Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

“I love your rich vibrant heritage, your wild and untamed winds, your sea birds, and the lull of the ocean that moves me to write when I’m cruising in your arms. It is here where I remember to breathe deeply.”

Jakl Shelton Green – Poet Laureate

We awoke to a clear brisk day to make our journey to the Ocracoke Island and the Outer Banks after spending the night on Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station about an hours drive away. Driving through the countryside to Cedar Island Ferry Terminal was interesting as some of the towns and homes were so remote. We passed many quaint towns with people waving to us as they walked down the country roads. The towns Christmas decorations were crab pot that were formed in a tree shape, decorated with lights, and stuck to telephone poles by two steel pegs. We loved that and it looked really pretty.

With over an hour to spare, we arrived at the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal for our ride to Ocracoke with our reservation in hand. They recommend you arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of time. They highly recommend you get reservations, especially during the summer, or else you get put on a waiting list and you would have to take your chances if you can get on or not. We got out and walked over to where the ferry comes in. There is beach access to the left of the terminal and there was outside seating. Inside the visitors center there was a book with the history of all the lighthouses on the Outer Banks. There was no concession stand so better to grab something before arriving here.

When it was out time they boarded the vehicles in a special order to make sure the ferry was balanced. After we drove on, we got out and found a seat on the top of the ferry and watched all the cars being boarded. This ferry was a Sound Class Ferry that weighs 300 tons and can hold 50 vehicles. When it was time to leave the Captain noticed two more cars coming into the terminal and waited to get them boarded before leaving. As soon as they were on, they released the ferry, the ramp was raised, and they put the netting across the opening to keep anyone from falling. Then we took off at a fairly rapid pace.

There was a comfortable inside lounge with seats and some tables and vending machines. Many people brought card games to keep them busy on the trip. Upstairs it was wide open with two benches to sit and watch the ocean go by. The ferry goes across the Pamlico Sound and take 2 hours and 25 minutes to get to Ocracoke Island which is 22 miles across. This ferry cost $15 for the trip and it really was worth every cent. This is one of seven different ferry routes in North Carolina run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, NCDOT. We were amazed looking out at this wide open area of water and only saw two other small boats the entire trip. We also noticed that most of the passengers traveling today knew each other. It was like a mini reunion for some. We enjoyed our relaxing trip to Ocracoke and loved the views. It would be awesome to take this trip as the sun is setting.

The original ferry system here was run by Captain Tillet, a private owner, who used a tug boat and barge to move a small amount of cars. NCDOT subsidized his service between 1934-1950. In 1950, Captain Tillet sold his business to the state of North Carolina. We were told they run the ferry 365 days a year and only do not run if the winds stay at 30 to 35 mph sustained winds.

We saw the island getting closer so we stood at the front of the ferry watching the captain weave his way in and out of the buoys guiding him into eastern corner of Ocracoke Island on Silver Lake. We could see the buildings and homes from a distance and off to the right saw the lighthouse. A sailboat was right in our path and the captain had to blow his horn to stop them.  They quickly released their sails and their boat stopped.  It was a close call for them. The town looked quaint from where we were and we were anxious to get off the ferry and explore.

Once we docked, we were signaled that we could drive off the ferry. We drove around the quaint town of Ocracoke and saw that all the restaurants, hotels, and shops were boarded up. It looked like a ghost town. We had no idea it would be this way and now understood why there were no rooms available on the island. We hadn’t done our research to realize that the island of Ocracoke has been closed to visitors since Hurricane Dorian hit on November, 9, 2019 and only the roads were open for through traffic. Dorian hit the island hard and we only saw a few people fixing up things on the island. Dorian brought with her gusts of wind that topped 100 mph and a seven-foot storm surge. There may have been more residents that were still on the island but of the 950 residents that live here, we only saw a handful of people. There was debris piled up on the side of the road. We saw the devastation and it awful. To see this quaint island, once known as “The Pearl of the Outer Banks”, that had been thriving not long ago be in this state, it was just sad. God bless the residents and we hope they have a speedy recovery.

The Ocracoke Lighthouse was first on my list of things to do list while on the island. The lighthouse, located at the southern end of Ocracoke Village earlier known as “Pilot Town”, made it through the storm and still looked beautiful. The name “Pilot Town” was given to this area as their were men from the village who would go out and guide the ships through Ocracoke Inlet into Pamlico Sound.

Only the very top of the lighthouse where the light is was painted black, but the rest of the lighthouse is just plain white. The solid white color helped the mariners find there way. The original white wash recipe they used to keep the lighthouse white was a blend of lime, salt, Spanish whiting, rice, glue, and boiling water. The lighthouse has walls that are solid brick and 5 feet thick at the bottom and 2 feet thick near the top. Because of this, it was used as a hurricane refuge.

A Christmas wreath had been placed on it making it look festive. This 75 foot lighthouse was built in 1823 by a Massachusetts builder named Noah Porter. It was used to help the ships find there way through the Ocracoke Inlet into the Pamlico Sound. When the lighthouse was built including a one story, one bedroom keepers cottage, the total cost was $11,359. Later when the duties of the lighthouse keeper increased, they added a second story in 1897 making a double keepers cottage. They also added a generator house which was once used as an oil supply shed.

There are 86 steps to the top of the lighthouse but no one is permitted to walk up anymore as the steps are in disrepair. The light now is a 4th Order Fresnel Lens that was installed in 1854 and is a fixed light and is now totally automated. This light can be seen as far as fourteen miles at sea. This is the oldest light station in North Carolina and the second oldest lighthouse in the United States. It is now taken care of by the US Coast Guard.

While we visited the lighthouse, a few other cars pulled in to see it as well. After checking it out, I wanted to see the British Cemetery on the island before leaving. So we drove back into town and turned right onto British Cemetery Road and it was right there. It was tiny and looked like it was a part of someones front lawn.

I walked up and gave thanks to the crew of the HMS Bedfordshire who gave their lives defending the shores of our country. In the beginning of WWII, our Navy was under staffed, under gunned, and we didn’t have enough ships to defend our coastline. During this time, the German submarines were patrolling our coast and were sinking over 400 ships, at least one a day, and killed thousands of our men. The Germans called it “The Great American Turkey Shoot” and North Carolina’s Outer Bank was known as “Torpedo Alley”. That was a scary time in our history.

Great Britain offered to help and were gracious enough to send us a whole fleet of ships and seamen. On May 11, 1942, the 900 ton HMS Bedfordshire was out patrolling the coastline when they were struck by a torpedo and sank killing all 37 sailors on board. Unfortunately, most bodies were not recovered. Two bodies washed ashore and were identified as 2LT Thomas Cunningham and Ordinary Telegraphist, Stanley Craig. The next day two more men washed ashore but were not identified.

The people of the town of Ocracroke honored these heroes by donating a small plot of land to bury these men. At first the towns people cared for this cemetery but then it was turned over to the US Coast Guard to take over the care. Eventually the grounds were leased to the British Commonwealth for as long as the sailors were buried there. Normally there is a British Flag flying over the cemetery but because of the storm, it was not that day.

Every year around the anniversary on a Thursday or a Friday, they hold a memorial ceremony where some representatives from the British Royal Navy and the US Coast Guard tell the story and list the men who died.

“If I should die think only this of me,

that there’s some corner of a foreign field

that is forever England”.

Rupert Brooke – a British poet

Right next to the British Cemetery is the locals cemetery which was interesting as well.   

I was sorry we didn’t get to speak to any of the old timers on Ocracoke. I heard the dialect of the Ocracoke older folks that have always lived here is the old dialect known as Hoi Toider “High Tide”, which is a dialect that is rooted in Elizabethan English, Irish, Scottish and possibly a bit of pirate talk. Many pirates have spent time here including Blackbeard who came to his end off the coast of this island. The island of Ocracroke was first established by the English in 1585 but not permanently settled until Sir Walter Raleigh came in 1700, thus the accent.

Driving towards the ferry, we drove through the Hatteras National Seashore which is federally protected. As we drove down the lonely one lane road, all along the right side was debris piled up from the hurricane. We wanted to stop to see the ocean, as it looked a beautiful blue/green color whenever we got a glimpse but we couldn’t find a good place to stop. The parking lots for the beach were also piled high with debris to be picked up and removed from the island. We will have to come back after they rebuild.. They had signs through out town that they were not going to let Dorian beat them.

We parked in line to get the next ferry off the island to Hatteras. This is where I was able to climb a sand dune to see the ocean. It looked beautiful. We were hungry so on my way back to the car, I stopped at a vending machine and was able to get us a few munchies for the trip. This was a free ferry and this one only held between 30 to 50 cars depending on their size. This ferry did not take reservations and only took vehicles on a first come first serve basis. This was only an hour ferry ride to Cape Hatteras. The ferry did some crazy turns coming away from Ocracoke where we were weaving back and forth. We assumed it was from the channel being changed from Dorian. That made for an interesting voyage. There is a small lounge on this ferry but most people stayed near or in their cars. We excitedly waited to be off the ferry and onto our next adventure on the Outer banks. Bye for now.

“On Ocracoke we don’t care what you do; we just want to know about it”.

John Ivey Wells