SIDE TRIP: DAYS 282-285 : Oriental NC to Ocracoke Island

Oriental to Ocracoke Island NC: 9.4 mph; 44.6 miles; 4:45 hours

It's March 29, 2022 and the temperature is 30 degrees this morning. Maybe it’ll get to 45 degrees today…

We are expecting winds over 40 mph on later this week; we will be here a while. I can’t think of a better place to be stranded than Ocracoke Island.

Ocracoke is a side trip off the ICW, across the Neuse River, and Pamlico Sound. Of the twenty-one ferry’s that service North Carolina (who knew there were so many), there are three ferries that service Ocracoke: Cedar island, Swan Quarter, and Hatteras Island. The season hasn’t really hit Ocracoke yet; everyone is getting ready - all 700 of the permanent residents. 

The Anchor Inn Marina

$2.50/ft; electric; bathroom/shower house across the street on the side of the hotel (like a lean-to ... yikes!). 

The marina is in the Village of Ocracoke just a hop away from the ferry and a nice walk to the lighthouse or Variety Store for ‘provisions’. There are more than a few local artists on the island; so, you'll have your pick of little galleries to visit. The pottery is really delicate and sturdy at the same time.

Bikes would be great on the island but we decided to rent a a golf cart. It took only 20 minutes to drive around the entire village (all golf carts must stay within the village). We parked at Howard’s Pub then walked a ways down the highway to the Airport Beach where there’s a vehicle pass to the ocean. That was a rough walk in virgin sand. The beach was flat as a pancake without a shell in sight. Had we ventured a bit further along the highway, we would have come upon Lifeguard Beach with a pedestrian pass. 

Around The Village

Village Craftsmen

Excellent selection of different local and distant artists. I love the earrings designed by Christopher Royal; I first saw his work at the Art Institute of Chicago. His designs pull from kinetic sculptures and mobile artists to create colorful and featherweight earrings. ‘Cousin Amy’ has a huge selection of his work. 

The Ocracoke Oyster Company 

Fantastic Oyster Po’Boy, oysters on the half shell, and handmade guacamole. Our server, Nick, was awesome! Ask for him and tell him Paige sent you!

Variety Store

This is a grocery store for campers; that or, the store isn't fully stocked yet (but people LIVE here - right?). I guess, if you were visiting for a week, and needed speciality ingredients, you would need to pack a cooler ahead of time. Pickings are few and far between - it’s an island.

Kitty Hawk Kites

Nothing has changed in the last 30 years - rude dude - I think he was the manager. I asked a question and I was spoken to like the village idiot; when I dished it back out - he simmered down. Just avoid this place.

Jim has family connections to Ocracoke

The Ocracoke Preservation Society opened its doors for us to comb through the Ocracoke family histories. There aren’t ‘family trees’ on Ocracoke, it's more like a 'family net'. Like Tangier Island, there are few family names and everyone is related in one way or another. For example, Sudie (Susan) Williams was Ma’s mother and that should make everything easy. Not so, the Williams, McWilliams, and MacWilliams were also on the island and there are two women named Sudie. In one document you might see the last name spelled both McWilliams and Williams. This little snafu only makes paying attention that much more important because you could head in a different direction pretty quick.

Jim suggested that I subscribe to Ancestry.com when I get home to find out more of his Ocracoke family and some of my Greek and Irish families - sounds interesting…

Here's what I figured out about Jim’s lineage:

• Jim is part of the seventh generation of the Howard Family (making Pearson and Sara the 8th generation).

• Enoch Ellis Howard, his great-great grandfather, kept the lighthouse running for decades.

• Jim’s lineage began with William Howard (first generation)

• William Howard was Black Beard’s quartermaster …

So much makes sense now … Jim … Pearson … Sara … all pirates - complete non-conformists. 

The Good Old Days

After my parent’s divorce, Dad use to bring me to Ocracoke so he could go fishing and I could explore the beach. I remember there was a motel on the road into town. It was such a funny motel because it had a horse out front (it’s still there). Once, when we were on the island, a group of nuns were visiting at the same time. They were so cool looking because they wore pants and shirts with their habit - I had never seen that! The praying mantis were emerging and flying all over the motel’s front grasses; Sister Mary Francis called me over to sit with her and she taught me about the Praying Mantis. I loved that weekend. It's been nearly 45 years and I still remember it clearly.

Jim and I visited this island on our honeymoon and later with the kids when they were little. This island holds some wonderful memories for both of us.