Living amidst hurricanes: A look at historic storms

November 24, 2016

The mailboat Aleta and another boat are left high and dry near the Island Inn after the storm of 1944. — The mail boat Aleta and another boat are left high and dry near the Island Inn after the storm of 1944.

Hurricane Matthew, which passed by Ocracoke as a tropical storm in the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 9, will supplant the “great Atlantic hurricane of 1944” as the storm that brought the highest floodwaters to Ocracoke.

It also surpasses the benchmark storm surge mark of about 4 feet by Hurricane Alex in 2004, which caught many islanders by surprise resulting in 200 to 300 cars having been flooded.

This time, while many vehicles (cars, trucks and golf carts) were flooded, many more homes and businesses were hit with a wave of water that exceeded Alex’s tide by several inches.

Hyde County kicked into action and hired Smith’s Demo of Plymouth to remove the debris, the cost of which the county has applied to FEMA for reimbursement.

Back in 1944, there were a few news reports on how Ocracoke fared.

The following is an excerpt from the Statesville Daily Record, posted Saturday, Sept 16, 1944:

Reports from Ocracoke, just off the coast, indicated that property damage there amounted to approximately $500,000.

Fifteen evacuees who arrive by boat in New Bern last night said many families had lost all their possessions during the storm which lasted from 2 a.m. until noon.

The famous Pamlico Inn was said to be damaged almost beyond repair. High tides destroyed several houses, and damaged the docks.

The water tank broke and the residents were without fresh water.

Mrs. William Robert Smith, formerly of New Bern and Fayetteville said her family had lost everything except the clothes they were wearing.

The following is an Associated Press story Saturday, Sept 16, 1944, in The Daily Times-News (Burlington):

(AP) – Damage estimated at $200,000 was done to this outer banks village when the great Atlantic hurricane thundered through here Thursday morning.

First reports from the isolated community came from Aycock Brown, who said the village was virtually wrecked by a 75-mile wind and high tides.

“I have not seen a house that was not damaged,” Brown said.

He said ten houses were destroyed, 40 fishing boats washed ashore and most of the chickens, cats and dogs were drowned. Almost destroyed was the Pamlico Inn.

The following is from Philip Howard’s Sept.16, 2008, blog on the anniversary of the storm of Sept. 16, 1933.

Today is the anniversary of the storm of 1933 that pummeled Ocracoke Island with winds of over 120 mph. On Sept. 14, 1944 another major hurricane hit Ocracoke with winds of 100 mph or more. I remember hearing of a woman who opened her front door during the storm to see a “wall of water” advancing toward her house.

Remarkably, to my knowledge no resident of Ocracoke has ever died from the result of a hurricane, although significant property damage has been done from time to time. On Sept. 18, 2003, hurricane Isabel came ashore on the Outer Banks. Although little damage was done on Ocracoke, Hatteras Island sustained much destruction, including the creation of a new inlet north of Hatteras Village.

Philip’s blog, Ocracoke Island Journal, can be found at villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com.

This account of the 1944 storm was published in the 1973 Ocracoke High School Yearbook.

As were many other village streets, Irvin Garrish Highway was a river after Hurricane Matthew passed Ocracoke Oct. 9. Photo by Byron Miller

Commercial watermen needed to help remove lost fishing gear

November 22, 2016

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MANTEO — The North Carolina Coastal Federation is still accepting applications from commercial watermen for cleanup assistance with its annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project.

Watermen are selected to participate in this program annually to help the federation and the North Carolina Marine Patrol remove lost fishing gear from coastal waters during the “no-potting” period, typically from Jan. 15 to Feb. 7.

Applications are due Friday, Jan. 13, and are downloadable at www.nccoast.org/crab.

Watermen are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and a few positions remain open. Completed applications can be mailed to P.O. Box 276, Wanchese, NC 27981, or faxed to 252-473-2402.

Last January, 11 crews in partnership with Marine Patrol officers removed 753 pots from select areas in District 1. Combined with a shoreline cleanup, this project removed over 7.5 tons of fishing gear and various marine debris from northeastern North Carolina waters.

The 2017 project will take place in select areas within all three Marine Patrol districts statewide.

To qualify, watermen must have a valid Standard Commercial Fishing License (SCFL) and guarantee availability for work during the period of Jan. 18 through Feb. 7.

They must attend a mandatory training session to learn general project protocol and how to use project equipment (data collection tablets, and for a subset of watermen, side-scan sonars).

Compensation is $400 per boat, per day. Each boat is required to have two people on board for safety reasons.

In some locations, more than one week of work could be possible for those accepted to this program.

For more information, contact Ladd Bayliss at 252-473-1607, or laddb@nccoast.org.

This project is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program and is intended to improve habitat and water quality, as well as support coastal economies.

Red knots and horseshoe crabs: ancient connections, modern peril

November 21, 2016

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220px-red_knot_horseshoe_crab_feeding — Red knots and horseshoe crabs have a symbiotic relationship. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

By D. Creeksong

One flies to the ends of the earth each year; the other, hatched from an egg barely larger than a grain of sand, never willingly travels outside the waters where it was born.

One is almost totally dependent on the other for survival. Both are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Yet it wasn’t until an obvious plummet occurred within the Red Knot population that their migratory path–much less their reliance on Delaware Bay horseshoe crab eggs for refueling along the way–was even discovered.
Calidris canuta rufa, one of six Red Knot sub-species, is a member of the sandpiper family. Known as the “Robin Snipe” in the 1800s, it is slightly larger than a robin. Its pale reddish breast occurs only during the May and June breeding season. Afterwards, a whitish breast returns.

“Rufas,” as they are known, can be distinguished from other sandpipers with these tells: greenish legs with a very short bill, perhaps half the length of other sandpipers with greenish legs.

Although a small number winter in other locations, including Ocracoke, most rufas begin their journey from Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America.

Wintering Red knots on Ocracoke. Photo: P. Vankevich — Red knots on Ocracoke. Photo: P. Vankevich

There they have fattened up on whole mussels, eating constantly for three months. This gorging is necessary for bulking up and producing the new flight feathers needed for winging 9,700 miles northward to nest at the Arctic Circle. Weather permitting, they are known to fly non-stop for as many as six to eight days with no food, water or sleep. Much of this flight takes place over the ocean.

By the time they complete the first leg of their journey, alighting along the Delaware Bay, they are literally famished. All fatty tissue is gone, their muscles now an energy source. Because having their chicks hatched the moment insects begin buzzing in the short Arctic summers is essential, there is no time to waste. They must double their weight within a few days, and only one food will do.

Enter the lowly horseshoe crab. For more than 420 million years, Limulus polyphemus has foraged the ocean floor, chancing seashore appearances only to reproduce. Arrival at shoreline to spawn is in perfect synchronicity with the Red Knots’ stopover to feed. At this point in their journey, the birds are so emaciated that they cannot digest the whole mussels and whole clams they would normally eat.

Horseshoe crabs spawning. — Horseshoe crab harvest for fertilizer production, 1928. Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives

But like the Red Knots, whose numbers at this stopover have dropped precipitously from 150,000 down to 26,000 the horseshoe crabs have also declined substantially. The resulting decrease in egg production is making it impossible for all Red Knots to put on the weight necessary to complete their journeys.
The answer is not an easy one, as the already exhausted birds cannot just pick up and fly off elsewhere.

This bay shelters the largest horse shoe crab spawning ground in the world. Other spawning areas are not only far smaller, but can be picked clean of these crabs by the fishing industry to use as bait.

Another contributor to the loss of horseshoe crabs is the pharmaceutical industry, which, while it returns the crabs after removing one third of their blood to create a substance invaluable for detecting bacteria, inadvertently kills anywhere from 18 to 30 percent of them. The ability of returned horseshoe crabs to spawn within that same season is also in serious question.

Although many groups are working toward resolutions, much larger issues loom. Rapid acidification of our oceans, rising tide lines, warmer air and water–all brought on by global warming–are wreaking havoc with the Red Knots’ entire journey.

Acidification has decreased by 75 percent the size and weight of the small clams the birds rely on to feed. A warmer climate is causing insects to hatch earlier in the Arctic.

Since Red Knots are genetically predisposed to migrate according to day length, not temperature change, they cannot arrive any sooner or leave any later.

Many Red Knot chicks cannot get enough to eat before it is time to run south, so mortality is rising.

In addition, beach development and encroaching tide lines are decreasing shoreline size and accessibility, threatening numerous species that rely upon this habitat.

Those living along the path of Hurricane Matthew in early October got a good taste of what it feels like to watch rising waters threaten our homes, families and lives.

Is it possible for us to pull all of our collective heads out of the sand, stop squabbling and come up with an answer in time? It is not just the Red Knots and the horseshoe crabs that depend on it.

Here’s how to help. Visit http://celebratedebay.org/take-action/

Red Knot in breeding plumage on Ocracoke. Photo by P. Vankevich

Horseshoe crabs molt and the shell, called carapace, is a common sight on Ocracoke. Photo by P. Vankevich

Ocracoke youth to lead church service Sunday for Children’s Sabbath

November 19, 2016

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Ocracoke United Methodist Church children will lead the church service on Sunday at 11 a.m.

For Ocracoke news, click here.

Children and youth of the Ocracoke United Methodist Church will lead the service at 11 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 20), with the theme: “Children of Promise: Closing Opportunity Gaps.”

This annual, national, multi-faith Children’s Sabbath is spearheaded by the Children’s Defense Fund.

For this service, the Sunday school students and youth will lead the entire service from start to finish.

This alone is a huge undertaking as it includes greetings, announcements, prayer, readings, and the responsibility of leading their congregation in worship, said OUMC’s Children’s Director, Desirée Ricker.

Last year they were asked if, in addition to these responsibilities, they also wanted to raise money for a special cause. They did and they raised enough for roughly 250 Thanksgiving meals for people in both Hyde and surrounding counties.

This year the children chose two organizations for which they wanted to raise money, as well as awareness. Leading up to Nov. 20 and with a special offering during that day’s service, they will ask for donations to The Methodist Home for Children and/or The Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Meal Delivery to blind, elderly, and impoverished families who cannot afford holiday meals in Eastern North Carolina.

The Salvation Army needs only $2.37 for an entire meal and The Methodist Home for Children is able to support one of its many children on just $1,000 a year. If everyone donated a small amount, what a huge difference this could make, Ricker said.

“I think their choices say a lot about the generosity of the children of Ocracoke,” Ricker said. “They were given several options and asked to pick one. First, they refused, stating they must raise money for two. Second, their choices demonstrate a loving commitment to local and regional families, as well as to their fellow children and youth who need and can greatly benefit from the services offered by The Methodist Home for Children.”

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, opportunity to thrive during childhood depends on many factors. If key factors are unavailable to children, the consequences for their development and success as adults can be dire.

Poverty hurts children and harms their futures. Too many poor children in rich America are denied opportunity for success when their basic needs are not met, and when they are denied access to high-quality development and learning opportunity beginning in the early years.

“To close opportunity gaps so that every child can fulfill their God-given potential, we as adults and political leaders and as a nation need to keep our promise that every child is of equal worth,” said Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund. “The National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths is galvanizing places of worship and people of faith across the religious spectrum and nation to ensure that all children have what they need to achieve their full potential through nurturing early childhood development at home and in the community, in child care and Head Start, and in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, so that all children have strong schools that expect and support success from every student, and so that no child has their basic needs unmet because of family income.”

Ocracoke United Methodist is one of thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques, Bahá’í communities, temples, and other places of worship around the nation celebrating this annual observance.

The multi-faith weekend seeks to inspire congregations and religious organizations to work on behalf of children through prayer, service, and advocacy throughout the year.

For more information about Ocracoke United Methodist’s celebration of the Children’s Sabbath, or the organizations for which the children and youth are raising funds, please contact Pastor Richard Bryant at richardbryant@gmail.com, or Ricker at desireechristaricker@gmail.com.

Festival Latino de Ocracoke levanta la comunidad

November 18, 2016

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The Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano will perform and teach during the Latino Fest de Ocracoke on Saturday at Ocracoke School. — El Ballet Folclorico Guadalupano de Asheboro es el Titular del Festival Latino de Ocracoke.

To read in English click here.

Texto y fotos por Connie Leinbach
Traducido por Alfredo Contreras

“Fantástico!” Era lo que salía de los labios de los que asistieron al primer festival anual Latino de Ocracoke el pasado sábado en la Escuela de Ocracoke.

Los isleños tomaron muestras de la comida y bebidas de México bajo un cielo soleado pero ventoso. Además, se pudo observar al Mariachi Espuelas de América de Washington, Condado de Beaufort en el círculo a las afueras de la escuela.

“Es una especie de tiempo perfecto,” dijo Jubal Creech, un músico de la isla, sobre la participación y el evento. “Más que nunca, tenemos que trabajar juntos para aprender sobre nuevas culturas.”

The Festival Latino de Ocracoke on the Ocracoke School grounds. — El Festival Latino de Ocracoke en los terrenos de la escuela Ocracoke.

El festival, organizado por un comité encabezado por Alfredo (Freddy) Contreras con la ayuda de Ocracoke Alive, se llevó a cabo después de una polémica campaña presidencial nacional y elecciones, por el cual muchos inmigrantes de todas las regiones se sienten cautelosos.

“Creo que esto levantara la moral de la comunidad”, dijo Janille Turner, copropietaria del restaurante Ocracoke Oyster Company. “Creo que esto es maravilloso.”

Las festividades del sábado durante el día cerraron una semana de actividades que incluían talleres de danza latina, piñatas y tortillas.

Junto a puestos de recuerdos y artesanía mexicana se encontraban varios puestos de comida. El puesto de tamales no pudo suministrar a todos lo suficiente debido a que se acabaron rápidamente.

Los isleños también disfrutaron de los juegos mexicanos durante todo el día, como “cintas”, que es una especie de juego de justas para los niños en las bicicletas, “raiguela”, un juego donde los concursantes lanzan discos de metal a un bote, y “lotería,” uno juego similar a bingo.

Islander Adrian Espinosa wowed the crowd in the Ocracoke School gym while singing with Guitarras Mexicanas de Ocracoke. — El isleño Adrian Espinosa impresionó a la multitud en el gimnasio de la escuela de Ocracoke mientras cantaba con Guitarras Mexicanas de Ocracoke. Espinosa coordinó el programa de la tarde.

Edith “Chelly” Trejo, de 34 años, nombraba los nombres de las imágenes mientras los jugadores trataban de llenar todos los cuadrados de sus cartas.

Liz Hotchkiss fue uno de los ganadores de Lotería.

“Fue divertido,” dijo. “Creo que subconscientemente absorbí algo de español.”

También se inscribió para los talleres de tortilla y guacamole.

Trejo también estaba vendiendo “chicharrones”, una ensalada con aguacate en una galleta de pasta, mientras los mariachis cantaban.

Es la primera vez que escucho y veo una actuación de mariachi en vivo.

“Vine aquí cuando tenía 16 años y ahora tengo tres hijas,” dijo, confirmando el punto que Creech había hecho anteriormente cuando dijo que muchos de los niños mexicanos en la isla no habían estado expuestos a su propia cultura.

“Es igualmente importante para ellos aprender sobre su propia cultura,” dijo Creech.

Vanessa Lora, alumna de noveno grado de la escuela Ocracoke, estuvo entre muchas de las estudiantes quienes usaban vestidos tradicionales de varios estados mexicanos hechos a mano. Ella llevaba puesto uno de la región de Puebla mientras vendía boletos para una rifa de 50 y 50. Más tarde fue coronada reina del festival por vender más boletos.

“Estoy muy feliz de que hayan hecho esto,” dijo sobre el festival.

“Hemos estado enseñando a todos en la escuela cómo hacer tortillas”, dijo Gloria Pérez, otra organizadora del evento. “Nos hemos divertido mucho esta semana.”

Después de los eventos de la tarde, las actuaciones en el gimnasio de la escuela incluyeron músicos locales y bailarines junto con el Ballet Folclórico Guadalupano de Asheboro, quien realizó una serie de danzas indígenas de varios de los estados mexicanos.

La alumna de la escuela Ocracoke, Karen Pérez, está entre los estudiantes que modelan vestidos tradicionales de varios estados mexicanos.

Una explicación de cada actuación fue dada por David Tweedie, presidente de Ocracoke Alive, en inglés, y por Contreras en español. Entre las actuaciones, un video-recorrido de México explicó varias regiones de este vecino del sur.

Tweedie estaba feliz con la participación, y que este evento es parte del enfoque de Ocracoke Alive para proporcionar infraestructura para facilitar tales eventos.

“Queríamos apoyar y celebrar la riqueza de la cultura mexicana de manera pública,” dijo.

Antes de que Contreras dejara el gimnasio después de las actuaciones para ir al Centro Comunitario de Ocracoke para la noche final “baile,” hizo una pausa para reflexionar sobre el evento.

“Disfrutamos mucho poder reunir a la gente,” dijo. “Queríamos demostrar que somos una comunidad unida y agradecer a Ocracoke por todo lo que nos ha dado.”

Su esposa, Courtney, estaba extática con la buena voluntad que el acontecimiento engendró.

“Nunca vamos a ser los mismo”, dijo. -Tendremos un pequeño secreto especial.

David Tweedie, president of Ocracoke Alive, and Freddy Contreras, festival organizer, were the MCs of the Saturday night performance. — David Tweedie, presidente de Ocracoke Alive, y Freddy Contreras, organizador del festival, fueron los MCs de la actuación de la noche del sábado.

Edith "Chelly" Trejo, right, serves chicharrones, a kind of Mexican salad. — Edith “Chelly” Trejo, right, serves chicharrones, a kind of Mexican salad.

La estudiante de primer año de la escuela Ocracoke Stephanie Flores Esparsa, a la izquierda, y la novena alumna Vanessa Lora modelan la ropa tradicional de México. Lora más tarde fue coronada reina del festival por vender las entradas más 50-50.grader Vanessa Lora model traditional clothing from Mexico. Lora later was crowned queen of the festival for selling the most 50-50 tickets.

Eduardo Chávez, a la izquierda, dueño del Taco Stand Eduardo’s y quien organizó la venta de comida, baila "La Danza de los Ancianos" con un miembro del Ballet Folclorico. Foto por P. Vankevich — Eduardo Chávez, a la izquierda, dueño del Taco Stand Eduardo’s y quien organizó la venta de comida, baila “La Danza de los Ancianos” con un miembro del Ballet Folclorico. Foto por P. Vankevich

Laja Candelaria, a la izquierda, exhibe su obra: decoración a mano, una camisa con el estilo de la región de Puebla de México.decoration for a shirt in the style of the Puebla region of Mexico.

dscn7580 — Uno de los juegos latinos del festival es “raiguela”, similar a lanzar centavos. Otro juego, “Loteria”, es un juego similar a bingo con imágenes.

La Escuela Ocracoke honra a los académicos

November 18, 2016

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For English, click here

Nota del editor (20 de noviembre): las fotos han sido reemplazadas de la historia publicada anteriormente.

Por Peter Vankevich

Los estudiantes de la escuela de Ocracoke que sobresalen académicamente fueron honrados esta semana.

Noventa y cuatro estudiantes de los grados 3 a 12 fueron la lista de honor para el primer período académico de la escuela. Treinta y seis estudiantes tenían todos los As, y 58 estaban en el rol de honor A / B.

“Teniendo en cuenta todo el tiempo (siete días) que hemos perdido académicamente estas primeras nueve semanas debido a las inundaciones y apagones, la escuela hizo un gran trabajo”, dijo el director Walt Padgett. “Los maestros zforceron al iqual que los estudiantes, manteniéndose enfocados. Alrededor del 66 por ciento de los estudiantes de los grados 3 a 12 fueron parte de el rol de honor. Dice mucho sobre nuestro maestros y otro personal y los niños. ”

Se trata de Ocracoke, por lo que las inundaciones y los huracanes ocurren aquí, dijo Padgett, añadiendo que esperaba que la nieve y el hielo más tarde no causará más tiempo perdido en la escuela

La directora auxiliar Leslie Cole señaló que la escuela tiene suerte de contar con un personal tan trabajador y con el apoyo de los padres de los estudiantes.

“Y, por supuesto, esos niños tan grandes”, dijo.

Ocracoke School honors academic achievers

November 18, 2016

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For Ocracoke news, click here.

Editor’s note (Nov. 20): photos have been replaced from previously published story.

By Peter Vankevich

Ocracoke School students who excel in academics were honored this week.

Ninety-four students in grades three to 12 made the honor roll for the school’s first academic period. Thirty-six students had all As, and 58 were on the A/B honor roll.

“Considering all the time (seven days) we have lost academically this first nine weeks due to the flooding and power outage, the school did a great job,” said Principal Walt Padgett. “The teachers played catch-up as did the students, staying focused. About 66 percent of the student from grades three through 12 made the honor roll. It says a lot about our staff and kids.”

It’s Ocracoke, so floods and hurricanes happen here, Padgett said, adding that he hoped snow and ice later won’t cause more lost school time

Assistant Principal Leslie Cole noted that the school is lucky to have such a hard working staff and many supportive parents.

“And, of course, such great kids,” she said.

Litter pickup slated for Saturday, Nov. 19

November 17, 2016

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For Ocracoke news, click here.

Ocracoke School alumna Echo Bennink has organized a community litter pick-up for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.

Echo Bennink. Photo by P. Vankevich — Echo Bennink. Photo: P. Vankevich

Anyone interested in helping is asked to meet at the Ocracoke School at 10 a.m. to register and get gloves and trash bags.

Bennink, who graduated from college in May, is interested in promoting respect and care for our natural ecosystem.

“In addition to being a fun, outdoor activity, trash pick-ups are educational and even save animal’s lives,” Bennink said. “I hope that this Community Litter Pick-up will promote respect and care for our natural ecosystem. Working as a team gets the job done better and faster.”

Three prizes made out of recycled material made by Ocracoke School art students will be awarded for the greatest amount of trash collected, the greatest amount of recycling collected and the most interesting or unusual item found.

Bennink, an Ocracoke School sports wall-of-famer, can be reached at 252-921-0117.

Former islander Dolores Gilbert organized a successful village clean-up a few years ago. To read about it, click here .

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Ferry Division to look into modifying spring schedule

November 17, 2016

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Islanders meet Monday in the Ocracoke Community Center with Chris Bock, operations manager at the Hatteras Ferry dock. Photo: C. Leinbach — Islanders meet Monday in the Ocracoke Community Center with Chris Bock, Ferry Division operations manager at the Hatteras Ferry dock. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

For Ocracoke news, click here.

Although the NC Ferry Division has set up the spring ferry schedule, they haven’t released it yet and may include suggestions by Ocracoke islanders to add a run at 10:30 a.m. during the week.

Chris Bock, manager of operations at Hatteras, attended the monthly meeting Monday in the Ocracoke Community Center and discussed ferry operations at length with about eight attendees.

The spring schedule, which typically adds more runs than in the winter, will begin April 11 and run until May 15, he said. Starting May 16 until Oct. 2 will be the summer schedule.

Hyde County Commissioner-elect Tom Pahl urged Bock to reinstate the 10:30 a.m. Hatteras departure.

“There’s nothing better you could do for Ocracoke than to schedule that 10:30 a.m. run,” Amy Srail, owner of the Pirate’s Chest, added. “In the summer, we need seven boats running every 30 minutes. That’s the bottom line.”

Bock said he would try to rework the schedule but would have to cut a run somewhere else in the day.

The scheduling difficulty, he explained, is that the ferry crews are only allowed to work 12-hour shifts, as per Coast Guard regulations.

Bock talked about the recent cancellations of ferry runs between Hatteras due to the state dredge Manteo working in the state-controlled inlet area near the Ocracoke dock. Runs had been canceled ~~in the last several day~~s because shoaling and low tides sometimes prevented any ferries from crossing at all.

Bock said it’s important for islanders and anyone else coming to the island to be connected on Twitter because that’s the most immediate of the division’s communication resources.

“It would be a good thing for everyone here to have Twitter,” Bock said. For information on the Ferry Division’s Twitter account, click here.

He said they have been doing better about putting alerts out a day before when bad weather is forecast.

He said he and Deputy Ferry Division Jed Dixon will work on better communication among the ferry captains on both ends of the island. He was referring to an incident last week when the wind was blowing about 20 mph and the captain of the Cedar Island ferry decided not to run the early morning trip while all of the other ferries to and from the island did run. He noted that depending on the winds, the trips to Swan Quarter or Cedar Island may be very different.

Although the boats can handle these winds, it may be dangerous if people get out of their cars during a rough ride and fall.

But, to a suggestion that the captain make an announcement to that effect, or the crew members alert passengers, Bock said he would look into it.

Bock noted that buses bringing tours and school children in the spring will not be able to purchase priority passes.

Numerous school districts from around the state send bus loads of children to Ocracoke and the Outer Banks every spring. If they don’t want to wait in line with the rest of the day visitors, Bill Rich, Hyde County manager who attended the meeting, suggested the Ferry Division alert these districts to use the Swan Quarter route.

Bock said the Ferry Division has contacted the bus companies they are familiar with to inform them and also suggest times when buses would not have long waits.

The new state dredge Manteo recently completed dredging a section of the Hatteras inlet closest to Ocracoke, but the area outside of that remains dynamic. The areas in the middle of the inlet, which have the most shoaling, are under federal jurisdiction.

He said islanders interested in getting that section dredged should attend the monthly Coastal Waterways Commission meetings.

“That’s the place to put your concerns out,” he said.

According to a Ferry Division press release Nov. 14, the dredging cleared debris left behind by Hurricane Matthew last month and re-opened a portion of the ferry channel near the Ocracoke South Dock Terminal.

After clearing more than 30,000 cubic yards of sediment in six days of work, ferries resumed their regular schedule.

The dredge was delivered to the Ferry Division earlier this year. Its next job will be routine maintenance of the Cape Fear River channel between Southport and Fort Fisher.

As for the passenger ferry, Bock said he could not comment, but Rich said he heard it was on a fast track.

In June, the state legislature approved funding to activate a passenger ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke, including appropriate infrastructure.

For a story on the Monday night meeting in Manteo of the Waterways Commission, see the Island Free Press.

Social media expert to teach business workshops Thursday and Friday

November 16, 2016

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There’s still time for islanders to register for two business-enhancing workshops by an expert in networking Thursday afternoon and Friday morning in the Ocracoke Community Center.

The “Using Social Media to Supercharge Your Business” workshop Thursday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. will kick off the two days. “Crowdfunding (and other ways to get $$ for Small Business Owners) will conclude the instruction on Friday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.

Both workshops will be taught by Martin Brossman of Raleigh, an expert in networking with social media, author and success coach.

Sponsored by Beaufort County Community College, Open Source Ocracoke and the Hyde County Economic Development Dept., the workshops will help anyone on the island with a business—profit, non-profit, large or small—learn to activate the many social media programs available as well as crowd funding to enhance their businesses.

Kim Meacham, owner of Milk Street Soap and Open Source Ocracoke, said participants will be asked for a $25 donation for either or both workshops.

To sign up, call or email Kim at 252-588-2205, or milkstreetsoap@gmail.com, or show up for either or both of the sessions.

“I am excited that Martin Brossman is coming to Ocracoke for many reasons,” said Lentz Stowe, director of the Small Business Center at BCCC. “Primarily, he will inspire, encourage, and educate you on exciting topics that will be meaningful to your enterprise. Martin is one of the best presenters in the Small Business Center network.”

Brossman has been mastering the art of networking in the Triangle since 1982. He has originated numerous successful in-person and on-line networking groups which have facilitated meaningful business connections among members. Brossman’s computer skills have powered his keen ability to create and teach crucial new Internet communications, such as blogging, podcasting and on-line networking. He has offered training since 2006 to small business centers and chambers of commerce throughout North Carolina.

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