurant meals. We watched a movie (there is virtually no TV reception) and went to bed listening to the wind.

Friday June 15, 2012

Big project today is to change the oil in both main engines. Deidre came down and helped. Messy business, but done now. Not cheap either, both engines take $75 of oil each.

After dinner we wandered into town for a cup of coffee. Lo, we came across the "National Ladies Arm Wresting Championship" at one of the local spots. They had a decent crowd (75??) and the event was covered by the local radio station and supervised by the fire department. It seemed quite fun. We watched a couple of heats, then moved on.

Bill (Mikler) had a heart catheter procedure today that was not successful. Apparently he needs open heart surgery that will be performed in a few weeks. Not much fun!

Saturday June 16, 2012

Fresh Fish for Dinner

We rented a golf cart today to do the shopping. The little market is a bit limited, but we managed to get the essentials. After off loading the groceries into the boat we used the cart to explore the rest of the town. On the way home we stopped at the local "Fishing Co-op" and bought dinner. Followed by a quiet afternoon, reading and listening to the wind blow.

Saturday night we went out to a nice restaurant with the young couple from the boat next door. (They were really fun - about Kylie's age, her dad was younger than me!) Turned out our waitress had been one of the finalists the night before.