Sailing Near Ocracoke

[RKFrazee]

My wife and I are new to sailing, having purchased a 16'' Capri sailboat
early this summer. We have learned the basics on Norris Lake and we are
considering taking the boat to Ocracoke in a few weeks to day-sail in the
Pamlico Sound.

My question is, should a couple of novices consider venturing into the Pamlico
Sound? What should we beware of in this area (other than Blackbeard''s ghost)?

Any help or advice is appreciated.

[WHOOSH]

RK:

I''m not a regular in that area, altho'' we''ve visited it numerous times, so please take that into account with the following...

Mentioning Ocracoke and asking about Pamlico Sound are two different ballgames, IMO. The area adjacent to Ocracoke, including Silver Lake and the National Park docks area, is relatively safe because the nearby waters offer more protection and distances are short. The same can be said for tributaries off Pamlico Sound. But ''The Sound'' as a whole seems to get a wide, wild range of weather conditions and much of its open waters can be quite challenging for even bigger boats.

Be sure you have a NOAA wx radio available to you, and even so pay attention to the current conditions and what you hear from the locals. On that kind of boat, try alongshore and protected waters sailing initially, see how you feel about it and how the weather holds, and venture a bit further as confidence and conditions encourage you.

Jack

[kwiac]

Remember, Okracoke runs basically East-Weastso don''t get turned around North-South. Staying close to the backside of the island will definately find you some nets, shallows, but is usually a leeward direction so you won''t die by drowning, but you could lose some weight by exsanguination by skeeters which are big enough to have sex with a football flatfooted. Make sure you''ve got at least a hand held vhf as the locals are reel alert to people getting into problems.
If you''re from New Jersey, though, you may have some problems. Seems their blood down there is still of a relatively small gene pool and they''re not looking to broaden it with that genotype.
Try sailing out behind Portsmith Island and over to Atlantic and Cedar Point. It''s beautiful and less traveled(as is old Drum Point)

[Stede]

Daysailing from Ocracoke to the surrounding areas should be fine for you. Typically the winds blow from N.to S.on the Pamlico.Because the sound is so shallow,during a blow,short,choppy waves will try to beat you to death.As with any trip, pay close attention to the local forcast and plan accordingly.Also, I agree with the other post about the Mosquitoes.At dusk they are vicious! Check out a restaurant on Ocrakoke that I believe is called the "Back Porch". Very good.The Blackbeard museum is pretty interesting too.