The body of a 55-year-old male caught in a rip current and pulled into the ocean off a Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach in Salvo on Oct. 2 was found this morning just south of Ramp 23 in the Salvo area, according to Outer Banks Group Superintendent David Hallac.
A park visitor reported it this morning at 7:36 a.m.
Chicamacomico Banks Water Rescue and the United States Coast Guard had responded quickly on Oct. 2, but were unable to locate the swimmer. The Park Service has not released the name of the swimmer.
“We extend our thoughts and condolences to his family and friends,” Hallac said.
The National Weather Service reports that there is currently a moderate-to-high risk of dangerous rip currents along Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches during this storm period. For more information on rip currents safety go tohttp://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov.
For an Observer story on rip currents and what kind of water to look for, click here.
‘Soundside View’ by Melinda Fodrie Sutton will be among the new works on view starting tomorrow in Down Creek Gallery.
Update Oct. 5: The opening reception scheduled for tonight has been postponed until the same time on Oct. 26.
New work by island photographer Melinda Fodrie Sutton will highlight the final Expose Yourself to Art series of artists’ receptions from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in Down Creek Gallery.
All are welcome to attend. Music by Raygun Ruby will complement the light hors d’ oeuvres and adult beverages.
While Sutton is noted for her vibrant island scenes, the gallery will show some of her recent work focusing on structures and buildings.
She and her husband Alan Sutton, own Tradewinds Tackle here, and Sutton began exploring her passion for photography several years ago.
She has now been featured at Down Creek Gallery, several Ocracoke business and restaurants, and in Charleston, S.C, and Chicago, Ill.
For the last three years, Sutton’s camera has focused on the ever-changing island landscape.
“I love walking and taking pictures,” she said. “I see the world differently.”
Melinda Fodrie Sutton
So began her therapeutic “walk-about” period–10,000 steps a day with her iPhone camera in her pocket. Photo sharing on Facebook led to enthusiastic feedback from friends liking this new direction.
Encouraged to pursue photography more seriously, she enrolled in a four-week class in landscape photography at the University of South Carolina, Charleston.
“There are many things I want to do creatively, and I want to travel and see other countries and cultures,” she said.
This year, Sutton embarked on new subject matter in structural images. She will feature both framed and unframed pieces, many of which are black-and-white.
Update 10/4/2016 4:59 p.m.: Due to the uncertainty on what Hurricane Matthew will deliver to the region, this concert has been postponed. A new date will be announced later.
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center and the North Carolina Coastal Federation are teaming up to host the Tony Award-winning band, The Red Clay Ramblers, in a special two-night event, Oct. 7 and 8.
The North Carolina natives will be performing in Joslyn Hall at Carteret Community College. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with concerts beginning at 7:30 p.m. on both nights.
Tickets are $28 general admission, $23 for members (CSWM&HC and NC Coastal Federation), and $12 for students, and can be purchased by contacting Core Sound Museum at 252-728-1500.
The string band’s music draws from multiple genres, including “old-time mountain music,” as well as bluegrass, country rock, New Orleans jazz, gospel and the “American musical” to from its eclectic sound and unique taste.
Since their formation in 1972, Ramblers have performed on various stages throughout the world. Some of those stages consist of several local appearances through the years, including performances at Croatan High School, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center, and the Coastal Folklife Project in Beaufort.
Personnel for The Ramblers’ October performances will include Clay Buckner on the fiddle, Chris Frank on the guitar, Jack Herrick on the trumpet and bass, Rob Ladd on the drums, and Bland Simpson on the piano.
Simpson has visited Ocracoke and performed here earlier this year.
The musical group is noted as being high energy with a wide-ranging repertoire.
“Bluegrass, New Orleans, classical folk, and gospel sounds emerge in nutty profusion from these talented instrumentalists and singers, whose music making is perfection,” states The New York Times.
Both the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center and the North Carolina Coastal Federation are preparing for milestone years in 2017. The CSWM&HC will celebrate its 25th anniversary, while the NC Coastal Federation celebrates its 35th anniversary.
Both presenters have big things planned in observance of these significantly historic years. “These are two truly fine, highly significant groups, not only for Carteret County but for the whole state of North Carolina,” Simpson said. “Both of them exemplify the very best values in preserving, protecting, and celebrating our social and natural heritage here on the coast. We are thrilled to be making a joyful noise for them in Morehead City this fall.”
All members of the Ocracoke judo team on Saturday won medals with three members achieving state champion in the N.C. State Judo Tournament in Waynesville. Back row, from left, Gustavo Sanchez, Christian Stevens, Russell Stevens, Casey Robertson and Jetta Brown. Front row, from left, Baily Bryan, Alyssa Bryan and Sally Jordan.
The Ocracoke Judo team has put Ocracoke on the map after all eight team members won medals—with three state champions–Saturday in the North Carolina State Judo Tournament in Waynesville.
“We came to do a job and we did it,” said Gustavo Sanchez, owner and sensei of Ocracoke Judo as they drove back to the island.
Seven of the team won two medals each, and new state judo champions with gold medals are Baily Bryan (9 to 10), Christian Stevens (11 to 12) and Sally Jordan (9 to 10), who each won gold medals in their divisions.
Baily and Christian also won bronze medals and Baily also won a silver medal.
The Ocracoke team huddles before the action begins. Photo by Ruth Jordan.
Alyssa Bryan won silver and bronze medals, and Russell Stevens won a silver medal.
In the adult division, Casey Robertson won silver and bronze medals; Jetta Brown won two silver medals and Sanchez won two bronze medals.
The tournament, called “The Fall Brawl,” was held in the Waynesville Recreation Center.
“They looked fantastic,” said Helena Stevens Saturday night after the victories. She accompanied the group with her sons, Christian and Russell.
Christian Stevens, right, receives his medal. Photo by Helena Stevens
Stevens said the other competitors were bigger and stronger, but the Ocracoke group was ready.
Participating in the tournament gave them the opportunity to test their skills on other judo students, she said.
“It gave them motivation,” she said. “They’ve never competed before, but they came and they achieved.”
Sanchez said this tournament was a lot smaller than the ones his former dojo in Bakersfield, Calif., competed in where there were 600 or 700 competitors.
As a result, some of the Ocracoke team members also competed in higher weight divisions.
“Casey and Jetta were fighting black belts,” he said, noting that the two are green belts, or novices. “All of the other kids had experience in competition, and for us, it was the first time ever.”
Sally Jordan, left, in competition Saturday in the N.C. State Judo Tournament. Photo by Helena Stevens
Brown said she learned a lot in her first tournament.
“They had different styles (of fighting),” she said about her competitors. “But they were really nice even though we beat each other up.”
Sanchez said the officials and competitors were friendly, and some had never heard of Ocracoke.
“They were very excited to have Ocracoke in the tournament,” he said.
During his final bout, Sanchez said he slightly twisted his knee and withdrew, though he still achieved the bronze medal.
He will compete in the world tournament in Nov. 16 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and did not want to have to withdraw from that. He will leave Oct. 9 for Bogota, Columbia, South America, to train with his own sensei lives and where he first learned the sport.
One of the keys to the Ocracoke team’s success, besides a lot of training, is mental preparedness, Sanchez said.
“Mental preparation prevents injuries,” he said on Friday on the Swan Quarter ferry as the group headed to the far western end of the state. “By (your) mentality, you can win or lose. Lack of concentration leads to injuries. Judo changes your life. You have to do things in order and do them well.”
Sanchez said the team is creating a reputation at the state level.
“Now we have to maintain and grow to the national level,” he said.
Ocracoke team member Christian Stevens in action Saturday at the N.C. State Judo Tournament in the Waynesville recreation Center. Photo by Helena Stevens
For past stories on Judo on Ocracoke, click here, here , and here.
Hurricane Matthew briefly was classified at a Category 5 (exceeding 156 mph)–the highest level–making it one of the most powerful hurricanes since Felix in 2007. Now a Category 4 (maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph)), it stalled on Saturday but has started a northward trend as expected.
The latest projections show Matthew’s center likely to strike the southwestern tip of Haiti on Monday. A hurricane warning has been issued for the impoverished country which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. It will continue moving north through the Bahamas.
There remains at this early stage a lot of uncertainty according to several tracking models as to whether there will be a direct strike in the Carolinas, or veer off to sea.
The expected time to reach the general latitudes of the the Carolinas is Friday into Saturday, and more detailed information will be known within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Locally, dangerous rip currents and high surf are affecting the area according to the NWS Forecast Office Newport/Morehead City, N.C.
Many islanders voiced concerns about the potential for serious flooding since the island has recently received a lot of rain and the water levels in Silver Lake Harbor and the sound are already very high.
Although bird nesting is over there remains many turtle nests with unhatched eggs that could be wiped out.
The following was posted by the Hyde County Emergency Services today and more updates will be forthcoming in the following days.
POWERFUL HURRICANE MATTHEW MEANDERING BUT EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWARD…
Hurricane Matthew has essentially stalled in the Central Caribbean, moving erratically over the past 24 hours. Matthew is currently moving west at 3 mph and located approximately 347 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince (14.0°N 74.6°W), which only about 13 miles closer to Haiti than is was at this time yesterday. The hurricane is forecast to continue a northwestward to northward forward motion at some point today.
Currently, Matthew is a Category 4 with 140 mph maximum sustained winds. The eye of Matthew has become obscured on visible satellite images, which is often an indication of weakening. Microwave images showed a distinct dry slot over the southwestern and western portions of the circulation. Also there has been a persistent, but inexplicable, cluster of deep convection located a couple of degrees to the east of the hurricane and the effect of this feature on Matthew’s intensity evolution is unknown. Additionally, since the storm has essentially been stationary, the upwelling of cooler water could also be a factor contributing to the observed weakening. The NHC expects steady weakening over the next five days, as indicated by the max wind speed forecast published at 11 a.m.
Short-term forecast
Despite Matthew drifting a bit further westward than expected on Sunday morning, the models are very unified in their two-day track forecasts for Matthew. A large upper-level low pressure system over east-central U.S. will pull Matthew to the north through Tuesday, resulting in a landfall or a near-miss in southwest Haiti on Monday night into Tuesday morning, followed by a second landfall in eastern Cuba/northwest Haiti on Tuesday morning. Matthew will then continue northwards into the southeastern Bahamas on Tuesday afternoon.
Long-term forecast
Matthew’s anticipated landfall over Jamaica/Cuba/Haiti on Monday into Tuesday will weaken the storm, due to the high mountains it will interact with. However, it now appears that Matthew will have limited time over land, due to the storm’s expected track mostly over the water areas between Haiti and Cuba. Matthew’s inner core may be able to survive the land interaction, resulting in a much stronger storm in the Bahamas. Matthew is likely to be a major Category 3 or stronger hurricane for at least a portion of its trek through the Bahamas. As Matthew moves north of the Bahamas, waters will cool and the shear is likely to increase, resulting in some weakening late next week.
Local emergency protective measures
The Hyde County Emergency Services Department will continue to monitor the forecast and issue internal advisories as appropriate. Given the current forecast timing, serious discussions regarding emergency preparations and protective measures may begin as early as Monday. Matthew is a very dangerous storm and given current conditions, it could pose a significant threat to Eastern North Carolina.
Trudy and Wayne Clark’s passion for restoring historic buildings has garnered them the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from Preservation North Carolina.
The couple, who have made Ocracoke their home since the early 1990s, are owners of Edward’s Motel, built in the mid-1930s. They received the award at a luncheon Friday (Sept. 30) at the agency’s annual conference.
According to the agency, the merit awards “give recognition to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a genuine commitment to historic preservation through extraordinary leadership, research, philanthropy, promotion, and/or significant participation in preservation.”
The Clarks have preserved two houses in Everetts, Martin County, one of which was Wayne’s family home, and these projects led Wayne to fund a National Register nomination for the Everetts Historic District, which allowed them and many others to receive historic rehabilitation tax credits.
“That district has about 20 homes and stores,” Trudy said while fielding calls from customers wanting to reserve a room at Edward’s, itself steeped in island history.
Room decor adheres to mid-last century. Note the paint-by-numbers paintings on the wall.
Built in the mid-1930s along what is now Sand Dollar Road, the motel was part of “Wahab Village,” owned by the Stanley Wahab, who operated the larger Wahab Hotel, now called Blackbeard’s Lodge and owned by Chip (a grandson of Stanley) and Helena Stevens.
“With Edward’s, we’ve tried to keep everything in the style of the 1930s to 1960s,” she said.
Open the door to any of the rooms, efficiencies or cottages, and those born mid-last century may recognize the retro décor, furniture and items Trudy has taken pains to find and even commissioned new.
Among the retro items are ice buckets on tin trays, paint-by-number art on the walls and wind-up Baby Ben alarm clocks on the bedside bureaus.
“People don’t know how to use those anymore,” Trudy said with a laugh.
There are also modern flat-screen televisions along with updated bathrooms and kitchens, though these rooms reflect the older décor with tile designs or counter tops.
“It’s all the trend,” she said about the 60s-era decor.
Trudy remembered the first time she had been to Ocracoke—while passing through at the age of 12 on an Outer Banks drive with her parents.
“It was a vivid memory,” she said. “I saw an old fisherman on the dock and a wild pony on a dune. It just stayed in my mind.”
Edward’s of Ocracoke mid-last century.
It wasn’t until 1975, when Wayne told the family he was taking them to “somewhere that y’all will love,” that she returned to Ocracoke.
After that, family vacations were spent on Ocracoke.
During a visit in 1989, they decided to buy a house and visited the Gaskill House, built in the late 1940s, down Live Oak Road off Lighthouse Road.
“I peeped in the window and said, ‘If we can’t get this one I don’t want one,’” Trudy said. “I saw the old sofas and the colors. Every room was painted a different color. They did that back then.”
Ocracoke’s historic district has boundaries but not the kind of restrictions historic districts elsewhere have.
“We’ve retained the historic aspect—the original windows, the chimneys, the layout of the yard with the cedars, the interior colors and what everything was made out of,” she said.
By happenstance one day in 1996, the Clarks happened upon Edward’s, though it was hidden from view by overgrown shrubbery.
“When I saw it, I fell in love with it,” Trudy said. “I saw so much potential.”
Since then, the Clarks, their son, Bert, and his wife, Sara, have restored and improved this vintage piece of Ocracoke along with several other island homes called “The Duck Cottages,” also along Live Oak Road.
“Trudy is so proud of her efforts with the renovations both at the motel and the Duck Cottages,” Wayne said. “She up-fits the old as well as makes the new look old.”
Last year, Wayne and Trudy received a historic preservation award from the Ocracoke Preservation Society for the work they did restoring their rental, the Fleig House, also in the mid-last century style, with help from Tom Pahl, owner of Landmark Building and Design, a company that specializes in remodeling and historic restoration.
Preservation North Carolina, founded in 1939, promotes and protects the buildings and landscapes of the state’s diverse heritage.
To read about the Clark’s historic house on last December’s historic house tour by the Ocracoke Preservation Society, click here.
Butsie Brown,, outside her home in Widgeon Woods, Ocracoke. Photo by P. Vankevich
Therese “Butsie” Brown, who lived on Ocracoke from 1977 to 1999, died July 16 in Whitehall, Pa., where she lived with her daughter Betsy Maier. Her nephew, John Hageman, said she died peacefully in her sleep.
Butsie was well-known to the community for her volunteer work with the Ocracoke Preservation Society and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department.
Islanders recalled her help with the popular Bingo nights when, prior to the start, the fire company truck would ride the streets and it was Butsie’s voice heard throughout the village as she announced over a loudspeaker, “Bingo, Bingo, Bingo!”
Her artwork has appeared in many Ocracoke publications and has also appeared on coffee mugs and commemorative plates. Notepads with her simple drawings of the island are still available at the Ocracoke Preservation Society museum.
An avid quilter, she captured the grand prize in 1975 for quilting at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Fair. Her creations are grace homes as far away as Alaska, Switzerland and Germany. Anyone who has ever seen one of Butsie’s quilts is impressed with her sense of color and design, her tiny stitches and her attention to detail.
Butsie created this commemorative plate in 1992 on the Ocracoke quilters.
Butsie worked for several years at the Village Craftsmen and made smaller quilted wall hangings for sale in the shop after she “retired.”
Birds were a passion of hers and she would prepare a list of the species she observed in her Widgeon Woods neighborhood for the annual Ocracoke Christmas Bird Count.
She grew up in Washington, DC, and worked as an artist for ATT&T prior to her retirement when she and her husband, Charlie Brown, moved to Ocracoke.
A devout Catholic, for years her home served as the place for the island’s weekly Catholic mass.
A celebration of her life will be scheduled on the island in the fall.
The state budget signed by Gov. Pat McCrory in July contains funding for an initiative that is poised to be a game-changer for Ocracoke tourism. According to a study conducted last year, this program has the potential to lure thousands of new visitors and millions of dollars in new spending to your community.
The creation of direct passenger ferry service between the villages of Hatteras and Ocracoke is arguably the most significant milestone for the N.C. Ferry Division since the construction of the State Shipyard in the 1980s, and we will need the community’s input and support to make it a reality.
Every team needs a leader, so the first step in this process will be to hire a project manager to oversee this enterprise from start to finish.
The project manager will work directly with our community stakeholders, including the residents and businesses of Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, Hyde County government, and the National Park Service.
Community involvement is an essential element of making the passenger ferry a success.
The Ferry Division will seek opinions and ideas from citizens, and our team will keep you informed of our progress every step of the way.
Your input will help guide important decisions that will result in project milestones. Tasks ahead include building new parking lots and visitor facilities, establishing online and smartphone ticket systems, creating public transit options around Ocracoke, and naming and marketing the new service.
The natural shoaling that occurred in Hatteras Inlet over the past decade required the Ferry Division to implement longer routes for our ferries.
Gov. McCrory, state and local legislative leaders, and community partners have worked together to find a solution to overcome the challenges that nature threw at us.
The Ferry Division is committed to delivering a passenger ferry service that will relieve summer traffic congestion at Hatteras while providing the safe, reliable and affordable transportation that visitors and residents expect and deserve.
We hope to earn your support as we undertake this promising new venture.
To learn more about the Ferry Division and its services including the Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study, please visit http://www.ncferry.org.
Ed Goodwin is the director of the North Carolina Ferry Division and responded to the editorial on passenger ferry service in the August print edition.
For an earlier story on the passenger ferry project, click here.
Monday, Sept. 26 Ocracoke Bar & Grille: Kate McNally, 7 to 10 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 27 Coyote Den: Coyote Plus One, Martin Garrish, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 28 Coyote Den: An evening with Coyote – Marcy and Lou, 8 p.m.
Martin Garrish
Thursday, Sept. 29 Ocracoke Oyster Co.: Martin & Lou, 3 to 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30 Coyote Music Den: Martin Garrish & friends, “Ocracoke Memories,” 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 1 Skipjack Wilma Lee workshop: Buoy Bingo–Nautical Charts and Navigation. 9:30 a.m. Free. RSVP info@ocracokealive.org, or 252-921-0260. Zillie’s Island Pantry: Punktoberfest, noon until 6 p.m. Fusing the German’s traditional beer-drinking holiday with some new pumpkin style brews. Ocracoke Oyster Co.: Martin Garrish, 6:30 p.m. Coyote Den: Raygun Ruby Unplugged, 7:30 p.m. Ocracoke Bar & Grille: Live music TBA, 7 p.m. Gaffer’s: Live Music TBA, 9 p.m.
J’ai entendu parler vaguement d’Ocracoke il y a maintenant trois ans environ quand un couple d’amis à moi y avait séjourné tout à fait par hasard.
Je savais qu’ils y étaient retournés à plusieurs occasions, mais ils voyagent tellement que je n’avais pas fait de cas en particulier de cet endroit. Un jour, il m’on parler qu’ils louaient une maison sur cette magnifique île pendant l’été 2016 et qu’ils m’invitaient à les rejoindre.
Anthony Brunelle
J’étais supposé les rejoindre avec un ami commun, mais coup du sors personne ne pouvait m’accompagner dans cette petite aventure. Comme je n’ai pas souvent l’occasion ni l’envie de voyager, je dus me résoudre à faire le trajet seul. Le cœur léger, la tête pleine de rêves, j’entamais mon périple par un quinze heures de route sans presque m’interrompre. Moi qui voyage le plus clair du temps dans mes livres et par mon écran, je voyais défiler dans la même journée, l’Ontario, l’état de New York, la Pennsylvanie, le New Jersey, le Maryland, le Delaware. Puis par suite après un autre six heures de route le lendemain matin j’atteins finalement la Virginie et la Caroline du Nord.
Je dois avouer que je n’ai pas trouvé mon voyage déstabilisant de par son américanité. Ce ne fut pas avant d’atteindre un climat plus chaud que je commençais à sentir la distance que j’effectuais. Un peu inquiété par l’opulence révoltante de cape Hatteras, j’espérais que l’île d’Ocracoke serait quand même un peu moins artificielle et saturée d’opulentes constructions neuves et de véhicules de luxe. Je fus ravi de voir que le climat y était convivial et simple, pour ne pas dire chaleureux. La largeur des rues qui rend le déplacement par autos plus difficiles, ce qui encourage les alternatives. Les piétons, les bicyclettes et les voiturettes de golf sont inséparables à l’environnement. L’absence de lampadaire dans les rues laisse les nuits noires et le ciel recouvert d’étoiles comme on n’en retrouve pas sur le continent. Ce sont les menus détails comme ceux-là qui font de ce petit coin retiré où l’eau est chaude à souhait une expérience unique. Petit paradis du voyageur en quête d’une expérience authentique, simple, mais efficace.
Anthony Brunelle
Pour plus d’articles en français à propos de Ocracoke, cliquez ici.
