Community Foundation now accepting scholarship applications

February 8, 2022

Southern Shores — The Outer Banks Community Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications on its website obcf.org.

The application deadline is 11:59 pm, Monday, March 7.

The Community Foundation manages 60 different scholarship programs and expects to award about $200,000 to local students this year.

Graduating high school seniors from Dare County, Currituck County, and Ocracoke are eligible to apply online.

Non-traditional students also are eligible to apply for several scholarships through our partnership with College of the Albemarle. Scholarships range from one-time awards of $1,000, to four-year awards totaling $24,000.

“We have scholarships for a huge diversity of students,” said Chris Sawin, president and CEO of the foundation. “Art majors, nurses, firefighters, journalism students, tennis players, math majors, law enforcement majors, community college and vocational students — all are encouraged to apply. Thanks to two new funds established in 2021, students leaving community college to continue their education toward a bachelor’s degree are also now eligible to apply for scholarship funding.”

Applicants begin the process online at the website above, which has instructions and a link to the foundation’s online scholarship portal. There is one application for all scholarships, for all high school seniors, returning students and Dare Guarantee graduates.

Though many of the foundation’s scholarships are merit-based, the majority of awards consider financial need. For the need-based awards, students are required to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and upload the resulting Student Aid Report into their application. Students whose citizenship status prevents their completion of a FAFSA (e.g., DACA students) may still be considered for need-based awards and should talk to their guidance counselors.

“We encourage students to begin the application process early,” said Nandy Stuart, the foundation’s scholarship administrator. “Applications MUST be received before midnight on March 7. Students who begin the process late risk not having their Student Aid Report and necessary recommendation letters in time. Students who miss the deadline, even if it’s just by a few minutes, are unfortunately not eligible for any scholarships we manage in 2022.”

The Community Foundation partners with College of The Albemarle (COA) Foundation and the COA Workforce Development and Readiness program to offer additional, diverse vocational and continuing education scholarships, including for graduating high school seniors and adults of all ages and backgrounds. Interested students should visit COA’s website for more information and to apply for these college-specific awards.

New this year are two renewable scholarship funds. The R. Wayne Grey Memorial Scholarship and the Hanft McDevitt Family Scholarship both are designed to help Dare Guarantee program graduates who wish to continue their education toward a four-year degree.

In addition, two new, renewable scholarship funds have been activated and will award their first scholarships this year—the Bill Jones Memorial Scholarship for NC State-bound students and the Barbara Barnes Sherman Memorial Scholarship for Dare County students.

Scholarship funds have been generously donated from individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, civic groups, and government agencies to help local students pursue higher education. Any community member can establish a scholarship fund with the Community Foundation by calling us at 252-261-8839.

All senior high school scholarship recipients will be announced at their schools’ senior awards nights.

The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization that connects people who care with causes that matter. Since its inception in 1982, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $12 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students.

Beached boat on Ocracoke creeps toward deeper water

February 8, 2022

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Barry Crum, owner of Crum Works of Buxton, in the excavator at right, pulls the “Vivens Aqua’ away from the ocean and toward Ocracoke Inlet on Feb. 7. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

The “Vivens Aqua,” stranded on Ocracoke for the last 14 days, is taking an overland route to get back into the water.

Using giant pneumatic pins and sometimes in a driving rain on Monday, the crew of Crum Works of Buxton rolled the 55-foot Novatec yacht to within about 500 feet of the deeper water in Ocracoke Inlet.

The boat grounded on Ocracoke’s South Point around 1 a.m. on Jan. 25. Several attempts to pull it back into the water were unsuccessful and the owner, Scott Pumphrey, said his insurance company decided to change tactics.

Crum’s crew began moving the boat on Saturday and moved it about 100 feet. They did not work on Sunday and returned on Monday. During the daylong endeavor, the “Vivens” moved gradually along on four pneumatic pins, rolling the 55,000-pound boat several feet on three pins, then deflating the rear one, hauling that around to the front and reinflating it for the next pull. After several hours, the boat was at the edge of the VFA (the vehicle free area) at the tip of South Point.

Pumphrey said that on Tuesday the crew will pull the “Vivens” the last 500 or so feet to the water’s edge. Then they will do an inspection “to make sure she won’t sink.”

Then, another boat will pull the “Vivens” into Ocracoke’s Silver Lake on Wednesday. After that, the boat will be towed to a boat yard in Morehead City for repairs, Pumphrey said.

The ‘Vivens Aqua’ is at the edge of the vehicle free zone on South Point and about 500 feet from the deeper water of Ocracoke Inlet. Photo: C. Leinbach

Pumphrey had purchased the boat, built in 2001, in Palm Coast, Florida, and had been sailing it for a week up the Intracoastal Waterway to his Salisbury, Maryland, home.

His wife, Karen, joined him in Wilmington a few days before their unfortunate landing on Ocracoke.

Previous reports said Karen was with him from the outset, but she corrected that during an interview Monday and noted how terrified she was the night of Jan. 24 in the pitch dark waters outside of Ocracoke.

“I just kept looking out in that ocean knowing I had to go back out there because I didn’t know how long we were going to be there,” she said about waiting in the water on Tuesday, Jan. 25. “I thought the water would come up; it would drift us out and we’d be done. So, I was petrified to go back out in that ocean. Yeah, it scared me to death.”

Karen left the boat the afternoon it grounded and was able to return home, but she and Scott have been in contact daily.

She was happy that islanders have been bringing her husband some things he needs, though it took him a while to allow that.

“Usually, he doesn’t like taking anything from anybody,” she said. “He’s not used to taking; he’s a giver.”

Pumphrey, a retired police lieutenant from the Baltimore Police Department, has remained in his unheated boat since the mishap. A camp cookstove that uses propane bottles has been his only heat as he warms his food. Solar powered batteries have kept his phone charged.

Despite the blustery winter weather, he has been sanguine about his misadventure on Ocracoke, noting that he’d love to return in calmer, warmer weather after his boat is fixed.

“I love this boat,” he said. “It took me a long, long time and a ton of work to get her and I am going to stick it out.”

To read a column on the challenges of sailing along the Outer Banks, click here.

Hyde Commissioners to hold hearing tonight on travel trailer wording changes to the Ocracoke Development Ordinance

February 7, 2022

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Sea stars like these can often be seen on the Ocracoke beach in winter. Photo: C. Leinbach

The Hyde County Commissioners will hold a public hearing tonight at 6 to seek public comment on proposed wording changes to the Ocracoke Development Ordinance (ODO) regarding travel trailers as accessory structures.

The meeting, held in the government services building in Swan Quarter, will also be in the Ocracoke Community Center and livestreamed on Facebook at the Hyde County Public Information page.

At their Jan. 20 meeting, the Ocracoke Advisory Planning Board, which oversees the ODO, responded to concerns from the county building inspector, John Contestable, and his enforcement of the ODO.

In the current ODO, travel trailers are grouped into “accessory structures” in Sec. 36-180 and the board proposes to delete that from this section.

Under the “Definitions and rules of construction” section of the ODO (Sec. 36-145), the planning board proposes the following wording:

“Travel trailer means a wheeled vehicle constructed and licensed to be permitted for public streets or highways duly designed for short term occupancy, travel, and recreational and/or vacation use. A travel trailer that is temporarily or permanently connected to utilities by definition is a dwelling unit. Utilities include, but are not limited to, electricity, water, septic system, cable, and/or telephone.

A travel trailer connected to any such utilities must be in accordance with section 36-174 and/or section 36-182.”

The proposed changes to the ODO can be viewed here.

Comments may be emailed to public-comment@hydecountync.gov or by leaving a voicemail at 252-926-5288. Public comment will also be taken in person at the hearing.

Following the hearing, the regular monthly meeting will begin and the agenda for tonight’s meeting is below. More information about the meeting can be found on Hyde County’s website.

Public comments can be made by calling the above number or by going to https://forms.gle/qWzxU8EXfaQDahWp6 and filling out the form.

Beached yacht begins a slow move back into the water

February 6, 2022

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Crum Works of Buxton moves the ‘Vivens Aqua’ on South Point, Ocracoke, on Feb. 5. Owner Scott Pumphrey checks it out from the forward hatch. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

Scott Pumphrey’s grounded boat was on the move on Saturday as a house moving company began wresting the stranded “Vivens Aqua” from its sandy keep on Ocracoke.

The Crum Works crew of Buxton worked in the windy cold to put pneumatic pins under the 55-foot yacht. After several hours of placing the black inflated tubes and pulling the boat inch by inch, the boat moved about 100 feet from where it had lodged after the prior attempts to refloat her ended on Tuesday (Feb. 1).

Pumphrey remained on the boat as the crew jostled and budged the boat forward. He has been ensconced in his inadvertent beach lodging since the incident 12 days ago.

The new plan, according to Barry Crum, owner of the company, was to first move the boat farther onto the beach away from the tide, which Crum thinks they accomplished on Saturday, working into the dusk. They will take off on Sunday and return Monday to continue moving the boat away from the ocean and toward the inlet.

Then the sewage will be pumped out and the vessel will be inspected to make sure it is able to make the tow to Buxton. After that, they plan to pull the vessel 1,500 feet south to the inlet to deeper water.

While the boat is still on the pneumatic pin bags it will be pulled into the water, hooked to a tow boat and towed to Scott’s Boat Yard in Buxton.

Several locals and visitors ventured out to South Point to watch the operation.

“It’s progress!” noted one local who had been on the beach on Jan. 28 when TowBoatUS (out of Morehead City) first attempted to pull the boat off the sand and into Ocracoke Inlet.

Pumphrey remained in his boat all day while the move progressed and popped out of the forward hatch once during the afternoon.

Contacted later Saturday evening, Pumphrey said it was cozy inside his unheated cabin and was happy about the day’s efforts.

The audience Saturday Feb. 5 watches the moving efforts. Photo: C. Leinbach

“I’m moving in the right direction,” he said.

After having purchased the boat built in 2001, Pumphrey, a retired police officer from the Baltimore Police Department, and his wife, Karen, was returning home via the Intracoastal Waterway.

They were traveling for about a week going about 70 miles a day, Pumphrey said. Monday, Jan. 24, was calm and, wanting to make better time, he left the Intracoastal at Morehead City and took to the ocean. It was dark when he reached Ocracoke and after learning on a website that Ocracoke was a good place to anchor, he turned into the inlet.

Then his steering went out and Pumphrey’s yacht landed on the South Point Beach around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Several attempts to pull the boat out were unsuccessful. Tuesday (Feb. 1) morning’s high tide was the last time TowBoatUS tried to pull the boat into Ocracoke Inlet.

The first pneumatic pins are inflated. Photo: C. Leinbach
Barry Crum in the excavator. Photo: C. Leinbach
The ‘Vivens Aqua’ at dusk on Feb. 5. Photo: C. Leinbach
A sea star with the yacht operation beyond. Photo: C. Leinbach
A Crum Works excavator inches the ‘Vivens Aqua’ along with pneumatic pins. Photo by Dave Schroeder

Ocracoke School students recognized for excellence

February 5, 2022

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Ocracoke School on Tuesday honored 50 students in grades three to 12 who achieved the Principal’s List and Honor Roll for the second nine weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. The Principal’s List recognizes students with grades of 93 to 100; Honors 85 to 92.

An additional 32 students received Dolphin Awards. These are students chosen by their teachers for their enthusiasm, special interests and contributions to their classes.

Principal’s List (93-100)

3^rd grade: Riely Brown, Camryn Lewis, Kyler Luna, Dallas Mason, Lela Palacios, Anson Roberts

4^th grade: Joseph Contreras-Uribe, Camila Hernandez Rubio, Chloe O’Neal, Lizzeth Perez, Ford Sumner

5^th grade: Duncan McClain, Charlie O’Neal

6^th grade: Uriah Johnson, Jenny Ricardez Garcia

7^th grade: Marlena Cuellar, Zoe Modlin, Essie O’Neal

8^th grade: Oliver Cuellar

9^th grade: Gabriel Brown, Nicholas Cole

10^th grade: Maren Donlon, Yuletzy Ibarra, Emilia Jordan, Elsie Kattenburg, Silas Trethewey

Honor Roll (85-92)

3^rd grade: Austin O’Neal, Nadia Rodriguez Alcocer, Ange Suazo Paz

4^th grade: Daira Mendez-Amador, Lizbeth Perez, Jordan Suazo-Dominguez, Goldie Volotovskaia

5^th grade: Ollie Roberts, Javier Trejo

6^th grade: Stephanie Flores Esparza, Angel Hernandez-Ortiz

7^th grade: Skyann Barnes, Angel Garcia, Dulce Juarez Resendiz

8^th grade: Aidan Mason

9^th grade: Auggie Giagu, Danny Palacios-Badillo, Caroline Stocks,

10^th grade: Alyssa Bryan, Rahnier Lyons, Mariah Temple

11^th grade: Max Elicker, Preston Mason, Sonia Voitenko

Dolphin Awards
Pre Kindergarten: Xavier Palacios, Amaya Strissel

Kindergarten: Amaya Luna, Yossbany Ibarra, Allison Lopez-Trejo

First: Evelyn Contreras, Gael Guerrero Perez, Romeo Juarez Resendiz

Second: Yami Ricardez Garcia, Cora Walters, Armando Perez-Leyva, Emmett Gallaher

Third: Anson Roberts, Ange Suazo Paz, Maranda O’Neal

Fourth: Chloe O’Neal

Fifth: Charles Hodson

Middle School Science: Maria Gray

Middle School English Language A: Lilly Pacanins

Middle School Math: Mia Perez Leyva-7th Grade

Middle School Social Studies: Jami Martinez

High School Math: Marilyn Espinosa Monter

High School History: Auggie Giagu

High School English: Daymon Esham

High School Science: Marlene Tellez

High School Technology Engineering and Design: Carter O’Neal

Physical Education:
K-2: Luke Gallaher (K)
3-5: Duncan McClain (5th)
6-8: Mia Perez Leyva (7th)
Art:
Elementary: Charles Hodson
Middle School: Jonah Daniels
High School: Preston Mason

Parents and students attending Ocracoke School honor ceremony.Photo: P. Vankevich

Grounded yacht on Ocracoke awaits Plan B

February 4, 2022

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Equipment from Crum Works that will be used to wrest the ‘Vivens Aqua’ from her sandy keep on South Point and back into the water. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

It’s now time for Plan B to get the “Vivens Aqua” that has been grounded on South Point on Ocracoke since Jan. 25 back into the water.

Scott Pumphrey, owner of the 55-foot Novatec yacht, said Thursday that he hired Barry Crum of Crum Works in Buxton to refloat the boat via excavators and rollers.

According to a plan submitted to and approved by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and which Pumphrey shared with the Observer, the effort will be done in two stages.

The first will be to get the vessel away from the surf onto higher ground approximately, 100 feet farther from the surf using ship launch bags.

Once the vessel is on the bags, Crum’s crew will pull it up farther onto the sand with the excavator. Then the sewage will be pumped out and the vessel will be inspected to make sure it is able to make the tow to Buxton.

After that, they plan to pull the vessel 1,500 feet south to the inlet to an area where the water depth drops rapidly.

While the boat is still on the float bags it will be pulled into deeper water, hooked to a tow boat and towed to Scott’s Boat Yard in Buxton. Crum’s company will then restore the beach back to its natural state.

Barry Crum, owner of the company, said he staged his equipment on Thursday at the end of South Point Road. The windy weather forecast for today (Friday) has prohibited his crew from securing Pumphrey’s boat, but they might start on Saturday, he said.

“It’s supposed to gust up to 50 knots today,” Crum said. “It would just make it really difficult for us to get anything done.”

Outside on his boat deck in balmy weather on Thursday, day 10 of his unplanned sojourn on Ocracoke, Pumphrey said he hired Crum himself and will haggle with the insurance company later. He said cost of removal will be about $90,000.

Scott Pumphrey, owner of the ‘Vivens Aqua,’ on day 10 of his accidental oceanfront accommodations on South Point, Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach

In related news, two other boats grounded in Oregon Inlet, Dare County, on Thursday.

According to an NPS press release, a 35-foot-long vessel named Reel Lucky, registered in New Jersey, and a 32-foot-long vessel named Bite Me, registered in Pennsylvania, grounded on the beach near the north side of Oregon Inlet. The vessels reportedly bumped into each other a few times during the grounding incident.

Both vessels grounded near each other, approximately 0.8 miles south of Seashore’s off-road vehicle ramp 4.

Salvage efforts are underway, Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Seashore, said today.

“It’s been an interesting 10 days,” he said. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore runs from South Nags Head to the tip of Ocracoke Island. It’s about 75 miles long, even in the villages (Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Frisco and Hatteras), which everybody’s not always aware of this, the beachfront is Park property.”

Pumphrey’s yacht landed on the South Point Beach around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Several days of attempts to pull the boat out were unsuccessful. Tuesday morning’s high tide was the last time TowBoatUS (out of Morehead City) tried to pull the boat into Ocracoke Inlet.

Pumphrey and his wife, Karen, of Salisbury, Maryland, had been sailing their newly acquired boat from Palm Coast, Florida, back home for about a week via the Intracoastal Waterway.

On Monday, Jan. 24, the weather was nice and Pumphrey decided to leave the Intracoastal at Morehead City and travel via the ocean “to make up some miles.”

But they got into trouble that night at dark when Pumphrey said the steering went out while navigating the Ocracoke Inlet and they grounded on the beach.

Karen was able to get off the boat the afternoon of Jan. 25 and to return home.

Pictured, from left, Reel Lucky and Bite Me sit grounded on the beach near Oregon Inlet on Feb. 3, 2022. NPS photo.

Islander Bill Jones: 1944 to 2022

February 3, 2022

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Bill, Lida and son Christopher on Ocracoke, November 2017. Photo courtesy of the family.

Islander Bill Jones, 78, died on Jan. 28 in Vidant Hospital, Greenville, after suffering a fall on Ocracoke Island.

His wife and sons were with him, and he died peacefully. Everyone who knew him loved him and he loved us all.

He was the husband of Lida Inge Wylie Jones.

George William “Bill” Jones, Jr. was born on December 13, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama, to the late George and Alice Jones.

Bill grew up in Talladega, Alabama. He attended (and loved) Indian Springs High School in Pelham, Alabama. He received a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, a Master of Divinity from Columbia Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity from Louisville Seminary.

Bill met Lida on a blind date when they were sophomores in college. They married after graduation and took a six-week road trip to California and back. That was the beginning of 54 wonderful years of marriage.

Bill served as a pastor at Waverly Road Presbyterian Church (Kingsport, Tenn.), Covenant Presbyterian Church (Johnson City, Tenn.), and Balmoral Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.). He taught a faith of tolerance for all people no matter who they were or what they believed. He touched countless lives with his love and grace.

After 31 years in the ministry, Bill retired and began a part-time career as a storyteller. His stories will be available soon for all to hear on YouTube at the channel “Bill Jones, Storyteller.”

In 1999, Bill and Lida attended a storytelling workshop with Donald and Merle Davis on Ocracoke.

They fell in love with the island and moved there in 2007. Although they enjoyed trips off the island, a big smile and a sense of peace came over Bill every time he boarded the ferry back to Ocracoke. He loved walks on the beach, sunsets, island birds, and, most of all, the community.

As a teenager, Bill took his first backcountry canoe trip in the Quetico boundary waters. He loved it so much he returned many times to lead groups through Outward Bound school and took numerous friends and family members over the years. His last canoe trip was in 2019 with his sons and his granddaughter, Shannon.

Movies gave him great joy. He cataloged more than 12,000 movies that he watched over his lifetime and passed this passion on to his children.

Music was a big part of Bill’s life. He sang in the male chorus and the Lamplighters quartet at Davidson and was a member of each church’s choir where he loved to sing “O Holy Night” on Christmas Eve.

He enjoyed Christmas music and also Spike Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Molasses Creek, Everly Brothers, Coyote, John McCutcheon, Chet Atkins, Johnny Mathis, Chad Mitchell Trio, Jimmy Durante, Martin Garrish and an endless list of artists. Christopher and David have both played in bands and music is a huge part of their lives.

Bill loved books and introduced his children to “The Hobbit,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Watership Down” and other stories that show how the world is full of magic and wonder. Geoff recently began a career as an author, and Bill was his most supportive and devoted fan.

The love that Bill and Lida shared for one another is beyond measure. They shared laughter, joy and comfort. They took care of each other. Together, they made the world a better place.

Bill / Dad / Mr. Jones / Papa / “Tantese” will be remembered by all as a gentle, kind, loving, and joyful man.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons (Geoff, Christopher, David) and their families. Geoff, Erin, Shannon (17) and Sydney (14) live near Denver. Christopher, Sharon, Alex (16) and Owen (13) live near Boston. David and Jennifer live in San Francisco. He is also survived by nieces, nephews and an extended family he loved dearly.

A celebration of Bill’s life is planned for March 26 on Ocracoke.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following:

ARTS
Storytelling and music drew Bill and Lida to Ocracoke. Bill sponsored and volunteered at the Ocrafolk festival and loved the Latino festival. Both events are run by Ocracoke Alive.

https://www.ocracokealive.org/donate.html

HISTORY
Bill volunteered at the Ocracoke Preservation Society museum. He loved connecting with visitors and sharing the history of the island.

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VV7PMLEUX7NZQ

EDUCATION

Bill volunteered at Ocracoke School and shared his love of learning with students on the island. Charlotte Castro was the daughter of dear friends Marcy Brenner and Lou Castro. When Charlotte passed away in 2010, Lida and Bill started the “Charlotte Castro Scholarship Fund” for Ocracoke School seniors to support her memory. Keeping this tradition alive would honor him.

Make checks payable to “Ocracoke School” with a memo: “Charlotte Castro Scholarship Fund.” Mail to Ocracoke School, PO Box 189, Ocracoke, NC 27960.

HEALTH
The Ocracoke Health Center does an amazing job caring for residents and visitors, including those who struggle to afford health care. Bill often said the doctor and staff were the best he ever knew, and he would love to help keep them going strong.

Make checks payable to “Ocracoke Health Center” with a memo: “contribution in honor of Bill Jones.” Mail to Ocracoke Health Center, PO Box 543, Ocracoke, NC 27960

Grounded yacht in limbo on Ocracoke

February 2, 2022

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Scott Pumphrey on his yacht, ‘Vivens Aqua,’ grounded on Ocracoke since Jan. 25. Photo: C. Leinbach

This post was updated shortly after posting with the addition of comments from TowBoatUS.

By Connie Leinbach

On Groundhog Day today, Scott Pumphrey found himself in limbo on his ninth day of his Ocracoke non-vacation.

Pumphrey’s 55-foot yacht, “Vivens Aqua,” landed on the South Point Beach around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Several days of attempts to pull the yacht out have been unsuccessful. Tuesday morning’s high tide was the last time TowBoatUS tried to pull the boat into Ocracoke Inlet.

Pumphrey, in a phone interview today (Feb. 2) from inside his unheated boat, said the TowBoat crew untied their anchors because his insurance company told them on Tuesday to discontinue their work.

Lee Sykes, owner of TowBoatUS/Atlantic Coast Marine Group Inc., said in a message to the Observer that his crew has demobilized and left the scene.

“After successfully protecting the vessel from the seas and weather, lightening the fuel from the vessel and stabilizing and pivoting the vessel, ACMG’s efforts succeeded in protecting the vessel and, more importantly to the locals, protecting the sensitive marine environment of Ocracoke Island,” he said. “The vessel owning interests made arrangements to move the vessel out overland and with that decision, the seaward option has concluded.”

Pumphrey said his insurance company, Markel, out of Virginia, “Is acting like they don’t know what they are going to cover.”

They said they are going to cover what has already been done (by TowBoatUS of Morehead City) but are not sure they are going to cover the rest, he said.

This was very much on Pumphrey’s mind Wednesday afternoon as his boat sat on the open beach for all the world to see, but there was no excavation equipment in sight.

Islander Darren Burrus, who owns Cape Dredging, has been available to dislodge the boat since the accident, but he wasn’t hired at the outset nor has the insurance company committed, and he is leaving town for vacation.

“The finances didn’t work out,” Burrus said while stopped at South Point.

Now the insurance company is in investigation mode, but Pumphrey is concerned that they might not pay for the excavation.

“I just hope they get this figured out so I can get off this island,” he said. “I love this place but for now I just want to get off this island, secure my boat somewhere and go home.”

The weather forecast for Thursday is fair with rain coming Friday through Sunday.

Pumphrey and his wife, Karen, of Salisbury, Maryland, had been sailing their newly acquired boat from Palm Coast, Florida, back home for about a week via the Intracoastal Waterway.

Last week, on Monday, Jan. 24), the weather was nice and Pumphrey decided to leave the Intracoastal at Morehead City and travel via the ocean “to make up some miles.”

But they got into trouble that night at dark when Pumphrey said the steering went out while navigating the Ocracoke Inlet, a notoriously treacherous waterway through which he had never been, and they grounded on the beach.

Karen was able to get off the boat Tuesday afternoon and to return home.

The ‘Vivens Aqua’ on the South Point beach on Ocracoke at low tide Feb. 2, 2022. Photo: C. Leinbach

Grant will help Ocracoke Preservation Society begin roof repair on Odd Fellows Lodge

February 2, 2022

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The Odd Fellows Lodge (formerly the Island Inn) Photo: P. Vankevich

A $30,000 grant awarded to the Ocracoke Preservation Society from the Cannon Foundation will kickstart repair to the historic preservation of the Odd Fellows Lodge in the Island Inn Park.

Money from this grant will be used to begin the roof repair/replacement, which is the next phase of the Odd Fellows Lodge Restoration project.

The total budget for the roof phase of the project is $105,000. Additional fund raising is continuing.

OPS hopes to begin working on the roof early this year.

The original building is all that remains after the nonprofit demolished the two wings of the former Island Inn in 2018 as part of the OPS’s plan to save the property for community purposes.

Anyone interested in donating to this project may send checks to the OPS, P.O. Box 1240, Ocracoke, NC 27960, with “Island Inn” in the memo line.

The OPS was formed in 1983 to preserve the unique island culture and history for the enjoyment and education of the community and its visitors.

The Cannon Foundation is a charitable organization based in Concord, N.C., and provides grants to support higher education, health care, human services and community.

Refloating efforts continue with grounded yacht; excavating equipment on the way

February 1, 2022

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The ‘Vivens Aqua’ on South Point, Ocracoke, at the 7:21 high tide Feb. 1, 2022. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

Tuesday morning’s efforts to refloat the “Vivens Aqua,” which has been grounded on South Point here for the last week, were again unsuccessful and the thought now is to bring in the heavy equipment.

At high tide this morning at 7:21, a boat with TowBoatUS began pulling the 55-foot, 55,000-pound yacht.

From the beach, it appeared that the “Vivens” was not budging, but Lee Sykes, owner of the company, said that although the boat did move forward 20 feet, she did not come off the beach.

“(The boat moving 20 feet is) a lot when you’re talking about moving 50,000 pounds that’s parked that high on a beach,” he said. “And then every time you move it, the beach changes.”

Then, after several minutes of pulling, the port cleat holding the bridle, which attaches the tow line to the boat, snapped, said the boat’s owner, Scott Pumphrey.

Sykes said the boat doing the towing is adequate for the task.

“We have all the power we need sitting in the boats,” he said. “All a bigger boat is going to do is further pull that boat apart.”

He said they are mobilizing some additional equipment there tonight and are going to try again and either tonight or in the morning, which is supposed to be another higher high tide.

Once the boat is freed, it will be towed to a boat yard in Morehead City.

Sykes said the plan from the start has been to do as little damage to the beach as possible.

High tide wasn’t high enough the evening of Jan. 31 for the ‘Vivens Aqua’ to dislodge. The contrail of the SpaceX launch Jan. 31 is visible in the distance. Photo: C. Leinbach

“We don’t ever like to dig on a beach if we don’t have to,” he said. “We were just trying to make the least invasive attempt on the highest tide to try to remove the boat. Now we’re gonna get aggressive about trying to clear some sand out from underneath that boat.”

That means bringing in rollers to place under the boat and an excavator.

However, according to Pumphrey, his insurance company, Markel Insurance, has called on local Darren Burrus, owner of Cape Dredging, to bring in his excavating equipment.

Sykes noted that Markel hasn’t executed a contract with his company, but Pumphrey confirmed that they will get paid for whatever work they’ve done.

“The insurance guy called me the other day and they know I have coverage and they’re taking care of it,” Pumphrey said.

Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore of which Ocracoke is a part, said he issued a permit for TowBoatUS to do the work and that some digging would be involved.

He said the permit for the work these last few days runs out on Wednesday.

“We’ll see what the insurance company and TowBoatUS proposes and if it’s something that we think is acceptable, we’ll certainly issue a permit for that,” Hallac said. “Between the rough weather that came in and once a boat like this is high and dry, it can be very challenging.”

He said the Park Service is working directly with Pumphrey and the Coast Guard regarding the best way to resolve this.

“It’s a rapidly changing situation with the weather and it sounds like there’s a lot of other conversations going on with the insurance company,” he said.

A scientist as well as the park superintendent, Hallac is interested in water level and tides.

“Basically, we’re at a time period where the high tides are some of the highest of the year and certainly the highest of the month so that I think is a helpful thing when it comes to trying to refloat the vessel, but it can also push the vessel higher on the beach,” he said. “So you got to harness that high water level really, really quickly.”

Pumphrey and his wife, Karen, of Salisbury, Maryland, had been sailing their newly acquired boat from Palm Coast, Florida, back home for about a week via the Intracoastal Waterway. Last week, on Monday, Jan. 24, the weather was nice and Pumphrey decided to leave the Intracoastal at Morehead City and travel via the ocean “to make up some miles.”

But they got into trouble that night at dark when Pumphrey said the steering went out while navigating the Ocracoke Inlet, a notoriously treacherous waterway through which he had never been, and they grounded on the beach.

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