Hi Girls and Guys,
Our day in Wanchese Harbor on Roanoke Island, NC began with a harbinger of weather to come before the day is out. Prudent mariners know the harbinger "High Dawn", is when the sun rises over a bank of clouds it signals high wind will soon follow. Wanchese Harbor is located inside Oregon Inlet, a very treacherous inlet used by fishermen for centuries. With the foretold weather it would be impossible even for skilled mariners to navigate. Located just sixty sixty nautical miles north of Cape Hatteras the most treacherous cape in the United States. The shoals of Cape Cod may be the second in the States, but Cape Sable in Nova Scotia is king for shipwrecks on its shoals. The only decent inlet in all of North Carolina is Moorehead City inlet and even that can be a treacherous inlet a high winds. Here in Wanchese Harbor we are snug as a bug in a rug.
I wanted to introduce Phil to the unique culture of this tiny fishing village on Roanoke Island, NC. The southern part of the island comprises the the fishing village of Wanchese, home to two hundred people fisher families. The nothern end of the island is home to Sir Walter Raleigh's, "Lost Colony". The colony was established in 1557 and when Raleigh returned from England with supplies he found the colony had been abandoned, with no trace of the inhabitants. To this day no credible evidence has been found as to the whereabouts of any decedent's of the America's Lost Colony. The nothern end of the island is home to the Dare County seat and the town of Manteo, with a small harbor with mostly small recreational boats. Two very distinct cultures inhabit this small island. In Wanchese villiage there are no police, hotels or traffic lights but plenty of fish buyers and supply houses for fishermen. Manteo has a small supermarket, hardware store, ice cream, hotels, restaurants etc., very typical of small town America. Wanchese is only five miles from Manteo but when you enter Wanchese you enter an entirely different world. Most of Wanchese is only a few feet above sea level. When a strong southerly wind blows across Pamlico Sound it ends up in the yards of the inhabitants of Wanchese. Almost every house has a large anchor in their front yard, standing as a testament to the hazards of Oregon inlet.
I first met Phil at a thanksgiving day gathering for cruisers in the small town of St Marys, Georgia. On that thanksgiving day there were more than 400 small boat cruisers in the Town of Saint Marys taking part in a potluck thanksgiving feast. Some came by land but most were at anchor in St. Mary's river. The owner of the Spencer House Inn, provided a serving line, complete with dishes, silver ware and seating for the cruisers who brought pot luck meals. The Inn opened its facilities with no charge to the cruisers. Phil and I are both navy veterans on the exact opposite side of the water. Phil served in the Submarine Navy traveling the depths of the ocean without seeing the light of day for months on end. He roamed the depths of King Neptunes' Realm on a nuclear powered submarine silently standing guard ready to launch missiles 24/7. The guys and now girls of our submarine navy are very special humans, being able to stay beneath the waves for months on end is a feat very few can endure! We are safe today because of their daily sacrifice deep within King Neptunes Realm. Prior to the US Navy Phil had a hammer to build houses for a living, hence the name of his sailing vessel.
On Roanoke Island you are a hop, skip and bridge away from the Outer Banks that stretch from Cape Hatteras to Currituck sound. The miles upon miles of white sandy beaches attract tourists by the tens of thousands in the summer. Most rental houses located close to the beach are mounted high above the ground on pilings to protect them from big waves and to make them easy to move when the beach gets to close. The outer banks are home to the Wright brothers first flight in Kill Devil Hills, NC. The adjoining Jockey Hill is the highest sand dune in North America. This village has the strange name of Nags Head, home of the Naggies. Naggies were ship wreckers known as "Land Pirates"
S/V HADHAMMER and S/V PAVITI TERN have other sailing adventures to share with you, so please come back for more buddy boating adventures with veterans.
Ciao! For Now,
Mike
