Elizabeth City to Ocracoke Island

We had a beautiful day to sail from Elizabeth City to Ocracoke Island with an overnight stop at Roanoke Island on the way.  The winds were ideal and Gratitude was making a good 6.5 knots on a broad reach for the six hour sail to Roanoke Island.  Elizabeth City is home to one of the largest Coast Guard stations in the area.  We were not terribly surprised when a Coast Guard boat closed in on us quickly from the stern and hailed us,  "When were you last boarded by the Coast Guard, Capt'n?"  Could not remember the last time.  We held our course and speed and they pulled along side and two officers came aboard.  They performed a complete safety check of the boat covering such things as lifejackets, flares, fire extinguishers, etc.  We were not cited for any violations.  My only complaint is that they wore black combat boots and left some black marks.  Sperry should make some combat deck boots for the CG.

Roanoke Island had extensive damage from hurricane Irene in September.  The marina where we stopped for the night still did not have power.  We had to take flashlights into the restrooms and showers.  Laundry was not even a possibility.  Manteo (Roanoke Island) is a nice stop with lots of newer shops and small boutiques.

We had a spirited sail (rough) to Ocracoke.  It also suffered damage from Irene.  Because of Irene, the only way to get there is by private boat or by a ferry from the mainland.  Before, it was very easy to drive along the outer banks to Hatteras and take a very short free ferry to Ocracoke.  The highway to Hatteras, however, was breached in two places by the storm and they are still working to replace one bridge and repair one causeway.  As a result, very few people are in Ocracoke.  It is a beautiful, small village with white beaches and lots of fun places to visit.  Eduardo's tacos on the left was a great place to grab a quick taco.

Mile Marker 84  at the beach on Ocracoke Island

There must be thousands of bicycles on tiny Ocracoke.  It is a lovely place to bike. The other major mode of transportation is by golf cart.  But since things were so quiet, the marina gave us the use of their courtesy car for our entire stay.  It was nice to be able to drive around and explore the island.  It also allowed us to spend a nice day at the beach.

Ocracoke Ferry at Sunset