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| Ocracoke Island - Ocracoke, NC USA
Wind Conditions: Excellent Water Conditions: Excellent Launch facilities: Good Beach conditions: Excellent Traffic conditions: Good Safety: Fair Charges: Free, NPS launch About the place: A favorite place for vacation, Take NC highway 12 south from Nags Head. This is the Outerbanks Island that you have to take a ferry to get to. Best to set up a stay in a ental cottage, hotel or plan to camp at the NPS campground in the middle of the island. The island is aprox. 16 miles long with only 750 acres owned by the public. The launch is on the west end of the island, in the village of Ocracoke (Founded 1587, where Blackbeard was killed by the British in 1613). Launch is a double ramp, cement with high docks on the sides, you have to walk the cat out and away from the trailer, pull trailer then back boat up and setup, inconvenient. To access actual beaches with the boat you need four wheel drive and surf experience. The launch is on the sound side of the island, sheltered and the paved parking area allows four day parking before you are tagged by the NPS, they say they have occassionally towed a boat when they are crowded, been there three years, twice a year stayed up to two weeks, never been tagged,seen anyone towed os seen it very crowded. Be cautious, take appropriate gear, you are twenty-five miles offshore on this island and as of last year the Coast Guard has no presence closer than Cape Hatteras, twenty miles away. Sailing in the sound is AWESOME!! Lots of wildlife, dolphins, winds 10>, waves from 1-2'> and plenty of islands and places to go. Best sailing seems to be to the north and west, a NOAA chart is helpful as the ground gets very shallow, check the tides, be prepared to have your rudders kick up, nothing like double trapping across 6" water with the fish jumping out of your way. The island has all of the amenities of a major resort, but NO fast food, video parlors etc.. Check out Howard's Pub with 208+ beers as well as all of the beaches to swim, surf and laze. Highly recommend it as a place to get away, with some minimal effort I have always had a great sailing experiance here. Submitted by: Tim Pickering <Hobietim@AOL.COM> Delaware, OH USA - Thursday, December 05, 1996 at 07:12:41 (PST) |