The need for both aerobics and meditation

November 1, 2011

Health & Wellness
Holiday 2011
By Terrilynn Grace West

As the inclination to hibernate comes with the colder weather, I’d like to make a plug for honoring your need for stillness by practicing mediation, while not forgetting your bodies need for activity.

Choosing this topic was a good excuse for me to look up the latest guidelines about aerobics and strength training on HYPERLINK “http://www. mayoclinic.com/” http://www.Mayoclinic.com. I wasn’t surprised to see that the amount of time recommended for maintaining a healthy body (especially heart) has increased! The good news is that the ways of fitting this time into your weekly schedule has become more flexible.

How much aerobics?
The Department of Health and Human Services recommend for most healthy adults a minimum of two and a half hours of moderate exercise (think walking, swimming, biking) per week. Ideally spread out throughout the whole week.

The focus is on an active lifestyle. Longer less frequent sessions of aerobic activity have no clear advantage over shorter more frequent ones. So, for example 3 ten minute walks during a day counts! You don’t have to do 30 minutes at a time! Doing the math, it does mean that you want to be active most every day for a minimum total of 30 minutes.

Why aerobics?
We’re all familiar with the perks of preventing heart disease and maintaining optimum weight with aerobics. During this time of year with less daylight, many people suffer from the ‘winter blues’ and aerobics helps significantly to keep your spirits up during these dark days of winter.

What does moderate level of exercise mean?
You can check out all the details on the Mayo Clinic website to figure out your target heart rate using their formula OR (I prefer this method) you can gauge your intensity by how you feel!

What I use is:
Light exercise: (great to begin after your ‘vacation’ from exercise) you can carry on a full conversation and even sing; you don’t break a sweat (unless it’s hot and humid).

Moderate exercise: (highly recommended) you can carry on a conversation but not sing; you break a sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.

Vigorous exercise: you can’t say more than a few words without pausing for a breath; you break a sweat within minutes of activity. *Beware of pushing yourself too hard, too often, you want to support your heart, not stress it. If you are short of breath, in pain, or can’t complete the amount of time you planned for, you are probably exceeding your level of fitness right now. Best to back off and build more gradually. Of course, if you have any questions about what your best intensity level for exercise is talk to your Doctor.

A word about weight and exercise
Being active is an important part of any weight-loss or weight-maintenance program. When you’re active, your body uses more energy (calories). And when you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight loss.

Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your diet each day, you’d lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories). Exercise along with cutting calories helps boost your weight loss. Exercise is also important for maintaining your weight and not regaining weight.

Calories and exercise
The following chart shows the estimated number of calories burned while doing various exercises for one hour for a person weighing 160 pounds. Specific calorie expenditures vary widely depending on the exercise, intensity level and your individual situation. I’ve included resources on Ocracoke that you may want to check out. Details about classes can be found on the Observer’s Bulletin Board.
Aerobics, high impact 511
Aerobics, low impact 365
*Ocracoke Free Workout by Barbara Jemison at the Community Center
Basketball game 584
*Ocracoke School teams (I wonder how many calories for cheering?)
Bicycling, – 10 mph, 292
*Many places you can rent bikes on Ocracoke and enjoy our new off road bike path to the beach.
Jogging, 5 mph 584
Running, 8 mph 986
*Ocracoke School Cross Country team
Walking, 2 mph 183
Walking, 3.5 mph 277
*Ocracoke has so many beautiful places to walk alone or with a buddy.
Tai chi 292

Strength training
Do strength training exercises at least twice a week. No specific amount of time for each strength training session is included in the guidelines.
Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type 219.
Explore what’s right for you, have fun, be healthy.

Meditation
I began meditating when my Doctor recommended it because of high blood pressure. It worked or me, with lots more benefits that surprised and delighted me. The basic added benefit for my and many people who use meditation is the increase in peace of mind. Like aerobics you basically only need your body to engage in meditation, it can be done alone or with others and helps you feel better overall. There is no pressure because there really is no wrong way to meditate. Coming to Ocracoke to visit, or living on this beautiful Island invites you to live more in the precious present moment so this is a perfect place to experiment with different ways to meditate.

Ways to meditate
When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. There are many ways to meditate, some of my favorites are

Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher. You can even purchase guided meditation CDs.
Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. You broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.
Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Tai Chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-chee), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.
Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you’re encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

Fortunately, on Ocracoke there are opportunities to easily join with others to support your meditation practice. Ann Erhinghaus has organized a weekly 30 minute meditation group which meets at Oscar’s Bed and Breakfast most Sunday mornings at 10:15am. Folks who come simply sit in silence using whatever method of meditation suits them. At the end of our time together, there is a short time for optional sharing. Yoga classes offered by both Amy Hilton and Henry Schliff happen several times a week.

Elements of meditation
Different types of meditation may include different features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who’s teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

Focused attention. Focusing your attention is generally one of the most important elements of meditation. Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on things as a specific object, an image, a mantra, or even your breathing.
Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe more efficiently.
A quiet setting. If you’re a beginner, practicing meditation may be easier if you’re in a quiet spot with few distractions — no television, radios or cellphones. As you get more skilled at meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere, especially in high-stress situations where you benefit the most from meditation, such as rushing to get to the ferry in time!
A comfortable position. You can practice meditation whether you’re sitting, lying down, walking or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation.

Everyday ways to practice meditation
Perhaps you live or visit Ocracoke more for solitude, and you can practice meditation easily on your own. Some of the keys in engaging in meditation that have been helpful to me include: deep breathing, gently bringing your attention back to your breath when it wanders (and it will wander!); scan your body by paying attention to different parts of your body noting any sensations for example: pain, warmth, tension, relaxation; walk or read with moments of quiet reflection; focus on love and gratitude allowing your thoughts to keep coming back to saying thank you. Although I often luxuriate in allowing more time for meditation, I’ve found that even a few minutes makes a difference during my day. People have often asked me if prayer is meditation. I like to think about prayer and meditation as having much in common. For me, the experience of prayer is more talking with God while meditating is more listening.

So how do you get to Carnegie Hall? You practice, practice, practice. And so meditation is called a practice because it gets easier and more focused the more you do it. Especially if you can resist judging yourself when your mind wanders, and instead calmly invite your attention to come back to your breath, or walking steps, or book or prayer.

I encourage you to experiment and you are likely to find different types of mediation suit you at different times. And whether you are exercising aerobically or meditating, enjoy being more and more in the present–healthy and well.

Restoring the “Blanche”: A traditional Ocracoke fishing boat

September 22, 2011

Blanche boat photo jpg — Photo by Susse Wright

September 2011
By Pat Garber

Seventy-five years ago an Ocracoke fisherman, Stacy Howard, commissioned a master boat-builder, Tom ‘Neal, to begin building him a fine new fishing boat. The work was finished by another island boat-builder, Homer Howard, who added a rounded cabin near the prow. Proud of his well-designed craft–a traditional deadriser—Stacy Howard gave it the name of his teenaged daughter, Blanche. (He had another boat, the “Lela”, named for his older daughter.) Blanche Howard Joliff, now in her nineties, still remembers how happy she was when her father named the boat for her.

This past spring the “Blanche,” now belonging to the Ocracoke Preservation Society, was once more the object of much sawing and hammering, as boat-builders and volunteers set out to restore her to her former glory. (Boats are traditionally referred to in the feminine gender.) Craig Wright, a boat-builder at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC, was commissioned to oversee the work. He, along several volunteers from the Maritime Museum, worked with Ocracoke volunteers Tom Wright and Tom Payne to replace the rotten wood in the deck, the rub-rails, the washboards and the gunwales, and apply a new coat of paint. With the work near completion, the Blanche looks great!

Today she sits in a wooden cradle in the yard of the Ocracoke Museum, where she serves as an exhibit of Ocracoke’s maritime heritage. Her story provides a fascinating look at the island’s fishing traditions from the 1930s until 2006. In that year, the “Blanche” was donated to the museum by another island fisherman, James Barrie Gaskill (the son of one of the boat’s former owners) and since then she has shown how, through contributions of time, hard work, and money, a community can save and preserve a part of its culture.

The history of the Blanche was compiled by talking to islanders and fishermen who remembered and worked on the boat. Maurice Ballance was about seven years old when his uncle by marriage had the “Blanche” built. Maurice recalled the day they “set her up” with keel and ribs of juniper brought over on one of the freight boats that used to run between Washington NC and Ocracoke. Once the boat was finished, he said, they got a Ford car engine, geared so low that there was no reverse, and added a propeller and a cooling system using water that moved through a kicker-pipe. The “Blanche” was now ready to go, and Stacy’s daughter Blanche went out fishing on her with her father. “One day I caught 57 bluefish and I thought I had done something,” she smilingly recalled.

Stacy Howard used the “Blanche” to long-haul (in which two boats drag a long net to shore and one circles around to bail the fish) for trout, spot and sea mullets. He also did sink-netting in the ocean for bottom fish, according to Maurice, and one time, “Stacy and Murray Spencer, who was fishing with him, like to get swamped coming in. They were running before the sea—the boat will run with you, then snake before the breakers. Another breaker swamped her, and she was half full of water!”

He later started taking out fishing parties–visitors to the island who wanted a real fishing experience. Maurice Ballance and Ronald “Conk” O’Neal crewed for him, baiting hooks and taking the fish off the lines.

“That boat’s been through hell…” mused Maurice. “It was wrecked up some during the Storm of ‘44, when it broke the stake it was tied to in the harbor and went into a piling. Preacher Dixon and I waded out and cut her loose and retied her, but some boards were damaged.”

After Stacy died, the “Blanche” went to his son-in-law, Archie Wahab, who transferred her to his cousin, Elisha “Lishe” Ballance. Lishe was a former Coast Guardsman who worked for the National Park Service. His son Gene, who was in high school at the time, remembered him moving the boat to the Base Docks, where he repaired the cabin. He worked on her for a year or two, but never got an engine for her. He sold her to Lum Gaskill, who rechristened her the “Candyjoe” after his grandchildren Candy and Joe. Vince O’Neal, who now owns the Pony Island Restaurant, remembered swimming around the Candyjoe (or Blanche) when she was tied up near Lum Gaskill’s dock.

“Yeah,” admitted Vince. “We snuck up on her sometimes at night when no one was watching and jumped off. We were kids, you know!”

Upon Lum’s death in 1975 Bill Patman (a grandson of Bill Gaskill, owner of the Pamlico Inn) acquired the boat. Then Maurice took her to Qwawk Hammock, where he planned to use her for long-hauling. Somebody broke into her and stole the battery, anchor, and other items, so Maurice abandoned his plan. “The Blanche” sank to the bottom of the creek, and it looked as if she would meet the same sad ending as many another old wooden boat.

Instead, Anthony “Moose” Mutro bought her, pulled her up and, in cooperation with his uncle, Irvin Styron, started putting her back into working shape. In 1977 Moose got a job in Elizabeth City, so he transferred ownership of the Blanche to his uncle. Irvin installed a rebuilt Chrysler Marine engine in her and later, with the help of his daughter Ada and Junius Austin, put on a new cabin and deck.

He used her for mulleting and crabbing, always accompanied by his black Labrador retriever, Pisces. Moose’s son, Dale Mutro, now the postman at Ocracoke, remembered going clamming on the “Blanche” with his dad, Irvin, and Irvin’s son Ray over at Lewes Shoal, near Portsmouth.

Ocracoke fisherman Rex O’Neal also recalled going out crabbing with Irvin.

“He would go out when other fishermen couldn’t,” he said. “She (the “Blanche”) was such a seaworthy boat.”

Captain Rudy Austin added that “a lot of them would be out crabbing on the other side of the Lehigh, back in the ‘80s when crabbing was good. When it got rough and the rest of us were having a hard time in our flat bottom boats, Irvin would be riding along crabbing at ease.”

Irvin’s daughter Ada worked often worked with her father, and she remembered “I ran the boat and he pulled the pots. One day while we were fishing pots I looked up and there were two waterspouts out on the sound. They sat down on the water and it got real rough. I wanted to go in, but Daddy said ‘we’re going to finish the pots—there’s only twenty-five left. Well, the waves started breaking over the boat and stalled the engine. The new deck boards had swelled up so the water couldn’t get through to where the bilge pump was, and the boat was filling up with water. We were scrambling around, ripping up boards and trying to get her started again. We got her running and we finished the pots, but I quit when we got back!”

Ada chuckled a bit as she recalled the incident, adding that she’d quit quite a few times but always went back to work with her father.

Irvin also used the “Blanche” for shrimping, according to Moose. He attached a short mast and used removable outriggers so that he could shrimp on the back side of the island and down Core Sound.

Irvin’s son, Ray Styron, inherited the “Blanche” upon his father’s death in 1986. He re-named her the “Shoestring” and used her for shrimping. Ocracoke fisherman James Barrie Gaskill recalled the time he, in his boat the “Lady Ellen,” pulled Ray off a shoal when he had run aground on Six Mile Reef. Later, Ray pulled the boat on shore and lived in her for a while. Then his cousins Stevie and Tubba O’Neal bought her, removed the mast, and installed a diesel engine, though they never got her running.

It was after this that James Barrie Gaskill, the son of Lum O’Neal, acquired the “Blanche.” He began, along with his friend Don Wood, restoring her to use as a pleasure boat. When Don died, James Barrie gave up the project and asked the Ocracoke Preservation Society if they would like to have her. The transfer was a long and involved process, but on April 29, 2006, the old deadriser officially became the property of OPS.

The “Blanche’s” life at sea was over, but her new role as a museum exhibit was just beginning. A “Save an Old Boat” committee was formed and fund-raising began. Grants from the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board helped fund the project, as well as generous donations from individuals. Meanwhile, volunteers worked hard to construct a wooden cradle to hold the boat securely and then to move her. With the assistance of a backhoe and lots of warm bodies she was brought from Oyster Creek to the museum, lifted from her trailer, and placed in the cradle.

The following year a shelter was built to protect the “Blanche” from the weather, and two years later a viewing platform was added. Then, in late 2010, plans were firmed up for actual restoration work to begin. OPS contracted with Craig Wright, a self-described “Yankee-Tarheel” (he was born in North Carolina but spent most of his life in Connecticut) who worked as a boat-builder at the NC Maritime Museum. Craig has been building boats since he was nine years old, he said, and he arrived back in North Carolina “single-handing” (sailing solo) an ocean-going boat that he had built.

Tom Wright and Tom Payne, both Ocracoke residents, took a trip to Beaufort to meet with Craig and get some ideas for starting the work. The two Toms began building ribs, according to Craig’s instructions, in the spring of 2011. Craig Wright came to the island and worked for two days a week through the month of May and into June, bringing with him different volunteers from the museum in Beaufort. Ernie Ortiz, Vic Fasolino, Walt Geist, and Bill McDade are great guys, Craig said, and all donated their time and services to restore the Blanche.

Tom Wright and Tom Payne donated not only their time but also the use of their shops and tools to further the project. Other Ocracokers helped out as well, providing meals, taking photos, and doing whatever else was asked.

The work on the Blanche is not yet complete, however, and more donations are needed to finish it. The next steps will include building a rounded cabin, similar to the one depicted in a 1936 photograph, and attaching an engine similar to the original one Maurice Ballance described.

If you come to the island be sure to come to the Ocracoke Museum, located near the Park Service Visitor Center, and stop by the back yard to see this lovely boat and learn about Ocracoke’s commercial fishing tradition.

If you want to make a donation for her continuing restoration, you can send a check to “Save an Old Boat Fund” Ocracoke Preservation Society Box 1240 Ocracoke NC 27960, donate online, or donate at the Ocracoke Museum Gift Shop

Spotted on Ocracoke: Gulls in the ‘ hood – or maybe not

September 1, 2011

September 2011
Text and Photos by Peter Vankevich

Laughing Gull__PS_IMG_5299 — Laughing gull in breeding plumage

Laughing Gull PS IMG_0134 — Laughing Gull in basic plumage, from late August till early spring

The Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, is the most common black-hooded gull that can easily be seen along the coasts of the Carolinas, especially flying along the ferries to Hatteras and back. They prefer to breed on islands without predators. During the late 18th and 19th century they were in danger of extinction due to the harvesting of feathers and eggs. Once they received protective status, their numbers rebounded. Today, one of their threats is the increasing population of the larger Herring Gulls and that will feed on their eggs and chicks. There are approximately 12,000 nesting pairs in North Carolina. They are named because their call in flight sounds like a loud laugh.

I chose this bird for September because at this time of year, they molt and lose their black hoods leaving the plumage around the head to have a smudgy look. Many years ago when I started birding, I visited the island of Chincoteague, Virginia in August and again in September. I thought that the Laughing Gulls that were so common a few weeks earlier must have migrated. After some study of the Peterson Field Guide to the Birds and, more importantly, some field observation, I realized that the gulls without the black hoods were one and the same. When this molt occurs, you can tell them apart from the similar sized Ring-billed Gulls by their darker slate-colored mantles (backs) and black bills. Occasionally you may see them flying circles over the village feeding on insects; and in late fall they sometimes will land on the cedar trees to feed on their berries.

For a gull, they do not like cold weather. I compile both Ocracoke and the Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) that take place usually just before New Year’s Day.’ If the preceding weeks are cold, we find very few of them present. Last year, a group of fifteen or more observers managed to find only two birds on Ocracoke and three on Portsmouth Island.

As you may imagine, the Laughing Gull is named after its call which sounds na bit like ha-ha-ha ha-haaaaaa. Since I don’t have any cultural references for these guys, I’ll play off its name and tell one of the two funny bird jokes I know. (Yes, the other involves a parrot and you won’t read it here.) A guy was caught roasting four Bald Eagles. He begs for mercy from the court. “Your honor, I got lost in the woods for two days and stumbled across this eagle’s nest. It was them or me; I was starving.” The judge frowned, “I’m not sure I buy this, but I’m fining you only $250. Case dismissed.” A few moments later, the judge calls him back and says quietly, “I’m a hunter, just between you and me, how did they taste.” The defendant’s eyes light up and he says, “The best I can describe it, the taste is a cross between a Whooping Crane and a Spotted Owl.”

Ocracoke Fishing-Scents: “Fish Smell Real Good”

September 1, 2011

September 2011

By Ken DeBarth

I was in Tradewinds Tackle the other day and overheard Alan sharing his opinions on insect repellent and sun block with a shopper. He finds it interesting that deer hunters will go to great lengths to hide their human scent and fishermen will buy scented baits but will handle their baits and lures with sun block and bug spray on their hands.

It was not the first time I heard Alan expound on this topic. I decided to do a little on-line research.

While some fish are primarily visual feeders, many of the near shore species targeted by surf and sound fishermen use scent to find their food. This includes red drum (and other members of the drum family such as croakers), sea mullets and sharks. The scent feeders have developed extraordinary sensitivity to scents in the water. Although the red drum has sharp eyesight, it relies most heavily on its sense of smell when foraging for food.

Fish have nostrils with an organ called an “olfactory rosette”. The larger the olfactory rosette, the more sensitive the fish is to the odors in the water. Additionally, fish have taste buds in their mouths, on their tongues, and in some cases outside their mouths in the form of barbells. This combination of smell and taste organs allow fish to find food as well as avoid danger.

Some fish (such as sharks, rays, eels, and salmon) can detect chemical levels as low as 1 part per billion. That means they can detect 1/200th of a drop of a substance in 100 gallons of water.

A fish’s ability to detect the wrong or unnatural taste and smell can affect your ability to catch fish. If your bait has traces of human scent, gasoline, oil, sun block, insect repellent, rust, mold, or even your after shave and cigarettes on it, a fish might avoid it. In the same way that you would not eat something which smelled or tasted wrong, a fish will not eat a bait that has the wrong smell or taste.

You can decease your offending odors by simply washing your hands before handling your bait and lures. Avoid deodorant soaps since they have perfume in them. Ivory Soap is a commonly recommended soap. Lemon Joy and Lemon Sunlight dish detergents are also mentioned. There are “fisherman soaps” on the market as well. Some sources recommend rubbing your hands with a combination of salt and baking power. It is more important that you wash your hands after contacting a potentially fish offending scent than which product you use.

Some writers recommend periodically cleaning your rod and reels. Foam or cork rod handles can accumulate oils and other foreign chemicals. Last week’s fish slime transferred from your hands to the rod handle can spoil and become a source of bacteria and odors. Scrub rod handles and reel seats with dish soap and rinse well. The addition of bleach will kill bacteria that can create odors.

Reels need to be lubricated, but over time oils and sticky goo can accumulate. Pay special attention to reel handles where your hands will (hopefully) be spending a lot of time.

Once you have done all you can to eliminate the odors that could drive fish away, you need to look for ways to attract fish to your baits and encourage them to bite. Change cut and dead baits often. The blood and oils from a chunk of cut mullet will diminish over time and loose attractiveness. Change chunk baits every 20 minutes.

Consider using one of the new scented artificial products like Berkley Gulp Salt Water Series or Fishbites Saltwater Extreme. Both come in a variety colors and patterns. Both products claim to release 400 times more scent into the water than live bait.

Soft scented baits provide a taste and texture (feel) that may prompt a fish to hold the bait in its mouth longer which will mean more hook-ups.

There are also many oils and sprays that one can apply to baits or lures to cover human odors and attract fish.

Keep the negative and positive effects of scent in mind the next time you go fishing. Wash your hands often, use scented baits, and you might have more success in your fishing.

Oh yeah, the next time you are in Tradewinds, ask Alan if he agrees with me about the sun screen and bug spray.

Ken DeBarth lives and fishes on Ocracoke. He washes his hands a lot

Henry’s Kitchen: Questions, answers on buying fish on Ocracoke

August 1, 2011

Henry’s Kitchen
August 2011
By Henry Schliff

Questions: What fish are caught locally? When are they available? What are some good cooking methods?

Bluefish: A dark meat, full-flavored fish rich in healthful Omega 3 fat. Baby blues, called snappers, are in good supply May – December. Because of their high fat content the flesh can spoil quickly but, when handled properly and cooked quickly, small bluefish are very flavorful and a bargain at the price they usually sell for. Small fillets are good fried, grilled, broiled, blackened or cooked in a highly seasoned sauce (see recipe below).

Spanish Mackerel: Another dark meat, fatty (healthful Omega 3 fat) fish that is in good supply May-December. It is moist and sweet when cooked soon after it is caught. Small filets are good fried, grilled, broiled, blackened, or cooked in a highly seasoned sauce.

Flounder: Good availability May to December. A very popular fish due to its flaky white meat that is delicate in flavor and texture. A whole fish is excellent stuffed and baked with crabmeat or shrimp. Filets are good fried, broiled, and baked in cream sauces.

Yellow Fin Tuna: Fair availability spring through early fall. Considered by many as a gastronomic treasure, its meat is rich and flavorful. It is delicious seared, grilled, broiled, or blackened. Tuna’s texture and sweetness is best when it is cooked rare – medium/rare and its flesh dries out quickly when over cooked.

Mahi Mahi: Fair availability late spring through early fall. A very popular, meaty, white flesh fish that is delicious fried, grilled, broiled or baked.

Pompano: Fair availability early June to August. Small cleaned and dressed whole fish are sweet and succulent grilled or pan fried.

Tile Fish: A deep water fish caught along the continental shelf which has a dense white meat that is mild and flavorful. It is available on a limited basis during the summer months and it is very good grilled, broiled, pan fried, and baked.

Puppy Drum: Limited availability April to December. Puppy drum (smaller size drum) is highly prized for its delectable, sweet flavor. It is delicious fried, grilled, broiled, baked and blackened (the blackened red fish of Cajun cooking). It is also excellent for fish chowder.

Speckled Trout and Sea Trout: Limited availability June – December. Not to be confused with freshwater trout, speckled trout and sea trout are members of the saltwater drum family. Their delicately flavored white meat is delicious fried, broiled and baked.

Many other varieties of fish available from time to time but many species are depleted and there are restrictions as to how much can be taken.

Question: How much fish should I buy?
Answer: For fish fillets, which are cut the length of the fish, six ounces is an ample serving size. For fish steaks, which are crosscut slices of the fish, six ounces is a good portion size for boneless steaks and eight ounces for bone-in steaks.

Question: What is the best way to handle the fish that I buy before I cook it?
Answer: Very carefully! All fish are highly perishable. A fish is adapted to live in a cool environment and when exposed to warmer temperatures it spoils rapidly due to an increase in bacterial activity (fishy smell). In addition, a fish uses a great many digestive enzymes in order to function in its environment and upon death these enzymes attack the flesh causing further degradation (autolysis). To minimize these factors wrap fish in air-tight heavy plastic and place it in a large sealed container surrounded by cubes of ice in the refrigerator. Always cook fish the same day that it is purchased.

Question: I’ve heard that overcooking can cause fish to dry out. How can I prevent this from occurring?Answer: Watch your fish carefully when cooking no matter what cooking method is chosen. The old adage “a watched pot never boils” does not apply to fish cookery. Do not walk away. Fish can overcook in a heartbeat and its best to check for doneness often and before you think it will be done. It’s also good to remember that a fish continues cooking from its residual heat when removed from the fire (I have sadly watched a piece of tuna turn from a rosy-pink inside to a pale grey in a matter of minutes after removing it from the grill). Check for doneness by using the tip of a small knife to open the flesh. If the flesh is still very moist and somewhat opaque (white, not fleshy) it is almost done and it will usually finish cooking when removed from the heat.

Question: I’d like to buy some fish while I’m here to take home. What’s the best way to retain maximum freshness?
Answer: Immediately after purchase wrap it air-tight in heavy plastic and place it in the freezer. When going home immerse the frozen package in a cooler filled with ice cubes and place it in a freezer when arriving home. But even frozen fish will continue to deteriorate. Leaner species will keep satisfactorily a maximum two months and fatter species for one month. Always defrost fish slowly overnight in the refrigerator before cooking to prevent the cellular membranes from bursting and causing it to dry out.

Henry Schliff’s kitchen experience is long and varied over the past 30 years. He has been the chef of a French, Italian and Mexican restaurant and most recently the chef/ owner of the Orange Blossom Bakery in Buxton. He is the author of two cookbooks and now is delighted to share his love of cooking from his Ocracoke home kitchen.

Bluefish with Tomatoes and Green Olives
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 ¼ lb. small bluefish filets
sea salt
1 cup peeled and chopped onion
1 Tbs. peeled and chopped garlic
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup of the tomato juice from the can
½ cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped (no pimentos)
1 Tbs. canned, sliced jalapenos, seeds removed, chopped
2 tsp. of the liquid from the jalapenos

With a sharp knife cut away the dark blood line that runs down the center of each filet and remove any small bones. Lightly salt the filets. Heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a large skillet and add the filets skin side down. Cook for about 4 minutes over moderate heat and turn. Cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes on the second side. Place the fish in a serving dish and reserve.

Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook the onions slowly until they are lightly browned (about 8 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, green olives, jalapenos, and jalapeno liquid. Simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes (add a little water if the sauce has become thick). Remove half of the sauce to a bowl. Add the reserved fish to the skillet. Pour the sauce from the bowl over the fish. Cover the pan and simmer until the fish is heated through (about 5 minutes).

The history of figs on Ocracoke

August 1, 2011

Originally published August 2011

By Gael Hawkins

August visitors to Ocracoke are privileged to experience an annual island tradition-the harvesting of Ocracoke figs. For the uninitiated, this experience will be a culinary highlight. One bite of a ripe, juicy, sweet fig will make anyone a true convert to man’s centuries-old love affair with this luscious treat.

Ficus carica is a deciduous shrub (not a real tree) native to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. With bright green heavily lobed leaves and ample branching, it makes an attractive addition to any suitable landscape. Moderate climate, sandy soil with ample drainage and low acidity make the ideal environment. It is believed to be one of the first plants cultivated by humans as evidenced by fig fossils found in Neolithic villages dating to 9400-9200 B.C.

Figs were first transported to the New World by Spanish and Portugese missionaries in the early 16th Century. Records indicate that figs were cultivated in 1526 in Espanola (now Cuba) and that only one fig bush per family was allowed in order to prevent competition with Spain. Ficus carica is unique in a genus of perhaps 1,000 species of mostly giant “rubber trees” because is bears edible fruit. This fruit is actually an inverted flower that blooms internally.

There are four types of figs: the Common fig which requires no pollination because all of the flowers are female, the Caprifig which contains both male and female flowers and therefore requires a visit from a specialized wasp, the Smyrna which requires cross pollination with a Caprifig, and the San Pedro which bears an independent first crop like the Common fig but whose second crop is dependent on pollination. These peculiar differences were the source of much frustration for early cultivators who were often confounded by barren plants. Much information has been written about the fig including the familiar passage in 1 Kings, 4:25 –“Each man under his own vine and fig tree” denoting peace and prosperity.

To get the inside story about figs on Ocracoke, I knew just the man to ask. Chester Lynn, an Ocracoke native, florist and storyteller, is the go-to guy for all things “figgy”. Chester is certain that figs were grown on Portsmouth and Ocracoke Islands before 1810. Since figs are highly perishable and once picked, a fig will ripen no more, most early figs were preserved in some way. Cloves, coconut and cinnamon were favorite additives to preserves. Figs were also candied whole with the stems intact. Drying, a technique so popular in fig preservation throughout the world, was not widely used on Ocracoke.

Chester has identified more than nine cultivars growing on the island. The Brown Turkey is really more reddish in hue, is a mid-season ripener and is very prolific. It is very popular for traditional Ocracoke preserves. The Pound Fig, so called because it is very large, is more purple in color and smells of cinnamon. The Pound Fig bush can grow quite tall, too. Chester can remember a Pound Fig at his aunt’s that had a porch swing dangling from its branches. The Sugar Fig, with its coppery skin, is the smallest local fig. It is best eaten right off the bush-there are only 3 or 4 Sugar Fig bushes on Ocracoke and they don’t produce enough to make preserves. The small yellow Lemon Fig is a late bearer, and is also called a Marseilles Fig. It is very sweet and not the least bit lemony. The big, green Portsmouth Fig is not sweet, and looks like small watermelon. It is best used in a cooked mixture with other types of figs. The Late Fig is a very dark purple cultivar that ripens in October but does not produce abundantly. The Blue Fig is rare on Ocracoke and is actually purple. It is delicious and prolific but not widely grown here. And the most popular, the Celeste Fig, is a more compact plant full of leaves that produces early in the season and is very easy to grow.

While you are strolling through the village, see if you can spot some of these local fig plants. The plants will probably be surrounded by a thick ring of oyster and other shells since it is believed by many that these shells provide necessary lime to fertilize the figs. Chester told me an old Ocracoke story to help prove his theory that the current shell mulch practice is not really effective. He remembers that as a child, people would say that a dying fig tree was lonely and had lost its will to bear when the people living near it moved away. He says that the left-over pot liquor from boiled fish and vegetables was poured on the fig bushes and that the freshly shucked shells of oysters and clams were tossed around them. It wasn’t the actual shells that fertilized-it was the bits of meat and juices that provided the required nutrients. When someone ceased this routine by moving away, the fig did suffer though not from loneliness.

No conversation about figs can end without mention of the famous Ocracoke Fig Cake. We all take it for granted that there was always our beloved fig cake. Not so, according to Chester. While fig preserves were used as filling between layers of cakes for ages here, it was Margaret Garrish who invented the one we all adore. She didn’t have any dates for her date cake so she substituted figs instead. Figs are most versatile. They can be grilled, broiled, boiled and pureed. They can be sweet or savory. And they can be baked into Margaret’s delicious cake. Enjoy some while you are here and take some home to remind you of Ocracoke all through the winter.

Spotted On Ocracoke: The Hermit Crab

August 1, 2011

June 2011

Text and Photo by Peter Vankevich

I think this month’s feature is one of the more fascinating creatures one may find on Ocracoke. Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans, that is they have ten legs. Their shape is elongated and asymmetrical. Because they lack an exoskeleton (hard shell) to protect their body, especially the abdomen, they will use seashells or if they are unavailable other hollow objects for protection forcing their pliable body inside such as one would use a sleeping bag. The variety of univalve shells they use is vast including periwinkles, augers, moon snail shells and even the large whelks.

They get the name “hermit” apparently due to their not having a permanent home, i.e. shell, and having a reputation as being solitary. More on that in a moment.

Worldwide there are about 1100 species, most found in coastal and shallow muddy waters. A few are considered to be terrestrial preferring muddy or sandy areas usually within a few hundred yards from the shore. On Ocracoke where there are about four species, you may come across them during the day, but they are most active in the early evening and nights when there are fewer predators around. A good spot I have seen them during the day is in the shallow warm waters at Springer’s Point.

As you will note from the photo, barnacles and many other living organisms will live on the outside shell. They are omnivorous scavengers, feeding on vegetal matter as well as dead fish and living plankton.

A suitably sized shell will permit a hermit crab to withdraw completely if a predator attempts to harm it. As they outgrow the shell, they must seek another larger one. If they cannot find an empty shell, they may force another hermit crab out by using its strong pincers or by violently rocking the shell. Rarely, they will attack a living mollusk. Recent research has shown another more sophisticated strategy in the quest to obtain “better housing.”

Whereas we humans are greatly consumed with social media these days, a study published in 2010 by biologists at Tufts University reveals that hermit crabs may locate new and better suited shells using previously unknown social networking skills. Contrary to their name and previous solitude-loving reputation, hermit crabs often find the best new shells when they work together. When a large shell becomes available, crabs may gather around it and queue up in a line from the largest to smallest. Once the largest crab moves into this vacant shell, each crab in the queue swiftly switches into the newly vacated shell right in front of them. As a result, a single vacant shell kicks off an entire chain of shell vacancies that ultimately leads to many crabs getting new, and generally more suitable shells. This behavior has been named the synchronous vacancy chain.

Over at the Ocracoke Coffee shop one nice spring morning, I heard a good porch story. I’m not sure if it qualifies for a Rob Temple or Don Davis yarn to be recounted at Deep Water Theater or has some veracity. Anyway, a couple found some interesting seashells and took them back to the room they were staying in one of the older establishments. Placing them in a neat row on the dresser, they went out for a drink. Coming back, some of the shells had moved. Other than that, it didn’t appear that anything else was out of place. Strange place this island is, they thought. As midnight approached, they heard some noises and turned on the light. The shells were now on the floor and moving around. Ghosts! – they feared. As they watched a little more closely, they saw legs moving them around. Some of the shells they had picked up contained well-concealed hermit crabs and in the morning, it was time for a quick walk to the Springer’s Point for a release.

If you have any comments on this, or suggestions for a future “Spotted” column, feel free to contact me, petevankevich@gmail.com

Civil War battles on Hatteras gave Union first victories

August 1, 2011

August 2011

By Connie Leinbach

Capturing two Confederate forts on Hatteras Island were the first wins by the Union in 1861 during the first of the five-year Civil War, historian Drew Pullen noted during a talk earlier this year in the Ocracoke Community Center. His talk was part of the National Park Service’s “Know Your Park” series. The presentation was also a prelude to the sesquicentennial (150 years) events of the Civil War later this summer on Hatteras and Roanoke islands.

Pullen, of Buxton, who has written two books: The Civil War on Hatteras Island and The Civil War on Roanoke Island, is working on a third book, The Battle of New Bern and the Siege of Fort Macon. He illustrated his talk with original period drawings and photographs, some of which are on view in the history center at Roanoke Festival Park.

“Since we’re so remote, why was there even a fort here?” he asked the 20 in attendance.

The Confederate government wanted to protect the privateers (essentially legal pirates) operating out of Hatteras, Pullen said. At the present-day site of Hatteras village were Fort Hatteras, an earth fort situated near where the inlet is today, and Fort Clark, about a mile east. Out in the ocean privateers were seizing so many northern ships that northern merchants put pressure on the government for help.

In the first combined military operation (which included the Army and Navy) of the Civil War, the Union sent an armada of seven warships and transport vessels off Hatteras.

Commodore Silas Stringham situated the warships in an oval formation to take turns firing, reloading and firing again, continually pummeling the area. On Aug. 29, 1861, General Benjamin Butler accepted the surrender of both forts. Shortly thereafter, the fort at Ocracoke (on an island in the inlet) was attacked by federal ships and also fell.

These captures gave the Union a back door into the Confederacy, and Gen. Ambrose Burnside led an expedition in 1862 into Eastern Carolina, capturing several other forts: Roanoke, New Bern and Fort Macon. Burnside also destroyed the Carolina “Mosquito Fleet,” a fleet of private vessels with guns mounted on them.

After these victories, the federal government created the 1st Carolina Regiment in 1862 and formed several companies of Hatteras and Ocracoke island men. Unlike other regiments, they were allowed to remain here and were not sent into battle. “It’s not that they had a strong sentiment for the North,” Pullen explained about the locals enlisting in the Union Army. They were on remote islands, often without current news, and were practical about the opportunity the Union gave them.

After Hatteras was captured, slaves ran to there and sought protection by the Union. They constructed the first safe haven of the war, dubbed “Hotel De Afrique” in Hatteras. This barracks preceded the Freed Man’s Colony on Roanoke Island. The anniversary event Aug. 22 to 28 is called “Flags Over Hatteras,” and will include a conference and a re-enactment the final weekend.

Pullen said that artifacts from all over the United States that relate to the Civil War on Hatteras are being collected to be on view in the Hatteras Village Civic Center where the conference will take place. Anyone on Ocracoke and Hatteras who has an ancestor who fought on Hatteras or who was in the 1st Carolina Regiment may attend the “Blue Grey Reunion” (Aug. 22 to 24 during the event) free of charge as a VIP. For details about attending that specific event, contact Earl W. O’Neal, Jr., a 252-928-3417, or by email at ewoj1132@embarqmail.com.

All attendees to the conference All attendees to the conference must pay the full registration fee of $150 per person, which includes lectures, exhibits at Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, speakers at Hatteras Civic Center, living history presentations at Hatteras Lighthouse. Conference registration includes three dinner lectures with these nationally known speakers: James McPherson, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom; Ed Bearss, retired chief historian of the National Park Service; Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus of History at the United States Naval Academy.

For more details on the conference and to register, go online to http://www.flagsoverhatteras.com

Pullen’s books are available for purchase at several shops on Ocracoke.

Shipwrecks at Ocracoke

August 1, 2011

August 2011

By Pat Garber

While walking the Ocracoke beach the other day, just north of the pony pens, I stopped to study a configuration of timbers and metal, partially buried in the sand. I had seen it before, and I knew that it was the remains of a ship that had wrecked nearby, but it never ceases to draw my attention. I have watched my share of movies about shipwrecks, and I’ve spent some pretty scary moments on storm-tossed boats myself. I know what awe, terror, and sometimes heroism they can inspire, and I always wonder what story these timbers would tell, if they could.

The waters off of Ocracoke Island are part of what called “the Graveyard of the Atlantic,” and her shore is no stranger to ships and boats that have run awry here. The Labrador and Gulf Stream currents converge nearby, causing frequent storms and unpredictable weather conditions. The shoals that lie just off the coastline change quickly and charts are often unreliable. Ocracoke’s beaches are littered with the remains of victims of the sea, and the Coast Guard logs abound with accounts of them.

Forty shipwrecks s have been officially recorded at Ocracoke, according to Carl Goerch, author of the book “Ocracoke,” and this does not include ships of less than 50 tons. A list compiled by the Hyde County Historical Society in 1976 for their book, “The Story of Ocracoke,” lists thirty-nine. The first of these was wrecked in 1819; the last three in 1942, the victims of German submarine attacks during World War II.. Most were wooden sailing vessels, but the last three were tankers.

The list does not include wreck of the Tiger, which took place in 1585, when Simon Fernando, chief pilot for Sir Richard Grenville’s English expedition to the New Word, ran aground in his flagship. Most of the gear was destroyed by the salt water, but the Tiger was eventually repaired and relaunched. It went on, along with the rest of the expedition, to Roanoke island and what later became known as the Lost Colony.

Also not on the list was a shipwreck described by David Shears in his book “Ocracoke: Its History and People.” Shears relates how, in 1750, a Spanish mercantile vessel, the Nuestra Senora, was wrecked on the island (recorded as “Occacock”) during a fierce storm. Its rich cargo–a million pieces-of-eight–was plundered by islanders who, according to Shears, were angered by previous Spanish pirating.

Alton Ballance includes in his book “Ocracokers” a copy of a letter written by the captain of the sloop Henry, traveling from New York to Charleston, SC, in 1819. It says that the ship ran aground “on the south beach of Ocracoke Bar, four miles from land” in a strong gale. All hand but the captain were lost. This shipwreck was included on the above mentioned list, as are those that follow.

Local legend has it that Ocracoke’s wild ponies landed on these shores in a shipwreck, perhaps during the 17th or 18th century. There is also a story about a ship called the Black Squall, which was carrying a circus troupe and animals from Havana to New York in 1861, being caught in a storm near Ocracoke. The ship wrecked on the beach, and all aboard were lost, except for two beautiful Arabian horses, who escaped and made the island their home.

One of the most famous ships to run aground at Ocracoke was the steamboat Home, which sailed out of New York City harbor in 1837. Known as the “Queen of the Seas,” this paddle-wheel steamer with sails was on its way to Charleston, SC, carrying 130-plus passengers said to be the “cream of the society” of both cities. It ran into hurricane force winds off of Hatteras Island and hit the beach about four miles north of Ocracoke Village at 10 P.M. It fell apart in the surf and, despite rescue attempts, 90 men, women, and children died. Later it was determined that only two life preservers had been on board. As a result of this wreck, Congress passed the “Steamboat Act of 1838, requiring that all ships be equipped with life preservers.

In 1899, on Christmas eve, the navigator on the British schooner-rigged steamship, Aristo, mistook the Ocracoke Lighthouse for the Hatteras Light. The ship, which had been carrying wheat, lumber, and cotton, ran aground near the north end of the island, and the captain ordered the men into lifeboats. The boats capsized and all but nine of the 31 men drowned. The people in Ocracoke Village took the survivors into their homes and shared Christmas dinner with them the next day.

The largest sailing vessel to wreck on Ocracoke’s shores was the George W. Wells, lost on September 3, 1913. The first six-masted sailing ship to cross the Atlantic, it was on its way from Boston to Fernandina, Florida, when it encountered hurricane-force winds near Hatteras Island. The ship, which had 28 sails and weighed 2,970 tons, ran aground six miles south of Hatteras Inlet. The rescue team managed to save all of the 21 people aboard, as well a St. Bernard dog, pulling in the victims in life boats.

Most intriguing, perhaps, of the shipwrecks associated with Ocracoke was the Carroll A. Deering, better known as the ghost ship. On its way from Rio de Janeiro to Norfolk in December of 1920, the ship ran aground on one of the shoals near Hatteras Island. A rescue party from the Hatteras Inlet Lifesaving Station went out to offer help, but found no one there–-just a hungry, gray cat. “Everything aboard was shipshape” relayed James Midgett, part of the rescue crew. “there were no signs of any disorder or any indications of a hasty departure by the men aboard. The table in the mess-room was set with plates, knives and forks.” A year or so later the bow of the Deering washed up on a beach at Ocracoke Island and was eventually buried, according to Goerch’s book, but in 1955 a hurricane unearthed it and sent it back up to Hatteras Island.

National Park Service studies conducted in 2005 have identified twenty archeologically documented shipwreck sites on Ocracoke Island, ranging in size from a single timber,11feet and 11 inches long, to large fragments of hull, 20 feet by 50 feet. They appear and disappear as storms come and go, covering and uncovering the remains.

With modern equipment, stricter safety regulations, and improved methods of navigation, the risk of losing ships and boats off the Outer Banks is greatly diminished. But the dangerous shoals and fierce storms that gave the Graveyard of the Atlantic its name continue to make the waters surrounding Ocracoke a challenging waterway to navigate.

Ocracoke Raptors Capture Little League Championship

July 1, 2011

July 2011

By Vince O’Neal

Ocracoke’s first ever Little League Baseball Team ended their inaugural season as Champions in the Hatteras Island Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth League, 10-12 age group. Finishing second in the regular season, they entered the playoffs on a hot streak, winning four of their last five games. Not bad for a group of boys who only had two players of the fifteen with any prior experience. Most of the boys had only played a few games of softball while in the Cub Scouts and four or five games in last summer’s Baseball 101 camp organized by Karen Lovejoy. Despite the inexperience and the lack of a regulation field to play on, the boys really showed their true grit, determination and love for the game day in and day out.

Graciously, Mr. Keith McDermott allowed the team to practice in his front yard. Brian Samick, one of the coaches, put his carpentry skills to work and made a portable wooden mound so the pitchers could simulate real game settings. Head Coach Bill Cole paced off the distances between the portable bases and although left field was woefully short with an old cedar in the middle of it, McDermott Field was created. And what a home it turned out to be for the boys who practiced at least twice a week in between the twelve regular season games. John Kattenberg and Vince O’Neal were the other two coaches who help drill the team on base running, batting, pitching and game situations as such they could with field limitations. Also lending their baseball experience to rookie ears and eyes were Matthew Sitterson and Adam Carter. Most of the team participated in the Pitch, Hit and Run prior to the season opener and some actually won and placed in the individual categories. It is now clear that this was a indication of the talent and determination this group possessed. The team then had a one game pre-season scrimmage with the Hot Rods of the HI League prior to the season opener, so they actually got to play on a real field for the first time.

After a Season opening tie against the STORM, the Raptors showed a lot of resiliency and always seemed to bounce back as they and their Coaches learned the rules of official Little League Baseball. Every player played and batted every game and most played more than one position as having fun and sportsmanship was stressed by the coaches. And what fun and lifetime experiences did this fine group of kids have with their story book ending.

They really became a solid team as they worked their way through the double-elimination Championship Tournament. After beating the STORM in the opening playoff game, they twice had to knock off the top ranked Braves. After topping them in the second round game by a 13-4 score, the RAPTORS won the Championship game in a 14-13 thriller with the winning run driven in by Jordi Perez. What a fitting ending to a thrilling season by a history making group of Ocracoke Island boys.

Many thanks need to go out in addition to the faithful fans who crossed the inlet to support the team. The team and coaches express much gratitude to Mr. McDermott for the field and the Ocracoke Civic Club for their sponsorship. Also to HI Little League President Rusty Wilkinson and board member Kathy Tawes for all their help.

The future looks bright for baseball on Ocracoke as the hope of finding a regulation field has all involved dreaming of playing on our own home field. Also the coaches are already making plans are for additional age group teams so all boys and girls on the island can enjoy America’s favorite past time.

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