Ever since our Portsmouth Island trip in 2006, my friend Kim and I had been wanting to go back. Our '06 trip had been cut short due to the unwelcome arrival of hurricane/tropical storm Ernesto, which was due to hit us within 24 hours of our planned paddle over from Ocracoke. So we limited our time on Portsmouth to just a few hours and headed back to weather the storm from base camp in Frisco. But this time the weather situation was looking much better. So on September 5th we awoke to clear blue skies with barely a cloud in sight. This time we were camping on the beach!
As usual, the trip began with a drive down from Frisco and a ride down to Ocracoke Island via the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry.
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We launched at the usual site, the NPS ramp in Ocracoke Village. The water was fairly calm, so launching went without incident and we were on our way.
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Since our intent this time was to paddle directly to the ocean side of Portsmouth, we would be faced with a couple extra miles on the water, making the trip out 7 miles, total. Luckily we had a nice tailwind to push us along, instead of the 15 mph-plus headwind we faced in '06. We caught a high tide, so we didn't have to navigate around any shoals, although there were times when we found ourselves in less than a foot of water.
As we approached the beach, the breakers were big enough to wash over the bows of our boats, but we were able to land without much difficulty. What surprised us was to see the trucks and four-wheelers on the beach. I had forgotten about the popularity of the island among fishermen, and the four-wheeler tours offered there. Otherwise, the beach was pristine.
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And the fishermen were very friendly, as this lovely lady showed me the nice puppy drum she caught while I was talking to her. |
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We got camp set up and then just kicked back to take in the sound of the surf and the setting sun. Kim built Castle Greyskull while I went out exploring.
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As the sun set behind us, we fell asleep to the sound of the waves just 50 feet from our tent. The morning brought a beautiful sunrise over the ocean, and we packed everything back up to paddle into the village. |
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After a mile or two of coastline scouting, we decided to approach the village from the old lifesaving station, which turned out to be a flurry of activity, as NPS contractors were working to make repairs to it that had occurred during Hurricane Isabel a few years ago. They gave us the green light to explore the old building, including the tower, so we jumped at the opportunity.
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We decided to walk into the village again, since we were so rushed during last year's visit, and because I wanted to get some photos I didn't get before. The skeeters proved to be just as vicious as we'd remembered, especially in the more wooded areas.
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The paddle back to Ocracoke proved to be a bit strenuous, with a 10 mph headwind. We were going back at low tide, which may have proved complicated, but our course took us right to the edge of a sandbar, which came at a perfect time to take a break and walk around. Halfway back, we found a cluster of balloons drifting around, so I tied them to the back of Kim's kayak. The remainder of the trip gave us some nice following surf, which felt like the gentle hands of the sea pushing us back home. What a great trip!
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