The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a major vacation destination for many that live on the East Coast. We were oblivious.
It is a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina that are a little wild and a lot beautiful. There are long stretches of white sand beaches, lighthouses, a few marinas and thousands of fishing boats.
And so much history! The Wright Brothers used the dunes to test test their first flights. The area is also known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, since there are so many wrecks along the ocean side of the OBX.
To get there, you can take a long ferry ride, come down a long stretch of highway, or use a boat to cross the Pamlico or Albemarle Sound.
We waited in Oriental, NC to do the 5 hour crossing of the Pamlico Sound. We wanted to have a good “weather window”, which means very little wind and waves or as Patty would put it “glassy water and dolphins all around”! We chose a time when it looked like there would be 4 days of good weather, and we headed to Ocracoke Island. Much of the day looked like this:
We did see a dolphin, but it wasn’t as idyllic as we hoped. It was a lot of time on the water.
We finally arrived on Ocracoke Island, home to the famous pirate Blackbeard. We nestled the boat into her slip and headed to to dockside restaurant for some shrimp and a beer. The islands of the Outer Banks are heaven to sports fishers. The view from our table got a lot more interesting when a small fishing boat came in with some very large prized catches.
Later that night we met up with some friends from earlier in the loop, and they invited us to go to dinner with them. It was fun to catch up with Roger and Anne. They gave us lots of advice on where to go, anchorages, towns, restaurants, and so much more. As a bonus, the food was delish!
We happened to be on the island during their annual Blackbeard 5/10K and half marathon. We walked to get breakfast burritos while hundreds of runners ran past. Inspiring, but a bit guilt-inducing!
After three days of sunsets like this, we decided to move on. Sigh….
Another long day on the water to get to Manteo. Such a cute little town, with a great aquarium, historical museum, and distillery. We learned a lot about the area and it’s history. Totally worth the two days we spent there!
The Outer Banks…. Who knew?!
I’d heard of The Outer Banks, but didn’t internalize they were so far out.